FASEB Responds to NIH Proposed Changes to Reporting Peer Review Outcomes

FASEB Responds to NIH Proposed Changes to Reporting Peer Review Outcomes

Monday, October 5, 2026
On October 2, FASEB submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review (NOT-OD-26-088). While supporting NIH's commitment to merit-based reviews, FASEB emphasizes the importance of retaining final overall impact scores and percentiles for applicants and advisory councils. Withholding these scores would increase workload for NIH staff, reduce transparency, and limit important feedback for early-career researchers. FASEB recommends that NIH report categorical designations alongside impact scores and percentiles, conduct and publish an operational impact analysis before implementing changes, maintain an auditable record of peer review outcomes, and provide clear implementation guidance and sufficient transition time.