NIH Policy Updates

Dear Colleagues,

Below are helpful summaries of recent NIH notices.  Please review the notices and forward them to faculty, researchers and others, as appropriate.

Questions regarding these notices should be directed to your Contract and Grant Officer.

This notice revises the Video formats instructions in the NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-12-141 which addressed the use of video technology in grant applications.  Effective immediately, post-submission videos do not need to be embedded in .pdf files and acceptable formats for videos are .mp4, .mov, .avi, and .wmv.  Please review the notice for additional information this policy update.

Signed into law on December 20, 2019, The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 addresses mandated limitations on direct salary for individuals under NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards and provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for FY 2020.  The Act restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale.  The Office of Personnel Management has released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale.  Effective January 5, 2020, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $197,300.  Please review the notice for additional information regarding this policy update.

This notice provides current requirements outlined in statutory provisions that limits or conditions the use of funds on NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and contract awards for FY 2020.  Please review the notice for additional information regarding this policy update. 

This notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations for FY 2020 and implements The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020.  With the passage of the Act, NIH received a 5.9% increase over FY 2019.  Non-competing continuation awards made in FY 2020 will generally be issued at the commitment level indicated on the Notice of Award.  NIH will prioritize meritorious R01- equivalent applications from ESI PD/PIs. By providing funding priority for ESIs, NIH intends to encourage funding applications that involve researchers earlier in their career in accordance with the policy established in FY 2017.  Section 202 of The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 prohibits payments for salaries under grants and other extramural mechanisms in excess of Executive Level II currently set at $197,300.  Please review the notice for additional information regarding this policy update.

This notice supersedes NOT-OD-19-036 and establishes stipend levels for FY 2020 Kirschstein-NRSA awards.  In addition, the Training Related Expenses and the Institutional Allowance for postdoctoral trainees and fellow have been increased.  The Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for predoctoral trainees and fellows and the Tuition and Fees for all educational levels remain unchanged.  All FY 2020 awards previously issued using NOT-OD-19-036 will be revised to adjust funding to the FY 2020 levels.  Appointments to institutional training grants that have already been awarded in FY 2020 must be amended in xTrain to reflect the FY 2020 stipend levels once the training grant award has been adjusted by the NIH.  Retroactive adjustments or supplementation of stipends or other budgetary categories with Kirschstein-NRSA funds for an award made prior to October 1, 2019 are not permitted.  Please review the notice for additional information. 

_________________________________________

Grace J. Park, J.D.

Assistant Director, Sponsored Projects

Office of Research

141 Innovation, Suite 250

Irvine, CA 92697-7600

949-824-7218

Zot Code:  7600

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