NIH Most Recent Changes
Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program Prohibition
Effective January 25, 2026, individuals who are a current party to a Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) are not eligible to serve as a senior/key person on an NIH grant or cooperative agreement. NIH will require MFTRP certifications from applicants and individuals identified as senior/key personnel with its implementation of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current/Pending (Other) Support.
Source:
Biographical Sketch and Other Support (Common Forms)
Update: Per , "NIH will be extending the current leniency period through May 2026 to provide users and institutions sufficient time for adoption, allow for full compliance, and ensure fairness for all the extramural community. During this leniency period, NIH will provide a warning when the Common Forms are not used but will not withdraw applications that don’t comply with the use of the Common Forms."
NIH is . Use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement will be required for application due dates and all JIT, RPPR, and Prior Approval submissions on or after January 25, May 31, 2026.
What This Means for Senior/Key Personnel on NIH Proposals
- NIH will require the use of to complete Common Forms (i.e., Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support) and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement to produce digitally certified PDF(s).
- All individuals required to submit one of the above forms must obtain an ORCID iD and link this to their eRA Commons account.
- NIH will require certification from each individual (not their delegate) of their own form(s) in acknowledging information is: 1) current, accurate, and complete and 2) at time of submission, they are not a party to a malign foreign talent recruitment program.
For additional details, tips, and reminders, please consult .
Data Management and Sharing Plan
Following a review of 1,100 submitted Data Management and Sharing (DMS) plans, NIH is revising DMS plan elements. Effective for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026, applicants are required to utilize a new, simpler format of the DMS plan.
For additional details, visit
A draft template can be downloaded from the A final template and additional guidance will follow.