New NIH Requirement for RPPRs: Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program (MFTRP) Certification

Effective for all NIH RPPRs submitted on or after January 25, 2026, NIH requires an annual certification of participation or non-participation in a Malign Foreign Talent Recruiting Program (MFTRP) for ALL senior/Key personnel designated by the recipient or named in the Notice of Award, regardless of level of effort (NOT-OD-26-018).

*Please note this also applies to Interim RPPRs and Final RPPRs

How to Fulfill the Requirement:

• For each senior/key person that is required to provide a Biographical Sketch Common Form in the RPPR (This is required when a new senior/key person has been added since the last RPPR):
  • The certification statement is not required because the digital certification on the Common Forms will fulfill the requirement.
• For each senior/key person that is required to provide an updated Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form in the RPPR (This is required when a new senior/key person has been added or there has been a change in effort for senior/key personnel since the last RPPR):
  • The certification statement is not required because the digital certification on the Common Forms will fulfill the requirement (NIH FAQs).
• For each senior/key person that is not required to provide either of these Common Forms in the RPPR:
  • The certification statement is required and must be uploaded in Section G.1, "Special Notice of Award and Funding Opportunity Announcement Reporting Requirements" (NOT-OD-26-018).