If you are serving as an appointed member on a chartered NIH study section, NIH board of scientific counselors, NIH advisory board or council, or NIH program advisory committee, you are eligible for NIH’s Continuous Submission Policy. The policy allows appointed members of review and advisory groups to submit applications to R01, R21, and R34 notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) that use NIH’s Standard Due Dates after the standard deadline while still undergoing review with other applications from that review cycle.
Continuous submission shortens the time from application submission to review by a month or two, depending on the application type.
For example, a principal investigator who is eligible for continuous submission may submit a new non-AIDS-related R01 application normally due June 5 for the January Council review cycle instead through August 10. Applications received on or after August 11 would then be assigned to May Council for second-level review and funding consideration. See additional examples for non-AIDS-related and AIDS-related applications at Continuous Submission Application Receipt Periods by Council Round.
Note that continuous submission extends to applications submitted in response to a notice of special interest (NOSI) using the parent R01, R21, or R34 NOFOs.
NIH’s Late Applications policy does not combine with continuous submission—the continuous submission receipt period end dates are fixed.
Again, eligibility is premised on appointment to an NIH study section, national advisory council or board, board of scientific counselors, or policy advisory committee. NIH no longer provides eligibility based on "recent substantial service" (i.e., one year of continuous submission earned by serving 6 times in an 18-month period). To verify you are eligible for continuous submission, go to the Reviewer Information section of your eRA Commons Personal Profile, as demonstrated at How To Check Your Continuous Submission Eligibility.
If you don't qualify, consider the policy to be an incentive to volunteer for a standing study section. More generally, Serving on a Peer Review Committee is a rewarding and enlightening experience. While helping the scientific community, you in turn will gain an improved understanding of reviewers’ expectations, discover firsthand what impresses reviewers, and receive exposure, experience, connections, and a broader view of your field.