News | Office of Research | UC Davis School of Medicine

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that beginning with the implementation of Forms J in Fiscal Year 2027, traditional Letters of Support will be replaced by Letters of Collaboration as part of an effort to reduce administrative burden and streamline grant applications.

Under the new policy, letters will be used only to document specific collaborative relationships or material contributions to a project, such as resource commitments or Material Transfer Agreements. Letters intended solely to endorse an application will no longer be allowed. Collaborators who are already listed as senior/key personnel or other significant contributors will not need to provide letters, as their involvement is documented elsewhere in the application.

Letters of Collaboration must be concise, limited to 100 words or fewer, and should simply state the contributor’s intent to collaborate or provide resources as described in the application. NIH will provide standardized language for these letters. Applications submitted after the Forms J implementation date that continue to include Letters of Support may be returned without review.

Additional guidance and updated application instructions will be released by NIH before the policy takes effect.