NIH Publishes New Funding Opportunity for Collaborative International Research Projects

By: Yvette Seger
Thursday, January 22, 2026
On January 20, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published the trans-agency Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the new PF5 Collaborative International Research Project that implements a new award structure for research collaborations with international components. This new structure/NOFO is applicable for grant submissions on or after May 25, 2026.

The launch of this new NOFO represents the culmination of nearly eight months’ effort to update NIH policies and practices pertaining to foreign subawards. This included pausing all awards that included subawards to foreign entities (NOT-OD-25-14, May 1, 2025), then updating the policy to provide an alternative approach for collaborative awards involving human subjects research (NOT-OD-25-130, July 18, 2025). A Notice published in September 2025 previewed the use of the new PF5 and UF5 Activity Codes for grants and cooperative agreements with international components, and indicated development of resources, including Frequently Asked Questions and training resources to help researchers and institutions navigate the new structure.