Updates to NIH Fiscal Policies for FY 2021

Please review the following NIH Notices and Related Announcements for important updates to Fiscal Policies for FY 2021

 

Notice of Fiscal Policies in Effect for FY 2021

Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-058 

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-058.html

 

This Notice provides guidance about the NIH Fiscal Operations for Fiscal Year 2021 and implements the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020.

The agreement provides $42.93 billion for NIH, including $404 million from the 21st Century Cures Act (Public Law 114-255), a three percent increase above FY 2020. The agreement provides a funding increase of no less than 1.5 percent above fiscal year 2020 to every Institute and Center (IC).

Related Announcements

Notice of Legislative Mandates in Effect for FY 2021

NOT-OD-21-056 

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-056.html

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020, provides funding to NIH for the Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2021. The intent of this notice is to provide current requirements outlined in the following statutory provision that limits or conditions the use of funds on NIH grant, cooperative agreement, and contract awards for FY 2021.

FY 2021 Legislative Mandates in effect are as follows:

Division H, Title II - Department of Health and Human Services

• Salary Limitation (Section 202)
• Gun Control (Section 210)

Division H, Title V - General Provisions, Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education

• Anti-Lobbying (Section 503)
• Acknowledgment of Federal Funding (Section 505)
• Restriction on Abortions (Section 506)
• Exceptions to Restriction on Abortions (Section 507)
• Ban on Funding Human Embryo Research (Section 508)
• Limitation on Use of Funds for Promotion of Legalization of Controlled Substances (Section 509)
• Restriction on Disclosure of Political Affiliation for Federal Scientific Advisory Committee Candidates (Section 515(a))
• Dissemination of False or Misleading Information (Section (515(b))
• Restriction of Pornography on Computer Networks (Section 520)
• Restriction on Distribution of Sterile Needles (Section 527)

 

Guidance on Salary Limitation for Grants and Cooperative Agreements FY 2021

NOT-OD-21-057

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-057.html

This Notice provides information regarding the salary limitation for NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards and extramural research and development contract awards.

Since 1990, Congress has legislatively mandated a limitation on direct salary for individuals under NIH awards. The mandate appears in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020, which provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for Fiscal Year 2021.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level II of the Federal Executive pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay Scale. Effective January 3, 2021, the salary limitation for Executive Level II is $199,300.

Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Stipends, Tuition/Fees and Other Budgetary Levels Effective for Fiscal Year 2021

NOT-OD-21-049

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-049.html

This Notice supersedes NOT-OD-20-070 and establishes stipend levels for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Kirschstein-NRSA awards for undergraduate, predoctoral, and postdoctoral trainees and fellows, as shown in the tables below. The Training Related Expenses and Institutional Allowances for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees and fellows and the Tuition and Fees for all educational levels remain unchanged from the prior budget year. This Notice reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260), signed into law on December 27, 2020.

Undergraduates: For institutional training grants supporting undergraduate trainees (T34, TL4), appointments for undergraduate candidates will continue to be made by distinct category (i.e., Freshmen/Sophomores and Juniors/Seniors), but the stipend levels for the categories will be the same:

Career Level	Stipend for FY 2021	Monthly Stipend
Freshmen/Sophomores/Juniors/Seniors	$13,644	$1,137

 

Predoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants (T32, T35, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F30, F31), one stipend level is used for all predoctoral candidates, regardless of the level of experience.

Career Level	Years of Experience	Stipend for FY 2021	Monthly Stipend
Predoctoral	All	$25,836	$2,153

Postdoctoral Trainees and Fellows: For institutional training grants, (T32, T90, TL1) and individual fellowships (F32), the stipend level for the entire first year of support is determined by the number of full years of relevant postdoctoral experience when the award is issued. Relevant experience may include research experience (including industrial), teaching assistantship, internship, residency, clinical duties, or other time spent in a health-related field beyond that of the qualifying doctoral degree. Once the appropriate stipend level has been determined, the trainee or fellow must be paid at that level for the entire grant year. The stipend for each additional year of Kirschstein-NRSA support is the next level in the stipend structure and does not change mid-year.

Career Level	Years of Experience	Stipend for FY 2021	Monthly Stipend
Postdoctoral	0	$53,760	$4,480
	1	$54,144	$4,512
	2	$54,540	$4,545
	3	$56,712	$4,726
	4	$58,608	$4,884
	5	$60,780	$5,065
	6	$63,036	$5,253
	7 or More	$65,292	$5,441

Senior Fellows (F33 only): The stipend level must be commensurate with the base salary or remuneration that would have been paid by the institution with which the individual is permanently affiliated when the award is issued but cannot exceed the current Kirschstein-NRSA stipend limit set by the NIH for those with 7 or more years of experience. The level of Kirschstein-NRSA support will take into account concurrent salary support provided by the institution and the policy of the sponsoring institution. NIH support does not provide fringe benefits for senior fellows.

 

For further details, please refer to individual Notices linked above. 

If you have any questions, contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.