NIH Update

Principal investigators preparing NIH applications should be aware of an important upcoming change to application requirements. According to Notice Number OT-OD-26-094, with the implementation of NIH Forms J, the agency will replace traditional Letters of Support with Letters of Collaboration as part of its ongoing effort to reduce administrative burden and standardize application requirements across federal agencies.

What’s changing?

Under the new policy, NIH will no longer accept letters that simply endorse an application or express general enthusiasm for a proposed project. Instead, applicants should include Letters of Collaboration only when documenting a collaborator’s commitment to participate in the project or provide specific resources or materials that contribute to its success. Examples include collaborators outside the application team or commitments related to Material Transfer Agreements.

The change also eliminates the need for letters from individuals already listed as Senior/Key Personnel or Other Significant Contributors, since their roles are already documented through required biosketches. Likewise, letters from trainees or laboratory staff working under the PI—including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and technicians—should not be included.

New format requirements

Letters of Collaboration are intended to be brief and focused. Each letter must:

• Be no more than 100 words.
• State only the collaborator’s intent to participate or provide resources as described in the application.
• Avoid endorsements, evaluations of the proposed science, or additional project descriptions.

To help applicants, NIH has provided the following recommended template for all applications except fellowships:

“If the application submitted by [Organization Name and with PD/PI Name] as Program Director/Principal Investigator entitled [Grant Application Title] is selected for funding by NIH, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the application.”

When does this take effect?

NIH has announced that the transition from Letters of Support to Letters of Collaboration will occur when Forms J are implemented for FY2027 applications. The timing of this change is important. While NIH Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 begins on October 1, 2026, the new requirement is not tied to the start of the fiscal year. Instead, it will take effect with the implementation of NIH Forms J. Additional guidance, including the Forms J application instructions and implementation timeline, will be released by NIH before the new forms become available.

Once Forms J are implemented, applicants should follow the new instructions even if an individual Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) still references Letters of Support. The Forms J application instructions will supersede older NOFO language, and applications that continue to include traditional Letters of Support after the Forms J implementation may be returned without review.

What Carilion investigators should do now

Rather than requesting narrative endorsement letters, ask collaborators to provide the NIH-recommended statement—or similar language confirming their specific role or resource commitment.

If you have questions about how this policy may affect an upcoming NIH submission, please contact Melissa Mercure (mzmercure@carilionclinic.org) for assistance with application preparation and compliance.