The Score

Effective Sept. 25, 2026, NIH and SciENcv confirm all SciENcv documents generated prior to Sept. 26, 2026, should be regenerated and recertified in the SciENcv system to ensure documents pass NIH validation. Please update all SciENcv required documents for submission at this time.

If you have submitted a biosketch for use in an application due today or later, please be aware that your parent applicant PI or your grants administrator will be contacting you for an updated SciENcv biosketch. Please follow these instructions:

• Each Senior/Key Person must re-certify their Biosketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support in SciENcv and download fresh PDFs.
  • Log in to SciENcv. Click the button you use to login. (usually eRA Commons or Login.gov)
  • Select the title of the Biosketch/Current and Pending (Other) Support form you need to regenerate (usually the last one) by clicking on the Title link.
  • Click ‘Download PDF’ button at top right.
  • Click the ‘Certify’ button on the popup window.
  • Do NOT edit or re-save the files after downloading. Instead make sure you click ‘Save’ – NOT ‘Save As’.
  • To verify the details about the signing certificate: Open the PDF in Acrobat. Look at the signature pane and scroll down to the certificate details to see the ‘Valid to’ date.

From IRBORA:

The UNMC IRB has revised its Ethical Access Policy, UNMC HRPP Policy 3.12.

The revised policy contains several clarifications and improvements. While one major revision is highlighted below, the changes are broad in scope. Investigators and study team members are strongly encouraged to review the revised policy in its entirety. Several updates may impact how study teams identify, recruit, and approach potential subjects.

A description of the revisions can be found at the bottom of the policy, under Document History, dated August. 5, 2026.

Major Revision: Research Coordinators
Historically, research coordinators were specifically excluded from being considered part of a patient's care team under the Ethical Access Policy. Following a review of the policy, this approach has been revised.

The updated policy recognizes that a research coordinator who is acting with and under the direct supervision of an investigator is considered part of the care team and therefore has ethical access. This revision reflects the understanding that Nebraska Medicine and Children's Nebraska are both research institutions and clinical care may include participation in research.

What This Means for Study Teams
Study teams no longer need to request a waiver of ethical access solely for these research coordinators to review identifiable private information to identify potential research subjects prior to informed consent. However, study teams remain responsible for safeguarding patient privacy. Research coordinators accessing identifiable information under this policy must continue to limit their access to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. Requests for waivers of ethical access may still be necessary in situations that fall outside the scope of the revised policy.

If you have questions about how the revised policy applies to your study, please do not hesitate to contact our office. We are happy to assist you in understanding the requirements and identifying compliant recruitment strategies.

Thank you for your continued commitment to conducting ethical human subjects research and protecting the rights and welfare of research participants.

NIH will replace Letters of Support with Letters of Collaboration beginning with implementation of Form J application forms sometime in FY2027. Letters of collaboration will be used to document collaborative relationships or commitments of resources from individuals who are not identified as senior/key personnel or other significant contributors.

Letters should document an intent to collaborate and/or provide material support. Letters intended to endorse the application without intent to collaborate are not permitted.

• Each letter must be no more than 100 words. NIH encourages applicants to use this single sentence for letters of collaboration: "If the application submitted [org name and PI name] as PI of the application, [app title] is selected for funding by NIH, it is my intent to collaborate and/or commit resources as detailed in the application."
• Letters from senior/key personnel and other significant contributors are unnecessary.
• Letters from trainees or laboratory staff, including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and technicians, should not be included.
• Once Forms J are implemented, applications that include letters of support may be returned without review.

See the full NIH notice.

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives approved a continuing resolution, signed by the president on Sept. 2, that blocks the proposed Office of Management and Budget changes to the Uniform Guidance through at least Dec. 11, 2026. The continuing resolution also maintains current spending levels.

These changes apply to applications with due dates on or after Oct. 12, 2027.

The NIH is consolidating K awards into four parent mechanisms. These applications will no longer require a Data Management and Sharing Plan, and these applications will undergo a streamlined peer review. Additionally, independent clinical trials will no longer be eligible for K award funding.

Click here for more information.

The NIH is including three new parent mechanisms for R25 awards:

• Courses, Curriculum & Methods
• Mentoring Activities & Networks
• Research Experiences

The NIH will host a webinar about these mechanisms Nov. 5 at 1 PM CST.

Click here for more information.

As a condition for NIH funding, all research subject to the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines) must be reviewed by the UNMC Institutional Biosafety Committee. Examples of clinical trials subject to the NIH Guidelines (human gene transfer) include viral vector-based vaccines, mRNA vaccines, and gene-modified cell therapies such as CAR-T. Industry-sponsored clinical trials where a new IBC protocol is submitted on or after March 1, 2026, will be subject to the following IBC review fees: 

Fees for IBC review of Industry Sponsored Clinical Trials

• Initial Review: $1,500 per IBC protocol
• Request for Change to IBC protocol (sponsor initiated): $750
• Annual Continuing Review: $750
• Study Closure: No charge

Invoicing for IBC review will occur through RSS. Please contact IBCORA@unmc.edu or biosafety@unmc.edu if you have any questions.

TriNetX LIVE is a powerful tool for clinical research, enabling swift cohort discovery and feasibility assessments across a vast data network.

• This platform is now available for use by UNMC researchers, a new resource supported by the READi Core and the VCR office.
• Supports queries against the TriNetX research network (includes more than 100 HCOs and more than150 million patients) or Nebraska Medicine.

TriNetX LIVE empowers researchers at UNMC by streamlining access to real-world data from over 100 healthcare organizations, enhancing the speed and accuracy of study planning.

