Friendlier Format for Key Dates in Funding Opportunities

We have begun posting research opportunities with a new, friendlier table format for the Key Dates section. The table format allows readers to easily identify the available due dates in each review and award cycle. As shown in the first row of this example (partial table pulled from the Key Dates section of PA-21-110), New applications received for the February 16, 2021 due date, Resubmission applications for the March 16, 2021 due date, and AIDS applications for the May 7, 2021 due date will all go to Scientific Merit Review in July 2021 and Advisory Council Review in August 2021. The Earliest Start Date for those applications is in December 2021.

A few important points to keep in mind when reading these tables

• Applications are still due by 5:00 PM local time of applicant organization as indicated beneath the table.
• Note the “as allowed” in the Renewal / Resubmission / Revision column header. Section II of each funding opportunity announcement (FOA) specifies the Application Types Allowed for that specific opportunity.
  • In our example, Section II. Award Information of PA-21-110 indicates only New and Resubmission applications are allowed. So, even though the column header includes “Renewal” and “Revision”, the dates provided in the “Renewal / Resubmission / Revision (as allowed)” column in the PA-21-110 key dates table only apply to Resubmission applications.
• Due dates that correspond to Standard Due Dates are marked with an asterisk.
  • Some NIH policies (e.g., Continuous Submission) only apply to applications submitted on “Standard Due Dates”. Going forward, either Due Dates that state “Standard dates apply” or Due Dates in the table marked with an asterisk will both meet that criteria.
• If a Request for Application (RFA) does NOT allow late applications, the statement “No late applications will be accepted for this Funding Opportunity Announcement” will appear beneath the table (found in due date field for FOAs that do not use the table format.)

Currently, you’ll find the new table format in new, single-project research opportunities. We hope to roll out the table format for key dates in other opportunities (e.g., training, fellowship, career development, multi-project) soon. With many FOAs remaining on the streets for several years, we can expect a mix of key dates formats in our FOAs for the foreseeable future.