Recent NIH Guide Notices of Interest

By: Yvette Seger
Thursday, April 10, 2025
On March 28, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy (OSP) posted four notices to the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (“NIH Guide”) of broad interest to the research community.

• Rescission of the Final Scientific Integrity Policy of the National Institutes of Health: During the Biden Administration, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy directed federal science agencies to establish uniform processes to ensure agency scientists and employees could conduct research free of political interference. NIH issued its draft plan for public comment in September 2023 (view FASEB’s comments), which was finalized a year later and went into effect on December 30, 2024. The statement of rescission notes that NIH will adhere to the HHS Scientific Integrity Policy.
• Implementation Update: Promoting Maximal Transparency Under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules: This notice updates the existing NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules with two new requirements, effective June 1, 2025:
  • NIH OSP will post publicly the rosters of all active Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs) registered with OSP via the IBC-Registration Management System
  • NIH expects approved meeting minutes from all IBC meetings will be published on an institutional website
• Protecting Human Genomic Data when Developing Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools and Applications: This notice is intended to remind researchers of the risks of data disclosure and compliance with the Genomic Data Sharing Policy and Data Use Certification when using AI tools.
• Implementation Update: Delayed Effective Date for the NIH Intramural Research Program Access Planning Policy: Delays the implementation of the NIH Intramural Research Program Access Planning Policy (announced on January 10, 2025). This policy outlined the process for external organizations to apply for commercial patent licenses for Intramural Research Program discoveries and the plan to promote patient access to these licensed products. Per Friday’s notice, the effective date of this policy is being delayed from June 1, 2025, for licensing applications submitted to NIH on or after October 1, 2025.

In addition to the four notices issued by NIH OSP, NIH recently published a Guide notice regarding agency operations under the recently passed Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, which maintains the agency’s funding levels as the Fiscal Year 2024 enacted level through September 30, 2025, and the corresponding Guidance on Salay Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements for Fiscal Year 2025.