• Provides comprehensive EHR data, including demographics and lab results, supporting robust analysis.
• Accelerates feasibility and cohort discovery for observational studies, outcomes research, pragmatic research, and hypothesis generation.
• Supports trial feasibility planning by helping teams estimate eligible populations and baseline characteristics.

Researchers interested in using this new tool can now request access through the UNMC/NM Service Now website.

Questions? Contact Lisa Treat at ltreat@unmc.edu.

Join Great Plains IDeA-CTR for their 10th Anniversary meeting at UNO Conference Center (6450 Pine Street, Omaha, NE 68106) Nov. 9, 2026. “From Regional Strength to National Impact: Making Research Networks Work for Translational Science” will bring together leaders from NIGMS, NCATS, IDeA and CTSA programs, practice-based research networks, health systems, primary care, public health, rural communities and data science.

View more information on the event webpage, or contact Missy Edwards for questions.  Please register here by Nov. 2.

Registration and abstract submissions are open for the Nebraska Center for Women's Health Research Symposium, set for Nov. 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the UNMC Truhlsen Campus Events Center. The conference is free for Nebraska Center for Women's Health Research members. Information about applying for membership is available through the registration form. 

Register and submit your abstract here by Oct. 30.

Join Matthew Lockhart, Director, NIH Division of Loan Repayment and Loan Repayment Program staff on Tuesday, October 6, at 2 pm EST for a live technical assistance webinar. This session will provide applicants with an in-depth look at the application process and more. The current LRP application cycle opens on September 1 and will close on November 19, 2026.

Registration is required to attend the webinar. Participants may also submit questions via email for the Q&A portion no later than Friday, October 2.

Register for the waitlist here.

Open access journal publishing is firmly established in the scholarly ecosystem. In this session with library liaison Heather Brown, learn about the benefits that still hold true, but also the considerations that remain perplexing, which include the difference between public and open access, balancing funder mandates with publisher polices, funding your publication, and navigating the deluge of questionable and potentially predatory manuscript email solicitations.

This session will be offered on Zoom, Oct. 21, noon-1 pm.

Register here.

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute will host their annual meeting in Washington, D.C., October 19-20. Attendees will connect with thought leaders and healthcare visionaries, explore innovative strategies for engaging partners in research and learn the latest in PCORI-funded patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research. Immerse yourself in a vibrant network of patients, caregivers and others within the broader healthcare community while gaining valuable insights into important topics, such as digital health technologies, physical activity and nutrition, pediatric health and more. Register here.

Registration is now open for the 2026 UNMC Protection of Human Subjects Conference. The hybrid conference will be hosted in person at the Michael F. Sorrell Center (619 S 42nd St, Omaha, NE 68198) Oct. 16, 8 am to 4 pm. This is a free educational event.

View more information or click here to register for the in-person event. For information regarding virtual attendance, please email irbora@unmc.edu. Registration for in person attendance will close Oct. 11. Registration for virtual attendance will close Oct. 14.

Nebraska INBRE and the Center for Biomedical Informatics Research and Innovation (CBIRI) are offering a free online bioinformatics course. The Introduction to Bioinformatics course is a self-paced, comprehensive program covering seven key topics in the field of bioinformatics. Participants from nonprofit organizations in Nebraska are eligible to enroll at no cost. To get started, please complete the registration approval form using your official institutional email.

In an effort to confront the crisis arising from a growing dearth of physician-scientists, Damon Runyon wishes to encourage more physicians to pursue research careers. To do so, the foundation established a program designed to recruit outstanding U.S. Specialty Board eligible physicians into cancer research careers by providing them with the opportunity for a protected research training experience under the mentorship of a highly qualified and gifted mentor after they have completed all of their clinical training. The Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training award will provide $460,000 over four years, which will enable individuals to pursue research intensively (at least 80% effort) while continuing to be clinically active (no more than 20% effort) if they wish to maintain their clinical skills. In addition, the foundation will retire up to $100,000 of any medical school debt still owed by an award recipient. 

Applications are due Dec.1, 2026, by 4 p.m. EST. 

View more information from the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation.

The Otis Glebe Medical Research Foundation awards grants to projects focused on translational research. Projects of particular interest will be those that emphasize the translation of laboratory findings to clinical practice and those that facilitate the application of research findings to the community to enhance the adoption of best practices. The Glebe Foundation anticipates that it will fund one grant of up to $90,000. 

The application on NuRamp is due Oct. 16, 2026 at 8 a.m. Contact Tess Kuenstling for more information.

The Collaboration Initiative supported by NRI is hosting their investigator meeting for fiscal year 2028. Seed grant funding will be competitively awarded to multi-campus collaborations with the expectation that the work will lead to future federal funding. Awards up to $100,000 will be for one year. Funding levels will be proportional to the potential award amounts available from the targeted federal funding opportunity. View more information about this award.

If you are interested in applying, you must attend the in-person meeting at the Nebraska Innovation Campus – Conference Center (2021 Transformation Drive, Lincoln, NE 68508), October 16, 9:30 am-2:30 pm (lunch provided). Click here to register.

For more information or if you have questions, please contact Lori Robison or Dr. Michael Jolley in the Provost's Office at nri@nebraska.edu or (402) 472-5242.

The NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs open September 1, 2026, and close Nov. 19, 2026, at 10:59 pm CST.

The Extramural LRP is for researchers who are not employed by NIH. Research funding from NIH is not required to participate, and awardees may apply for competitive renewal awards if they continue to meet eligibility requirements. Although the LRPs are organized around broad research areas, they do not fund research projects. Instead, LRP awards are based on an applicant's potential to develop and sustain a successful research career.

Please see the NIH's Extramural LRP webpage for more information.