Resubmitting an Application

If your current application will not be funded, it is usually possible to send a resubmission (formerly called a revised application). Consult with your Program Officer about the resubmission process. 

Generally speaking, the NIH allows you to make one resubmission after the original submission. You are typically allowed one additional page at the beginning of the resubmission (the "Introduction to the Resubmission"), in which you respond to the comments from the previous review. The only exceptions to the one-page Introduction are for Training (T), R25, D43, D71, and K12 applications, all of which are allowed a three-page Introduction for resubmissions.

Note that per NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-24-061 , for application due dates after February 13, 2024, following an unsuccessful resubmission (A1) application, applicants may submit the same idea as a new (A0) application for the next appropriate due date.  NIH will not assess the similarity of the science in the new (A0) application to any previously reviewed submission when accepting an application for review.

These guidelines can help in your resubmission:

• Effective February 13, 2024, changes made to a resubmission application should only be outlined in the introduction. NIH has removed the requirement to identify “substantial scientific changes” in the text of a resubmission by “bracketing, indenting, or change of typography.”  
• The Introduction must include a summary of substantial additions, deletions, and changes to the application. It must also include a response to weaknesses raised in the Summary Statement. The page limit for the Introduction may not exceed one page unless indicated otherwise in the Table of Page Limits. See also: NOT-OD-15-030 .
• Talk with your Program Officer about the summary statement:
  • If the reviewer's comments are useful, incorporate responses to them into the resubmitted application.
  • If you disagree with a reviewer's comments, address them in your introduction.  Be clear and polite.
  • If your application is not funded after the second resubmission, you may submit the same idea as a new application for the next appropriate due date.