You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.
While I am certainly not a hockey player, I am a child of the 90’s and like many households in my generation, my parents had motivational art in their office. On my dad’s desk was a little statue of a basketball that said “you’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t make”. In hindsight, seeing that empowering message every day influenced my approach to my own work in myriad ways. Submitting grant proposals is hard, time consuming and deliberate work, with the peer review process often feeling capricious. However, a strategy many investigators – including myself – have adopted to increase our chance of funding is to submit many grants a year; in other words taking as many shots as we can.
That strategy must now change. Amongst the flurry of new announcements from the National Institutes of Health recently released, one stood out that may impact our UW School of Nursing scholars broadly. In a significant shift, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will limit the number of grant applications a Principal Investigator (PI) can submit each year. Effective September 25, 2025, each PI—whether applying solo or as part of a multiple PI team—will be limited to six new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications per calendar year.
Why the Change?
The NIH frames this policy shift as a move to protect the integrity of the peer review process, and to ensure a level playing field. The surge in high-volume submissions, perhaps aided by AI tools, has created an imbalance among investigators. The new cap is designed to encourage thoughtful, high-quality proposals rather than a quantity-driven approach.
What’s Included—and What’s Not
The six-application limit applies to all standard NIH research grant mechanisms, including new submissions, renewals, resubmissions, and revisions. It covers both single and multiple PI applications. However, T-series training grants and R13 conference grant applications are exempt from the cap
Importantly, the policy is not retroactive. Applications submitted before September 25, 2025, will not count toward the 2025 total. The full-year cap will apply starting January 1, 2026.
Implications for UW School of Nursing Investigators
For most investigators, this change may have little practical impact. But for those who have relied on a high-volume strategy—submitting numerous variations of similar ideas, designs and methods across multiple institutes—this is a major shift. It will require a different approach to strategic planning, prioritization.
What Should PIs Do Now?
- Review your submission plans: Review your pipeline for 2026 and beyond and ensure you’re not exceeding the submission cap.
- Focus on quality: With fewer chances to submit, each application must be strong, original, and responsive to the funding opportunity.
- Use Artificial Intelligence wisely: It is clear from the announcement that NIH is watching for use of AI. Applications “substantially developed” by AI may be deemed non-compliant and could trigger misconduct investigations.
- Coordinate with collaborators: Multiple PI applications count toward each PI’s total, so communication is key.
This policy shift is an opportunity for investigators to think deeply and submit NIH grant proposals with purpose and demonstrable value for the health of all. There’s another Gretzky quote that feels applicable to this shift, “a good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” As we navigate this changing research funding climate, we must proceed strategically, thinking about not only where we are currently, but where we want to be. Please feel free to reach out the Office for Nursing Research & Innovation if you have any questions about this change. We’re here to help support your scholarship at each stage of the research lifecycle.