Post-submission materials are a narrow, defined set of updates NIH will accept to a grant application after the submission deadline but before the study section (peer review) meeting. They exist to let applicants respond to genuinely unforeseen events between submission and review — not to fix mistakes, add missing pages, or strengthen an application after the fact. NIH, AHRQ, and NIOSH share one policy for what qualifies, and it has a hard deadline: materials must reach the Scientific Review Officer (SRO) no later than 30 calendar days before the peer review meeting, unless the specific funding opportunity (FOA) says otherwise.
Quick answer: what’s allowed and what isn’t
| Category | Allowed as post-submission material? |
|---|---|
| Biosketch update because an investigator was hired, replaced, or lost | Yes |
| Revised budget page (e.g., new funding or institutional equipment purchase) | Yes |
| Letter of support/collaboration tied to a personnel change | Yes |
| News that an article was accepted for publication (citation only) | Yes, limited to authors, title, journal/citation — no manuscript text |
| Citation of an issued (not filed) US or foreign patent | Yes, citation only — no copies of the patent or application |
| One-page preliminary data update | Only for new (Type 1) or resubmission-of-new R01/R21/R03 applications, and only if the NOFO allows preliminary data |
| Video demonstrating a device or a time-dependent process | Yes, but only if flagged in the original application and within strict format limits |
| News of professional promotion or a positive tenure decision | Yes |
| Adjustment for a natural disaster (e.g., loss of an animal colony) | Yes |
| Preprint or other interim research product | No — explicitly excluded; not an “unforeseen event” |
| Correcting an error, typo, or omission in the original application | No |
| A new specific aim, additional data figures, or expanded Research Strategy text | No |
| Preliminary data update for a renewal (Type 2) or competitive revision (Type 3) | No |
| Anything for an emergency or urgent competitive revision application | No — these undergo expedited review; no post-submission materials accepted at all |
This table summarizes NOT-OD-19-083 and NOT-OD-23-106. Anything not on NIH’s published list is unlikely to be accepted, full stop — there is no general-purpose exception for “important” or “helpful” updates.
The deadline: 30 calendar days before the peer review meeting
The rule is the same across every category of post-submission material: it must be received by the SRO no later than 30 calendar days before the study section (peer review) meeting, not the application due date. NIH will not accept post-submission materials after that point unless the FOA or a special NIH Guide Notice specifically says otherwise.
Two consequences follow directly from counting from the meeting date rather than the submission date:
- The effective window is different for every application, because study section meeting dates vary. Check the meeting date assigned to your application in eRA Commons, which is tied to your study section assignment, rather than assuming a fixed number of days after the standard due date.
- Because reviewers need time to read materials before the meeting, submitting exactly on day 30 is cutting it close in practice — SROs generally recommend submitting as soon as the material is ready rather than waiting for the deadline.
The preliminary-data exception (added 2023)
Since applications submitted for the May 25, 2023 due date and later, NIH added a narrow exception: a one-page update with preliminary data may be submitted as post-submission material, but only under all of the following conditions (NOT-OD-23-106):
| Application type | R01 / R21 / R03 | All other mechanisms |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 (new application or resubmission of a new application) | Allowed, only if the NOFO permits preliminary data | Not allowed |
| Type 2 (renewal/competing continuation) | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Type 3 (competitive revision) | Not allowed | Not allowed |
This exception has its own 30-day-before-the-meeting deadline — there is no separate, earlier cutoff for preliminary data.
Video and audio materials (2024 update)
NOT-OD-24-067 replaced NIH’s older CD/DVD video-submission instructions. Current rules:
- Acceptable content is limited to demonstrations of a device or of experimental data with a genuine temporal element — something that has to be shown changing or occurring over time (e.g., cell migration, a surgical technique, a 3-D structural change, a software or app demonstration). Data that could just as well be shown in a static figure or table is not acceptable video content.
- Lab tours, equipment shots, platform presentations, testimonials, and promotional material are explicitly unacceptable.
- The original application must already flag that a video is coming: key still images and a description of each video must be included within the Research Strategy page limit, and a cover letter should note the intent to submit video.
- Combined video length is capped at two minutes for single-project applications and five minutes for multi-component applications; combined file size is capped at 35 MB.
