Upcoming NIH February 5 Deadline Reminders
January 14, 2026
As we approach the February 5 NIH R01 deadline, Sponsored Research (SR) anticipates a significant increase in proposal volume. Please review the following reminders to help ensure a smooth submission process.
Proposal Deadline Policy
To support timely submission, all complete, ready-to-submit proposals must be received by SR at least five (5) business days before the sponsor deadline. For the February 5 cycle, the internal SR deadline is Thursday, January 29.
NEW: Required Use of SciENcv for Biosketches
NIH now requires SciENcv-generated biosketches for all proposals due on or after January 25, 2026. CERES has been updated to pass new Commons validations.
Please upload the certified document exactly as downloaded from SciENcv—do not flatten or print to PDF, as this removes the certification.
Be especially attentive to all post-submission tracking emails to ensure no errors or warnings appear, and remind PIs to review the assembled application in Commons.
- The updated SciENcv biosketch format displays the investigator’s ORCID rather than their Commons ID. If you need assistance identifying Commons IDs, please submit a Commons Request Form.
- NIH eRA Commons is currently issuing warnings related to the new form requirements. These may appear even when the correct forms are used. As long as the biosketch is properly generated in SciENcv and not flattened, SR will proceed with submission.
Required Documents
Please ensure all standard documents are uploaded under the Attachments tab:
- Solicitation
- Internal budget
- Budget justification
- Scope of Work (SOW)
- Outgoing subawards: A compliant LOI that confirms subrecipient personnel have completed required research security training
- Incoming subawards: A prefilled NU LOI template to streamline signature. If the pass-through entity requires its own LOI format, note this in the record.
Research Security Training
Northwestern’s institutional policy requires all PIs and senior/key personnel submitting to or working on federal awards to complete Research Security Training (RST). This requirement applies now for both Northwestern and subaward covered personnel, even though NIH will not formally require RST until May 2026.
Corrections
Please proofread carefully and remind PIs that SR will submit the application if no issues are identified during review. SR cannot accommodate submission of corrected applications (or revised LOIs) to address typos, title changes, or similar noncompliance after review.
COI Grace Period
Because the February 5 deadline falls within the annual disclosure period, SR reviewers will not hold a proposal for updated COI disclosures. However, the investigator’s previous disclosure date must be no earlier than February 1, 2025.
Checking Status
To help SR maintain focus on proposal reviews, please avoid emailing your Pre-Award contact for status updates. Instead, use the CERES Check Status Job Aid in the Knowledge Base or the Tableau tab in the Funding Proposal record.
Proposals may be reassigned to balance workload. For urgent concerns, please contact Carrie Holbo, Director, Pre-Award & Award Management.