Direct comparison
NIH FORMS-I vs. FORMS-H Compared
FORMS-I replaced FORMS-H for NIH due dates on/after Jan 25, 2025. See exactly what changed, form by form, plus the 2025 FORMS-I revisions.
Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
Ask CASRAI · free to try
Ask about NIH FORMS-I vs. FORMS-H Compared
Ask your first 2 questions free below. Subscribers get 150 a day for $29 a month.
An AI assistant specialized in research administration. It cites the sources behind every answer, labels web answers and says when it can't answer.
Answers draw on CASRAI's guides and dictionary plus the federal and funder documents we index: Federal Register, Grants.gov, Regulations.gov and UKRI.
Works on this site and inside Claude, Cursor and the AI tools you already use.
Everything CASRAI publishes — this page, the dictionary, the guides and the news — stays free to read, with no account and no card.
How do FORMS-I, FORMS-H compare side by side?
The table below compares FORMS-I, FORMS-H across 8 procurement-relevant dimensions, from required for due dates through status as of last verification (aug. 2026).
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | FORMS-I | FORMS-H |
|---|---|---|
| Required for due dates | On or after January 25, 2025 | January 25, 2023 – January 24, 2025 |
| Announcing NIH Guide Notice | NOT-OD-24-086 (April 4, 2024) | NOT-OD-22-195 (2022) |
| Peer review framework used | Simplified Review Framework — 3 factors (2 scored, 1 assessed for sufficiency) | Original 5-criteria framework, each criterion individually scored |
| PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form | Restructured: renamed “Candidate Section,” streamlined Research Training Plan items, sponsor/environment sections merged into one “Commitment to Candidate, Mentoring, and Training Environment” section | Prior structure: separate "Fellowship Applicant Section," separate Sponsor/Co-Sponsor and Organizational Environment sections |
| PHS Assignment Request Form | Funding Opportunity Number/Title fields removed as redundant; reviewer-exclusion fields reordered | Included Funding Opportunity Number/Title fields |
| Senior/Key Person Profile (biosketch) | Credential field updated for ORCID iD; instructions reference the phased-in NIH Biosketch/Other Support Common Forms | Used NIH's legacy biosketch and Other Support formats; no Common Form references |
| Terminology | Updated to 2 CFR 200 terms (e.g., “recipient” instead of “grantee”) throughout | Used pre-2 CFR 200-aligned terminology in places |
| Status as of last verification (Aug. 2026) | Current version (last revised December 2025) | Retired — not accepted for current due dates |
Common questions
Common questions about FORMS-I vs FORMS-H
What is NIH FORMS-I?
+
FORMS-I is the version of NIH's standard grant application forms and instructions (built on the SF-424 Research and Related package) required for applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2025. It replaced FORMS-H.
Is FORMS-H still accepted?
+
No. NIH does not accept FORMS-H application packages for current due dates. FORMS-H applied only to due dates from January 25, 2023 through January 24, 2025.
What is the difference between NIH FORMS-I and the Common Forms for biosketch?
+
They're separate changes on separate timelines. FORMS-I is the overall application forms version (effective January 25, 2025). The Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Forms are a distinct, cross-agency standardization effort phased in for due dates and RPPR submissions on or after May 25, 2025, under NOT-OD-24-163.
Has FORMS-I changed since it was introduced in 2024?
+
Yes. NIH revised the FORMS-I Application Guide in March 2025 and again in December 2025, updating specific form instructions (including fellowship attachments and indirect-cost-base calculations) without changing the version letter. There is no FORMS-J as of this page’s last-verified date.
How do I know which forms version my application needs?
+
Check the application package linked directly from your specific funding opportunity announcement on Grants.gov or NIH ASSIST rather than reusing a previously downloaded package — the required version is determined by your application's due date, not by when you started drafting.
Going deeper
