Grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on or after Jan. 25 will require the use of new forms, and most applications will go through a simplified peer-review process. The changes are designed to streamline the grant review process, improve identification of the strongest, highest-impact research, and reduce potential bias based on a research institute’s reputation in the field.

Below are five things to know about the changes for most research project grants. In addition, applicants should pay attention to the specific Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that they are applying to, particularly Sections IV. Application and Submission Information (to determine what forms are required) and V. Application Review Information (to determine if an application will be reviewed using the new Simplified Review Framework).

1. Updated application forms: FORMS-I replace FORMS-H
   The new grant application forms — called FORMS-I — and application guide instructions can be found here. Changes to fellowships and training grants, the PHS fellowship supplemental form, and the PHS 398 research training plan form will be reflected in the new FORMS-I.
    

2. Simplified Framework for NIH Peer Review Criteria
   The current five scored criteria for reviewing grant applications — defined in federal code as 1. Significance, 2. Innovation, 3. Approach, 4. Investigator, and 5. Environment — will be reorganized into three factors. Grant reviewers will now use these factors to determine the scientific merit of the proposed project and to assign an overall impact score, as follows. 

   • Factor 1: The importance of the research (Significance, Innovation), scored 1-9.
   • Factor 2: Rigor and feasibility (Approach), scored 1-9.
   • Factor 3: Expertise and resources (Investigator, Environment), to be evaluated as either sufficient for the proposed research or not.

   Learn more here.

3. Changes to NIH Fellowship Applications and updates to NIH Institutional Training Grant applications 
   • The PHS Fellowship supplemental form includes changes to the Candidate Section, Research Training Plan, and Commitment to Candidate, Mentoring and Training Environment section.
   • For training grant applications, the Recruitment Plan to Enhance Diversity will be a separate attachment with a three-page limit. Mentor training expectations, including faculty participants and planned mentor training and oversight, will be more clearly defined in the parent T32 NOFO. New Training Data Tables are required.
   • New referee instructions will apply to all applications requiring reference letters, including those for fellowships (F awards) and mentored career development (K awards).
      
4. Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Other Support updates
   For submissions on or after May 25, 2025, NIH will begin requiring the use of the new biographical sketch Common Form, new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement form, and the Common Form for Current and Pending (Other) Support.
    
5. Additional resources
   • Changes Coming to NIH Applications and Peer Review in 2025.
   • Simplifying review of research project grant applications webpage and Sample Critique Template for the Simplified Review Framework.
   • NIH Simplified Review Framework for Research Project Grants (RPGs): Implementation and Impact on Funding Opportunities video.
   • Updates to NIH Institutional Training Grant Applications video.