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Elimination of Two-Year Rule for Revised NIH Applications Aull, Robert M 08 May 2003 10:29 EST

The NIH announced yesterday that revised applications would not longer have an "expiration date."  See second paragraph.  Robert Aull @ Indiana University
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REVISED NIH POLICY ON SUBMISSION OF A REVISED (AMENDED) APPLICATION

RELEASE DATE:  May 7, 2003

NOTICE:  NOT-OD-03-041

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

On June 27, 1997 the NIH issued a notice in the NIH Guide for Grants
and Contracts (see
<http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not97-011.html>)
that limited the number of revised or amended
applications permitted as well as the time window during which those
amended applications would be received.  This announcement reiterates
the NIH policy on the number of amended applications permitted but
eliminates the two-year restriction on the receipt of those
applications.

Accordingly, the NIH will not consider any A3 or higher amendment to an
application for extramural support.  But, beginning on the date of this
announcement, there is no longer a time limit for the submission of the
first and second revisions (A1 and A2).  This policy applies to all NIH
extramural funding mechanisms.

In submitting a revised application, it is worth noting that, a lengthy
hiatus after the initial submission may be marked by significant
advances in the scientific field and the comments of the reviewers may
no longer be relevant.  Principal investigators and their institutions
need to exercise their best judgment in determining the advisability of
submitting a revised application after several years have elapsed.

The policy limiting the number of revisions was established following
analysis of data indicating that investigators who receive initial
funding for an amended application have a lower success rate in
obtaining support for a follow-on competing application.  The
likelihood of subsequent success decreased with an increasing number of
amendments.  After three reviews, it was felt that it was time for
investigators to take a fresh approach to their research proposals.

Investigators who have submitted three versions of an application and
have not been successful often ask NIH staff how different the next
application submitted has to be to be considered a new application.  It
is recognized that investigators are trained in a particular field of
science and are not likely to make drastic changes in their research
interests, however, a new application following three reviews is
expected to be substantially different in content and scope with more
significant differences than are normally encountered in a revised
application.  Simply rewording the title and Specific Aims or
incorporating minor changes in response to comments in the previous
Summary Statement does not constitute a substantial change in scope or
content.  Changes to the Research Plan should produce a significant
change in direction and approach for the research project.  Thus, a new
application would include substantial changes in all sections of the
Research Plan, particularly the Specific Aims and the Research Design
and Methods sections.

In the referral process, NIH staff look at all aspects of the
application, not just the title and abstract.  Requesting review by a
different review committee does not affect the implementation of this
policy.  When necessary, previous applications are analyzed for
similarities to the present one.  Thus, identical applications or those
with only minor changes will not be accepted for review.

Inquiries:

Office of Extramural Programs
Office of the Director
Phone 301-435-2768

Division of Receipt and Referral
Center for Scientific Review
Phone 301-435-0715

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