Effective dates (NIH)

NIH implemented the Common Forms framework for:

  • Application due dates on/after Jan 25, 2026
  • JIT, RPPR, Prior Approval submissions on/after Jan 25, 2026

For application due dates and JIT, RPPR, and Prior Approval submissions on/after May 8, 2026, eRA system validations stop submissions that do not use compliant Common Forms.

flowchart LR
    accTitle: NIH Common Forms effective date timeline
    accDescr: A timeline showing the January 25, 2026 Common Forms start date and the May 8, 2026 active enforcement phase.
    A["Jan 25, 2026<br/>Common Forms apply"] --> B["May 8, 2026 and after<br/>Non-compliant forms trigger submission-stopping eRA errors"]

See the NIH Common Forms hub and the Guide Notice for the full matrix of scenarios: