As part of NIH’s formal, agency-wide effort to enhance the peer review system, the agency has announced that new, restructured versions of the paper PHS 398 and electronic SF 424 (R&R) application packages and instructions will be available by December 2009. Applicants must download and use the new application packages for submissions on or after January 25, 2010. Changes to the PHS 398 and SF 424 forms will affect all competing applications submitted to NIH, whether submitted electronically or in paper. Applications submitted using incorrect application forms (including applications that have an incorrect mix of old and new forms) will be delayed and may not be reviewed. Please see OSP FYI# 09-334 for additional information.

NIH has revised the PHS 2590 instructions and forms, used for the submission of Noncompeting Continuation Progress Reports. The newly revised instructions and forms are required for all annual progress reports due on or after October 1, 2009. The newly revised instructions and forms are available at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm.  This revision of the PHS 2590 implements a number of important policy changes. Please see OSP FYI# 09-325 for details.

The Office of General Counsel at Boston University has issued a memorandum and related attachment to all NIH Investigators regarding the NIH Public Access Policy.

The NIH has announced that its Public Access Policy, which had been voluntary, is now mandatory. The Policy requires that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central (PMC) an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication. The manuscript must be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication. PubMed Central (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/) is the NIH digital archive of full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles. Its content is publicly accessible and integrated with other databases. Please see OSP FYI# 08-026 for details.

The NIH has announced that all paper PHS 398 applications submitted for May 25, 2008 and subsequent due dates must provide appendix material on CD only, and include five identical CDs in the same package with the application. Paper applications submitted for due dates prior to May 25, 2008 may voluntarily provide the appendix on five identical CDs; if submitting CDs it is not necessary to include a paper appendix. Paper appendices will no longer be accepted for applications submitted for May 25, 2008 and subsequent due dates. Please see OSP FYI# 08-022 for details.