- Videos (and audio) are submitted as digital files by email — CD/DVD submission is no longer accepted.
- Closed captioning is recommended but not required.
Format and submission requirements that apply to everything
- AOR concurrence is mandatory. Post-submission materials may originate with the PD/PI, but the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must either send the material directly to the SRO or send explicit concurrence to the PD/PI to forward along with it. A submission from the PD/PI alone, or one that merely copies (cc’s) the AOR, will not be accepted.
- PDF only (video and audio files are the exception, submitted as their native digital file format).
- One page per item unless a specific format already has its own page limit (e.g., a revised budget page) — the one exception is a Training Grant (T-series) publication list, which may run up to three pages.
- Materials go to the SRO, who uploads accepted items into the application’s official eRA Commons record, visible to the PD/PI under “Additions for Review.”
- Materials tied to a change of institution or change of PD/PI must also be copied to NIH’s Division of Receipt and Referral, not just the SRO.
Example scenario
The following is an illustrative, composite scenario, not an account of a specific real application.
A co-investigator listed on a submitted R01 leaves for a position at another institution six weeks after submission, with the study section meeting still 40 days away. The PD/PI’s institution can submit a biosketch for the replacement investigator and a letter of support documenting their qualifications as post-submission material — this falls squarely under “biographical sketches… due to the hiring, replacement, or loss of an investigator” in NOT-OD-19-083. The AOR sends the materials (or explicit concurrence) directly to the SRO, with time to spare before the 30-day cutoff. What the institution cannot do is use the same opportunity to also revise the Research Strategy or add a new aim addressing the gap — that falls outside the defined list regardless of how reasonable it seems.
Frequently asked questions
Can I submit post-submission materials to fix a mistake in my application?
No. NIH is explicit that post-submission materials “are not intended to correct oversights or errors discovered after submission of the application, but rather allow applicants the opportunity to respond to unforeseen events” (NOT-OD-19-083). A missing page, a wrong number, or a citation you forgot cannot be fixed this way.
Can I submit a preprint as post-submission material?
No. NIH explicitly excludes preprints and other interim research products from post-submission materials, on the grounds that posting a preprint is not an unforeseen event.
Who actually has to send post-submission materials to NIH?
The Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), not the PD/PI. The AOR must either transmit the material directly to the SRO or give explicit concurrence that the PD/PI can forward alongside the material. NIH will not act on a submission from the PD/PI alone.
Does the 30-day deadline count from my application due date?
No — it counts backward from the study section (peer review) meeting date, which is specific to your application and later than the submission due date. Confirm the meeting date through eRA Commons rather than estimating it from the due date.
Can I submit a full manuscript once an article is accepted?
No. Only a citation-style notice is allowed: the author list and institutional affiliations, the article title, and the journal or citation if available. The manuscript itself is not accepted.
What happens if I miss the 30-day deadline?
NIH will not accept the material unless the specific FOA or a special NIH Guide Notice explicitly provides for a later submission. There is no standard appeals process for a missed post-submission-materials deadline.
Related NIH application guidance
- NIH Grants: An Overview
- NIH Specific Aims Page: Format, Structure, and How to Write One
- NIH Biosketch Worked Example
- NIH Just-in-Time (JIT) Submission Process
- NIH ASSIST vs. eRA Commons Registration
- NIH Standard Due Dates
- NIH Study Section
- Grants Management & Research Funding (hub)
Sources
- NOT-OD-19-083 — Update to the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Policy on Post-Submission Materials (NIH Office of Extramural Research, released February 15, 2019; implementation date May 25, 2019)
- NOT-OD-23-106 — Revising the NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Post-Submission Material Policy (released March 31, 2023; effective May 25, 2023 due dates and beyond)
- NOT-OD-24-067 — Guidance for Videos Submitted as NIH Application Materials
- grants.nih.gov — Submission Policies (NIH Office of Extramural Research; page confirms NOT-OD-19-083, NOT-OD-23-106, and NOT-OD-24-067 remain the current, unrescinded policy stack)
Last verified against the primary NIH Guide Notices above on August 16, 2026. NIH updates this policy periodically through new Guide Notices — check grants.nih.gov’s Submission Policies page for anything issued after this date before relying on the specifics here for an active application.
