Annoucement_ReviewPanelChanges

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued Notice NOT-OD-26-012, providing updated guidance on the resumption of NIH extramural activities following the October 1, 2025 federal funding lapse.

A key component of this notice is the implementation of temporary modifications to NIH peer review procedures, which will remain in effect through the May 2026 Advisory Council cycle.

Why This Is Happening

During the funding lapse:
• More than 370 peer review meetings were cancelled
• Over 24,000 applications were affected
To address the resulting backlog while maintaining standard review and award timelines, NIH has implemented temporary operational adjustments.

Key Change: Reduced Percentage of Applications Discussed

Under standard NIH peer review practice:
• Approximately 50% of applications are selected for full discussion at study section meetings.
Under the temporary modifications:
• Only ~30–35% of applications will be discussed at most peer review meetings.
Applications not selected for discussion will be categorized as follows:
• Middle third – “Competitive but Not Discussed”
o Remains eligible for funding consideration by NIH Institutes and Centers
• Lowest third – “Not Competitive and Not Discussed”

This approach allows meetings to be conducted more efficiently (often within a single day), reduces reviewer
burden, and enables NIH to reschedule sessions more rapidly while preserving funding considerations.

Changes to Summary Statements

NIH will also temporarily simplify summary statements by:
• Including a brief statement describing committee voting consensus
• Adding bullet points identifying key score-driving factors
• Continuing to provide written critiques from the three assigned reviewers for all applications

Applications that are fully discussed will continue to receive:
• An overall impact score
• A complete summary statement

Timeline – These modifications apply to applications reviewed for the:

• January 2026 Advisory Council cycle
• May 2026 Advisory Council cycle

What This Means for TCU Investigators

• Expect fewer applications to receive full discussion (~30–35%).
• Applications designated “competitive but not discussed” may still receive funding consideration.
• Summary statements may be more concise than in prior cycles.
• Funding decisions will continue to reflect both peer review outcomes and Institute/Center programmatic
priorities

Announcement_RST_1Pager

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) has implemented mandatory Research Security Training (RST) to ensure compliance with federal sponsor requirements. Texas Christian University has purchased the Research Security Training module through CITI Program to meet these obligations.

Effective immediately, all Senior/Key Personnel listed on proposals to federal sponsors (including NIH, NSF, and other federal agencies) must complete the Research Security Training prior to proposal submission.

Federal Basis for Requirement

This requirement aligns with recent federal mandates, including:
• NSF Research Security Training Requirement (CHIPS and Science Act of 2022)
NSF requires all senior/key personnel to complete research security training prior to proposal
submission.
• NIH Research Security Expectations
NIH has strengthened requirements related to research security, disclosure of foreign activities, and
responsible management of federally funded research. Institutions must certify compliance.
• NSPM-33 and OSTP Guidance
Federal-wide implementation of research security standards under National Security Presidential
Memorandum-33 (NSPM-33) and related Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) guidance.

What You Need To Do

1. Log in to CITI Program
a. If you have never used CITIProgram before, instructions are available here: Research & Creative
Activity | Compliance Training
2. If you already have a CITI account, simply log in → Add Course → Scroll to Question 13 and add the
course titled: Research Security Training (Combined Course).
3. Complete the module and send OSP confirmation once finished

Training Validity Period

• Training is valid for 12 months from the date of completion.
• Senior/Key Personnel must renew annually to remain eligible for inclusion on federal proposals.
Failure to complete the required training prior to submission may result in proposal delays or the inability to
submit to federal sponsors.

Compliance and Monitoring

OSP will monitor completion status and maintain institutional records of compliance. For questions regarding research security training requirements or proposal eligibility, please contact:

Office of Sponsored Programs
Texas Christian Universit

Announcement_Biosketch NIH

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that all Senior/Key Personnel prepare and submit their Biographical Sketch using SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae) and the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form template.

NIH will no longer accept biosketches created outside of SciENcv for applications requiring the Common Form beginning May 2026. Investigators must generate their biosketch directly within SciENcv and upload the PDF generated by the system into the application package.

Who Is Affected

This requirement applies to all Senior/Key Personnel, including:
• Principal Investigators (PI)
• Multiple PIs
• Co-Investigators
• Other individuals designated as senior/key contributors on NIH applications

Required Actions for Compliance

To ensure NIH compliance, investigators must:
1. Create or access a SciENcv profile through My NCBI.
2. Link their eRA Commons account to My NCBI/SciENcv.
3. Link their ORCID iD to SciENcv.
4. Select the “NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form” template when creating a new CV.
5. Generate and upload the PDF produced directly from SciENcv into the NIH application package.

Linking both eRA Commons and ORCID accounts is required to ensure accurate population of funding
history, persistent digital identifiers, and compliance with NIH disclosure and research security policies.

