Effective June 1, 2026, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require prime recipients to obtain prior approval before adding a new domestic subaward that was not included in the peer-reviewed and approved application (NOT-OD-26-062). This applies whether the subaward is added during the project period or first appears in a Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR).
Only a Signing Official can submit a prior approval request to NIH, and thus it must be routed through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP).
Route the prior approval request in MyFunding as an Award Modification Request (AMR), including all supporting documentation and PI verification. The request should describe the new subaward and indicate whether the addition involves significant rebudgeting or a change in scope. As noted in a previous Tip of the Week, all NIH prior approval requests must be submitted through the eRA Commons Prior Approval Module.
This requirement applies to domestic subawards. NIH no longer accepts foreign subawards; foreign collaborations now use the new PF5 structure, in which each foreign partner is a separate, directly funded component. For details, see our Tips and Resources for New NIH PF5 Proposals.
For more information, see NOT-OD-26-062 and the prior approval requirements in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.
FEDERAL AGENCY ROUNDUP
Updates from federal agencies for the week of 09/14/2026
- NSF released a letter: NSF leadership in a new golden age of science.
Stay up-to-date and informed by visiting the Pitt Research Executive Orders and Federal Funding website.