Research Announcements
New NIH, FCC and DOE Guidance
Several recent federal updates may affect UofL researchers and research administrators, including changes to NIH application and reporting requirements, new FCC restrictions on foreign-produced equipment purchases and conflict-of-interest requirements for DOE-funded projects.
NIH Announcements
NIH has announced new requirements aimed at ensuring safe, respectful, and professional research environments. The updates reinforce institutional responsibility for addressing harassment, bullying, retaliation, hostile work environments and other forms of professional misconduct in NIH-funded research.
Institutions are already required to notify NIH within 30 days if a Principal Investigator (PI), Program Director (PD), or other senior/key personnel are removed from their role or disciplined because of misconduct concerns.
One of the most important changes is that institutions must complete misconduct investigations even if the individual under investigation leaves the institution. Resignation, termination, or non-renewal of employment does not end the institution's responsibility to investigate allegations, document findings and reach a final determination.
NIH also notes that unresolved misconduct issues could affect the transfer of NIH awards to another institution. In certain situations, NIH may share investigation findings with recipient organizations when necessary to support funding decisions, assess risk, or protect NIH-funded personnel and research activities.
Researchers should be aware that maintaining NIH funding requires institutions to have strong policies and procedures for preventing and addressing harassment, clear reporting channels, protections against retaliation and well-defined standards of professional conduct. NIH's message is clear: a safe and respectful work environment is an essential part of responsible research.
NIH has announced several updates to its Career Development (K) Award programs that are intended to make the application process easier, reduce administrative requirements and keep the focus on career development and research training. These changes will apply to applications with due dates on or after October 12, 2027.
One of the biggest changes is the streamlining of K award funding opportunities. Several existing K mechanisms, including K01, K21, K25, K08, K23, K02, K24 and K99, will be reorganized into a smaller number of broader funding categories. This change is designed to help applicants more easily identify the right opportunity and better understand eligibility requirements and review expectations. K00, K12, K43 and K76 awards are not affected by these changes.
NIH is also removing the requirement to submit a Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan with K award applications. Since K awards are primarily focused on mentoring and career development rather than generating large research datasets, NIH determined that this requirement added unnecessary administrative burden for applicants and institutions.
In addition, NIH clarified that K award funds may not be used to support the conduct of clinical trials, including clinical trial feasibility or ancillary studies. K scholars may still gain clinical trial experience by participating in studies led by their mentors, but those who wish to lead a clinical trial as a Principal Investigator will need separate funding. NIH has indicated that additional initiatives to support future clinical trial leaders are under development.
These updates simplify the K award application process, reduce paperwork, and reinforce the primary goal of K awards: helping early- and mid-career investigators develop the skills and experience needed to become independent researchers.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that modified peer-review practices will remain in effect for grant applications assigned to the January 2027 Advisory Council. Under Notice NOT-OD-26-114, most review meetings will discuss approximately 30 to 35 percent of applications, rather than the customary level of approximately 50 percent. Applications in the middle third of committee voting will be designated “competitive but not discussed” and will remain eligible for funding consideration. Researchers should not interpret this designation as an automatic rejection.
NIH will also continue issuing simplified summary statements. These statements will include the critiques of the three assigned reviewers, bullet points identifying the principal score-driving considerations and a sentence describing the degree of reviewer consensus. Traditional narrative summaries of committee discussion will not be provided. Applications that receive full committee discussion will continue to receive an overall impact score.
Investigators are encouraged to review all written critiques carefully and consult their NIH program officer before deciding whether to resubmit an application. Researchers and grant-support personnel should become familiar with the revised review categories before January 2027 Council results are released.
NIH has issued a reminder regarding the disclosure of foreign collaborations, foreign components, funding attribution, and publication practices. The notice reflects increased federal oversight of international research collaborations and emphasizes that NIH-funded institutions are responsible for ensuring accurate reporting throughout the life of an award.
Key Takeaways for Investigators:
- Most Foreign Collaborations Should Be Assumed Reportable
- Prior Disclosure and Approval Requirements Still Apply
- Accurate Funding Attribution Is Critical
NIH has announced that it will replace Letters of Support with Letters of Collaboration in NIH grant applications as part of its effort to reduce administrative burden and align more closely with the National Science Foundation format. This change will take effect with the implementation of Forms J in Fiscal Year 2027.
