New NIH Authorities to Strengthen Accountability in Hostile Work Environment Investigations

Research environments free from harassment, bullying, retaliation, and other hostile working conditions are fundamental to the conduct of NIH-supported biomedical studies.  These conditions enable trainees, staff, and collaborators to work effectively while preserving scientific integrity, protecting the biomedical research workforce, and ensuring the responsible stewardship of public funds. Accordingly, maintaining a safe, respectful, and professional workplace is a mandatory condition of every NIH award.

Working with research organizations and their staff, NIH found that some institutional investigations into allegations of hostile working conditions were prematurely closed when the individuals whose conduct was being investigated left their institutions. In some cases, these departures took the form of quiet resignations followed by attempts to transfer ongoing NIH awards to the institution where the researcher was seeking a new position. The result was a potential evasion of accountability related to the NIH-supported research, with concerns left unresolved, and with the new employer being unaware that professional misconduct allegations existed.

Recent updates, reflected in the NIH Grants Policy Statement (NIH GPS), informed by Public Law 119-75, and announced in NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-26-097, address this concern directly. The revised policy strengthens institutional responsibility and makes clear that the NIH award-transfer mechanism cannot be used by an investigator to evade being held accountable for conduct that undermines safe and respectful research environments. These changes ensure appropriate institutional review, regardless of the employment status of the individual.

We invite the research community to join us on October 21, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET to learn more about how NIH may use these new authorities as part of our continued efforts to ensure safe and respectful workplaces at organizations receiving NIH support. Please stay tuned for additional information on this forthcoming webinar. 

What Has Changed
Recipient institutions remain responsible for addressing allegations of harassment, bullying, retaliation, or other hostile working conditions involving program directors/principal investigators (PDs/PIs) or other senior/key personnel named on an NIH Notice of Award or Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR). Per the policy update, an individual’s separation from the institution—through resignation, nonrenewal, termination, or acceptance of a position elsewhere—does not, by itself, end the institution’s obligation to investigate, reach findings, and document conclusions regarding possible misconduct that occurred in the course of NIH-funded activities. This means:

• When a PD/PI or senior/key personnel member seeks to move to another institution while an investigation remains ongoing or unresolved, NIH may decline to approve a transfer of an ongoing award until the matter is fully reviewed and resolved to NIH’s satisfaction.
• Should the PD/PI or senior/key personnel obtain a position at a new institution, NIH has the right to inform the new institution of the investigation findings through NIH’s compliance review processes. The new institution may independently determine that it will not proceed with an appointment or award transfer.

NIH’s role in this framework is not to make or review employment decisions, but to exercise its responsibilities in the grant space. NIH’s authority is grounded in decisions about what research it will fund and under what circumstances. NIH will not support research performed in environments that tolerate misconduct and expose individuals to hostile working conditions.

Consistent with this role, NIH may share relevant information—such as the outcome of an investigation—when necessary to support research environments free from harassment, bullying, retaliation, and other hostile working conditions, or protect NIH-funded personnel and research activities. Such information sharing is in accordance with applicable privacy, confidentiality, and due process requirements. 

What This Means for Recipient Institutions
For recipient institutions, the policy reinforces several key expectations:

• Investigations must be completed and documented when allegations arise in connection with NIH-funded activities, even if the PD/PI or senior/key personnel member separates from the institution.
• Accurate and timely disclosure of relevant information to NIH is required when personnel actions or award transfer requests intersect with hostile environment concerns.
• Institutions retain full discretion and may use information made available through NIH processes to determine whether an appointment or award transfer aligns with their policies, risk tolerance, and obligations to trainees, staff, and collaborators.

Taken together, these measures reflect NIH’s commitment to protecting the research workforce and ensuring that public funds support science conducted in environments of respect, accountability, and integrity. Through its policy changes, NIH has reaffirmed that safe research environments are not optional—they are a fundamental condition of NIH support.

Additional Resources:

• Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace at Institutions that Receive NIH Funding
• NIH Data on Harassment and Discrimination
• NIH Grants Policy Statement
• Summary of Significant Changes to the NIH Grants Policy Statement for March 2026 Version   
• NOT-OD-26-057: Publication of the Revised NIH Grants Policy Statement (Rev. March 2026) for Fiscal Year 2026

Questions: [email protected]