NIH has published the schedule for upcoming NIH National Advisory Council or Board (NAC) meetings.
A portion of NAC meeting proceedings are open to the public. Viewers can hear Institute or Center Director remarks, updates on priorities and initiatives, budget overviews, scientific highlights, and concept clearance for future possible funding opportunities. However, deliberations around applications are kept confidential and held during closed sessions.
It is important to understand that Advisory Councils do not make funding decisions. Rather, as part of the second level of NIH peer review, they make recommendations to the Institute or Center Director on which applications are suitable for funding consideration, taking into account program relevance, public health priorities, and portfolio balance.
In practice, this means that they occasionally may deem an application not suitable for funding consideration, such as determining if additional funds should be provided to already well-supported investigators.
NIH Institute and Center Directors consider the input received on reviewed applications from their Advisory Councils, together with input outlined in the NIH Unified Funding Strategy, to help inform their funding decisions.
Fall meetings represent the first Council/Board round of the new fiscal year. You may watch public sessions via NIH Videocast. See the complete fall schedule in the announcement below.
Full Announcement
National Institutes of Health
August 28, 2026
