Learn about when NIH will accept late applications or allow you to send application materials after you submit.
Late Applications
NIH expects applicants to submit applications on time. However, within a 2-week window after an application due date, NIH might consider accepting a late application. Note that NIH will not consider accepting late applications received beyond the window of consideration or when a request for applications (RFA) specifies that no late applications will be accepted (i.e., the Application Due Dates Field states: “No late application will be accepted for this notice of funding opportunity.”).
It is critical to note that no advance permission is given to submit a late application; no NIH staff member has the authority to permit the submission of a late application in advance. Acceptance of late applications is made on a case-by-case basis by the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) in the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and dependent upon the explanation provided in the Cover Letter submitted with the application. Contacting DRR in advance will not influence accepting a late application.
Applications submitted late without an explanatory cover letter or outside the late window of consideration will not be processed, reviewed, or considered for funding.
Any reasons for late submission must be related to the program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) role on the application. For multiple PD/PI (MPI) applications, the reasons may apply to any or all of the PDs/PIs. This accommodation does not apply to co-investigators or project leaders in a multi-component application, or other key persons listed in an application (unless they also have MPI status).
If an application is submitted late, provide a valid reason in the cover letter submitted with your late application. Valid reasons include:
Natural Disaster
NIH issues special Guide notices when a natural disaster occurs. In this circumstance, your delay should not exceed the duration of time your organization is closed, and you'll have to explain the specific reasons for the delay in your cover letter.
Personal Tragedy
In the event of a personal tragedy, e.g., you or an immediate family member suffer sudden severe illness, you will need to include an explanation in your cover letter.
Issues with Federal Computer Systems
Follow the NIH Office of Extramural Research’s guidance on Dealing with System Issues and take the following actions:
- Go to Need Help? to find the appropriate Help Desk and contact information. Get in touch with the appropriate Help Desk immediately, over the phone and in writing.
- Maintain a record of the steps you take to resolve the problem.
- Once the issue is resolved, make note of it in your application’s cover letter. Include the confirmed system issues, Help Desk ticket numbers, and the steps taken to resolve the issues.
Notifying your program officer or scientific review officer (SRO) is not a substitute for contacting the appropriate Help Desk.
Service on an NIH Advisory Panel
A perk to serving on an NIH panel is that you may be eligible to submit your application late. Full-time, temporary, or ad hoc service during the 2 months before or 2 months after an application due date may be an acceptable reason for late submission.
If you are eligible and choose to take advantage of this policy, you must explain the nature and period of your service in your cover letter.
Investigators Eligible for Continuous Submission
You may also qualify for continuous submission, which allows you to apply at any time to R01, R21, and R34 notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) that use Standard Due Dates (and not special receipt dates). For PDs/PIs who are eligible for continuous submission, the late application policy applies to activities not covered under the continuous submission policy. For more information, refer to Continuous Submission and the Update of NIH Continuous Submission Policy.
For the record, CSR has rejected the following reasons for late submission:
- Heavy teaching burdens
- Ongoing illnesses
- Laboratory relocations
- Delays caused by an institution’s business office
- Failure to follow instructions in the Application Guide or NOFO
We advise you to submit your application well ahead of its due date, in case you run into technical difficulties or any of the other problems noted above.
For more information on the nuances of application submission policies, including when late applications might be allowed, refer to:
- NIH Policy for Late Application Submission (note examples of reasons why late applications might be accepted or will not be accepted)
- NIH’s Late Application Submission Policy Frequently Asked Questions
- NIH Submission Policies, Late Applications section
- How to Apply – Application Guide
Post-Submission Materials
After you apply and before peer review, NIH allows you to send certain additional materials—mostly nonscientific items and those resulting from unforeseen events. NIH prohibits sending information that could be used to circumvent page limits. Post-submission materials are not intended to be used to correct oversights or errors you find after you submit your application.
For the full list of allowable post-submission materials, refer to NIH’s Updated Policy on Post-Submission Materials.
Note: NIH will accept a one-page update with preliminary data as post-submission material only for new R01, R21, and R03 applications, including resubmissions, if the NOFO used for submission allows preliminary data in the application. For more details, refer to Revising the NIH Post-Submission Material Policy.
Guidelines for Sending Post-Submission Materials
All post-submission materials other than citations, videos, and audio files must conform to NIH policies on font size, margins, and page size. For details, check the Application Instructions for your grant type. Post-submission materials (other than citations, videos, and audio files) can be submitted only as a PDF attachment.
Post-submission videos and audio files can only be submitted by email to the SRO as digital files. You must indicate in your application that you plan to submit a video as post-submission material. A cover letter that includes information about the intent to submit a video should also be submitted with the application. Multiple videos may be submitted per application, but their aggregate length must not exceed 2 minutes for single-project applications and 5 minutes for multi-component applications. The maximum file size for all videos combined is 35 MB. Video files containing unacceptable content or exceeding the time or size limits will not be accepted. For more details, refer to Guidance for Videos Submitted as NIH Application Materials.
Your authorized organization representative (AOR) must concur with sending post-submission materials. The AOR must send the materials directly to the SRO or their concurrence to the PD/PI. If you receive your AOR’s concurrence, forward the materials and concurrence to your SRO. A communication from you copying your AOR is not acceptable.
Your AOR or you (with AOR concurrence) must submit post-submission materials in the proper format to your SRO at least 30 calendar days before the peer review meeting, unless otherwise stated in the NOFO through which your application was submitted or a special Guide notice. Your SRO uploads acceptable materials into the official electronic grant file maintained in the eRA Commons. You can find these materials in the section title “Additions for Review”.
For more information, check Post-Submission Application Materials and NIH’s Post-Submission Materials Policy Frequently Asked Questions.