Letters of Collaboration should be used only to document a collaborator’s intent to collaborate or provide material support, such as resources or materials described in the application. These letters may not include endorsements, evaluations, or general statements of support for the project. Each letter must be 100 words or fewer.
After the implementation date, NIH applications that continue to include traditional Letters of Support may be returned without review. Researchers preparing NIH applications should begin planning for this change and work with collaborators to use the new NIH-recommended format when applicable.
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."
NIH has provided implementation details for the updated NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plan format first announced in NOT-OD-26-046. This affects the format and reporting process for NIH DMS Plans, but it does not change the underlying 2023 NIH DMS Policy.
Key Dates:
- July 29, 2026: NIH released NOT-OD-26-100 with implementation instructions for applications and active awards.
- October 1, 2026: Changes to an approved DMS Plan should be reported in the RPPR, Section C.5.c, rather than through a separate prior approval request.
Researchers with NIH applications or awards subject to the DMS Policy should use the updated DMS Plan format.
For active awards, the updated format should be provided with the next RPPR. Prior NIH approval is no longer required to modify an approved DMS Plan. Beginning October 1, 2026, changes such as a new data repository, a change in scientific direction, or an updated sharing timeline should be reported in the RPPR.
Researchers preparing NIH submissions or RPPRs should review the updated NIH DMS Plan format and coordinate with their grants, compliance, or library data management support teams as needed.
FCC Announcements
Researchers should be aware that the Federal Communications Commission recently added several categories of foreign-produced equipment to the List of Equipment and Services Covered by Section 2 of the Secure Networks Act, commonly called the FCC Covered List. The Covered List identifies equipment and services determined to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security of U.S. persons
Recent Additions and Key Dates:
- December 22, 2025: The FCC added uncrewed aircraft systems, or drones, and UAS critical components produced in foreign countries to the Covered List.
- March 23, 2026: The FCC added routers produced in foreign countries, except routers that receive Conditional Approval from the Department of War or Department of Homeland Security.
- July 28, 2026: The FCC added foreign-produced power inverters and foreign-produced advanced robotic devices to the Covered List.
Before ordering drones, routers, robotic devices, power inverters, telecommunications equipment, video surveillance equipment, or cybersecurity products for research, please check whether the item, manufacturer, or equipment category appears on the FCC Covered List. If you are unsure, contact Procurement, IT Security, Export Controls, or Research Security before ordering.
This determination may affect purchases of robotic platforms used in research, including mobile robots, humanoid robots, quadruped robots, unmanned ground vehicles, autonomous robotic systems, or similar network-enabled robotic devices.
Equipment on the FCC Covered List is restricted from receiving FCC equipment authorization, which may affect whether new models can be imported, marketed, or sold in the United States. The FCC has stated that this action applies to new device models and does not affect a consumer’s continued use of devices previously acquired or previously authorized through the FCC equipment authorization process.
If your project involves purchasing or using mobile robots, humanoid robots, quadruped robots, unmanned ground vehicles, or other advanced robotic devices, please consult Procurement, IT Security, Export Controls, or Research Security before placing an order. This review will help determine whether the item is affected by the FCC Covered List or requires additional documentation before purchase.
DOE Announcements
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a final rule amending 2 CFR part 910, subpart C, effective August 17, 2026, establishing formal requirements for conflicts of interest, conflicts of commitment, and organizational conflicts of interest in DOE financial assistance awards.
The rule applies to universities as well as covered individuals involved in DOE-funded or proposed projects. Covered individuals generally include PIs, project directors, co-PIs, project managers, and others who substantively contribute to the project scope.
Researchers need to disclose financial interests, outside appointments, affiliations, employment, foreign talent program participation, sponsored travel, other support, and other relationships. Required disclosures must be submitted by the time of application, updated annually, and updated within 15 days of any new actual, apparent, or potential conflict.
Researchers must complete COI/COC training before participating in DOE-funded projects and complete refresher training at least every two years. Researchers who maintain up to date ADF filings with UofL complete the required training as part of the ADF submission.
Failure to disclose or properly manage conflicts may result in award conditions, disallowed costs, rejected applications, termination of funding, or other enforcement actions.