NIH Seeks Feedback on Proposal to Limit Allowable Publishing Costs

In an announcement (Notice Number: NOT-OD-25-138) made on July 30, 2025, the NIH is currently requesting feedback on proposed limits to grant funding available to researchers to cover publication costs. The change would go into effect on January 1, 2026 for all new and competing awards and proposals, or ‘Other Transactions’ executed on or after that date.

A brief summary of the proposed options are are follows:

1. Disallow all publication costs – NIH awardees may not use NIH funds for publication costs.
2. Set a limit on allowable costs per publication – NIH will allow up to $2,000 in direct costs per publication with no cap on the number of publications.
3. Set a limit on allowable costs per publication and allow a higher amount to be paid when peer reviewers are compensated – NIH allows up to $3,000 per publication if peer reviewers are compensated and reviews are shared openly.
4. Set a limit on the total amount of an award that can be spent on publication costs – NIH awardees may spend no more than 0.8% of direct costs, or $20,000 total on publication costs.
5. Set a limit on both the per publication cost and the total amount of an award that can be spent on publications – NIH allows up to $6,000 per publication within an overall cap of 0.8% or $20,000 for publication costs.

The full proposal can be read at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-138.html.

To submit your feedback and comments directly to the NIH, please go to https://osp.od.nih.gov/comment-form-maximizing-research-funds-by-limiting-allowable-publishing-costs/. Responses must be submitted by September 15, 2025.

For more information on changes to NIH grant policies, see our recent post “NIH’s Public Access & Data Sharing Policies: What The Woods Hole Science Community Needs to Know“.