Why This Change Matters

NIH has implemented the Common Forms for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other)
Support to:
• Standardize disclosure requirements across federal agencies
• Improve transparency of research support and affiliations
• Strengthen research security in alignment with NSPM-33 and federal research security initiatives
• Ensure consistent use of persistent digital identifiers (e.g., ORCID)

Failure to use SciENcv, the correct Common Form template, or properly linked accounts may result in
application errors, rejection, or submission delays.

Accessing SciENcv

SciENcv is available through My NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/

TCU step-by-step instructions are available here: https://research.tcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Navigating-SciENcv-TCU.pptx

The Office of Sponsored Programs strongly encourages investigators to begin preparing and linking accounts
well in advance of the upcoming R01 proposal deadlines to avoid last-minute compliance issues that could
prevent the submission of proposals.
Please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs with any questions regarding NIH submission requirements or
compliance.

Policy Statement

Texas Christian University (TCU) requires all Senior/Key Personnel on proposals or awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to disclose all research activities and affiliations (active and pending) in Other Support.

All Senior/Key Personnel on proposals to or awards from all federal funding agencies, including the NIH, must fully understand their responsibility to disclose all resources made available to them in support of and/or related to all of their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at TCU.

Requirement

Texas Christian University (TCU) is implementing the National Institute of Health’s NIH’s policy requirement for all Senior/Key Personnel on proposals to or awards from the NIH to review the following information and complete the on-line training identified in the training process below to ensure accurate, complete and timely disclosures in NIH submissions:

• NIH Grants and Funding – Other Support topic page: Other Support | Grants & Funding
• NIH Pre-award and Post-award Disclosures Related to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support: NIH Disclosures Table (PDF)
• NIH Other Support Instructions: NIH Other Support Instructions

Training Process

1. All Senior/Key Personnel must complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Institute (CITI) Research Security online training module prior to proposal submissions to NSF, NIH, DOE or USDA.
2. All Senior/Key Personnel on existing NIH or USDA awards must complete the CITI Research Security online training module prior to submitting a Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR). PIs are responsible for confirming that all Senior/Key personnel have completed the required training prior to submitting the RPPR.
3. Any new Senior/Key Personnel added during the course of an existing NIH or USDA award must complete the CITI Research Security online training module.
4. The CITI Research Security online training must be renewed annually for all Senior/Key Personnel in proposals and awards.

Non-Compliance

Institutional consequences for failure to comply with this policy may result in:

• At the proposal stage: Delays or prevention of proposal submission.
• At the award stage: Withholding institutional approval to access or spend external grant funds.

Federal sponsor consequences for failure to comply with this policy may result in:

• Federal agency may withdraw applications
• Federal agency may suspend awards
• Federal agency may impose additional oversight if disclosures are found incomplete or inaccurate

http://libguides.tcu.edu/scholcomm/data

The mandatory online Vivarium Training meeting will be distributed by email to the Principal Investigators who are responsible for distributing it to all personnel that require vivarium access for the 2025-26 Academic Year. This training is an important reminder of a) the rules for the daily operation of the vivarium,  b) the value of providing the best animal care and housing for the animals under our care, and c) the importance of animal research.  At the end of the online training, there will be a 20-question test that must be passed (70% or better) for training to be considered completed (repeated testing is allowed).

It is strongly encouraged that PIs organize an in-person meeting with the Vivarium Facilities Manager (Brenton Cooper) and Animal Care Technician for all new essential personnel working within the vivarium.

Please remember that vivarium access will be restricted to only those individuals who complete their annual training and have completed the Occupational Health Assessment by a licensed medical care provider by 15 September 2025.

Effective October 1, 2017, NIH funded researchers will no longer have to request a Certificates of Confidentiality (“CoC”), nor will they receive an actual certificate. The CoC will be issued automatically to NIH funded grants, cooperative agreements, contracts and intramural research projects research funded wholly or in part by the NIH that collects or uses identifiable, sensitive information. Compliance with the requirements of the law will become a term and condition of award. All research that was commenced or ongoing on or after December 13, 2016 and is within the scope of this policy is issued a Certificate through this policy.  Read the NIH notice here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-17-109.html

The Office of Research has revised its research misconduct policy.  The policy entitled “Ethical Conduct of Research and Creative Activities” has been superseded by the “Research Integrity” policy and procedures.  The Research Integrity policy and procedures may be found on the Office of Research website.

Research Policies and Procedures

The Protection of Human Subjects in Research Policy and related procedures have been revised.  Please review these policies and procedures that are published on the TCU Office of Research website.

On August 2,  NIH announced that it was withdrawing its proposal to list the names of all research personnel associated with a grant on the RePORTER system pending “further review of the policy”.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-16-126.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Have you wondered how/when rats, mice, and birds that are bred for research are protected by U.S. federal law?

Learn more about the topic here: https://speakingofresearch.com/2016/05/23/when-are-rats-mice-birds-and-fish-protected-by-us-federal-laws/