Your TL;DR: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is requesting concrete recommendations on duplicative application materials, fragmented systems, grant management, approvals, and post-award reporting. Strong responses should describe a specific burden, explain its effect, and propose a feasible alternative without disclosing confidential or proprietary information.
NIH released Request for Information (RFI) NOT-OD-26-130 on October 15, 2026. Voluntary comments are due December 1, 2026, and may address pre-award applications, post-award reporting, institutional approvals, duplicate documentation, system interoperability, and burdens on early-stage investigators or smaller institutions.
Specific Burdens Produce More Useful Comments
General complaints rarely show which requirement creates the problem or what tradeoff a proposed change would introduce. A stronger comment identifies the form, step, approval, report, or system handoff; estimates the time or delay; and explains whether the same information already exists elsewhere.
Research offices can add value by turning familiar frustration into evidence NIH can assess. Respondents may quantify burdens, though the notice does not require them to do so.
A Good Recommendation Protects the Underlying Purpose
Administrative requirements often support accountability, research integrity, stewardship, or oversight. A practical alternative should preserve that purpose while reducing duplication or friction.
Teams drafting a response can compare the burden they experience with the outcome the requirement is supposed to protect, then suggest a workable change rather than a blanket deletion.
Protect Sensitive Information
NIH may publish responses verbatim. Respondents should exclude confidential client information, proprietary processes, personally identifiable information, and examples that reveal sensitive operational details.
A focused comment can give NIH useful evidence while protecting the people and organizations whose experiences informed it. This RFI is not a grant competition or a promise that NIH will adopt any specific reform.
To learn more, read NIH Request for Information NOT-OD-26-130.