cover letter for grant resubmission

Redirect Notice

Resubmission applications.

A resubmission is an unfunded application that has been modified following initial review and resubmitted for consideration.

• A resubmission application can follow a competing new, renewal, or revision application (A0) that was not selected for funding (including applications "not discussed" in review).
• Only a single resubmission (A1) of a competing new, renewal, or revision application (A0) will be accepted.
• A resubmission has a suffix in its application identification number, e.g., A1. (Resubmissions were previously called “amended” applications, hence “A1”.)
• Resubmission must be listed in the Application Types Allowed section of the funding opportunity in order to submit a resubmission application.
• You may resubmit using a different PA, PAR, or PAS program announcement that accepts resubmissions, provided eligibility and other requirements are met.
• You must submit a new application (not a resubmission) if switching between a program announcement and request for application (RFA) or if changing activity codes (see NOT-OD-18-197 for exceptions).
• You may submit an unfunded application as new again, without a resubmission.
• Before a resubmission application can be submitted, the PD/PI must have received the summary statement from the previous review.
• You must submit the resubmission application within 37 months of the new, renewal, or revision application it follows. Thereafter, the application must be submitted as a new application.
• After an unsuccessful resubmission (A1), you may submit the idea as a new application.
• After an unsuccessful submission and/or resubmission of a renewal application, your only option for a subsequent application is to submit as a new application. While you can submit a renewal resubmission application after an unsuccessful renewal application, you cannot submit a second renewal application following an unsuccessful renewal application.
• Resubmission applications follow the same timeline as other applications (~9 months to award).
• The NIH will not accept duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time, except in certain limited circumstances.

Application Requirements for Resubmission Applications

• Resubmission applications must be submitted through Grants.gov to NIH using ASSIST, Workspace, or an institutional system-to-system solution.
• You may need to make significant changes to the resubmission, compared to the new application that it follows.
• You may include a cover letter, though not required.
• Select "Resubmission" in Type of Application field (box 8) on the SF424 R&R form.
• Do not markup changes within application attachments (e.g., do not highlight, color, bold or italicize changes in Research Strategy).
• Responds to the issues and criticism raised in the summary statement.
• Is one page or less in length, unless specified otherwise in the funding opportunity or is specified differently on our table of page limits .
• In a multi-project application, you must submit an introduction with the Overall component, but introductions within the other components are optional.
• In a resubmission of a revision application the same introduction must describe within the standard page limit the nature and impact of the revision and summarize the changes made to the application since the last submission.
• Career development and fellowship applicants must arrange for resubmission of the three reference letters required for those programs.

Policy Details

History of NIH’s policy on resubmissions

We encourage applicants to discuss questions about resubmission with the NIH Institute/Center scientific contact associated with your grant application. Contacts for your grant can be found in your eRA Commons account.

General questions concerning this policy may be directed to the Division of Receipt and Referral at the Center for Scientific Review.