The NIH has announced a significant change to its No-Cost Extension (NCE) process. Effective immediately, the automatic NCE functionality in eRA Commons has been disabled. All NCE requests must now be submitted as prior approval requests through eRA Commons and will undergo NIH review and approval.

According to NIH Notice NOT-OD-25-110, only requests that align with the NIH mission and agency priorities will be approved. This change underscores the agency’s commitment to ensuring that extended project periods continue to serve its strategic goals.

Investigators and administrators are encouraged to review the full notice and plan accordingly to avoid delays in project timelines.