Overview

NIH has issued Notice NOT-OD-26-018, which implements the use of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support information.

Effective for NIH applications and RPPRs with due dates on or after January 25, 2026, NIH will require the use of the Common Forms generated via SciENcv for all senior/key personnel. Submissions that do not use the Common Forms may be rejected or delayed.

This page summarizes what is changing, what investigators and research administrators need to do, and provides various resources to support WCM's research community during this transition.

What is Changing?

1. Mandatory Use of NIH Common Forms

• NIH will no longer accept agency-specific templates.
• SciENcv must be used to complete the following forms in a single user interface:
• Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement
• Common Forms Other Support

2. Individual Investigator Certification

• Investigators must electronically certify their Common Forms in SciENcv
• Certification confirms the information is accurate, complete, and current

3. ORCID iD Requirement

• An ORCID iD is required to generate and certify Common Forms
• ORCID must be:
• Linked to SciENcv
• Linked to eRA Commons

Overview of Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement

These are required for all individuals listed as key personnel, mentor, collaborator, or other significant contributor (i.e., anyone listed on the Senior/Key Person Profile section of the application).

The Biographical Sketch Common Form will collect similar information that is included in the current form. However, fields focused on the Personal Statement, Contributions to Science, and Honors will now be collected through a separate NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement to assess qualifications.

SciENcv will be used to complete both forms in a single user interface. There will be a single certification to certify both forms and a single PDF output containing both forms for application submission.

There is no longer a page limit for the combined forms, but there are characters limits applicable to specific sections.

Section D. Scholastic Performance (Fellowships) is no longer required or accepted.

Overview of the Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Forms:

This is required for each individual identified as senior/key person on a Federally funded research project. For NIH, these instructions also apply to other individuals required to submit Current and Pending (Other) Support (most commonly, mentors and co-mentors). OS is still not required for individuals categorized as Other Significant Contributors (OSC). 

Other support is defined as all resources made available to researchers (or other senior/key personnel) in support of and/or related to all their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant.

Copies of contracts specific to foreign appointments and/or employment with a foreign institution may be requested by the agency and will be added as a separate flattened attachment, as applicable.

Click here for the full NIH Disclosure Table, which outlines what must be disclosed to Federal agencies.

Action Items for Investigators

Step 1 - Link both eRA Commons ORCID accounts to SciENcv account. This is required to be able to complete NIH Common Forms

1. Navigate to SciENcv login page.
2. Login with your eRA Commons account.
3. Click on your username in the top-right corner of the screen. From the ACCOUNT menu that opens, click Account Settings.
4. Scroll down to Linked Accounts and click Add Account. A 'link a new 3rd-party account' pop-up window will open. Search for either eRA Commons or ORCID. Select whichever you'd like to link first and proceed with the on-screen instructions. Repeart the Add Account function for whichever account you did not add initially/already.

Note : NIH Biosketches generated via SciENcv will display the eRA Commons Person ID # and NOT the eRA Commons Username. All hyperlinks in the document are allowed.

Step 2 - Grant your grants support staff delegate access to your SciENcv account:

1. Log into your My NBCI account
2. Go to Account Settings > Delegates
3. Enter staff email address
4. Staff will receive an invite email to accept

The delegate must log in with their own NCBI account and accept the request within 3 days, otherwise the investigator will need to create a new request.

Administrators can assist with the preparation of investigator disclosure documents through SciENcv delegate access, but certification of disclosure must be completed by each senior/key person from their own SciENcv account and may never be delegated.

Once a disclosure document is certified, no changes may be made. If edits are needed, these must be made on SciENcv and then the investigator must re-certify the document.

Action Items for Administrators

Step 1:

1. Access your SciENcv account and familiarize yourself with the SciENcv user interface.
2. Share the new requirements and process with investigators supported.
3. Verify that all have active MyNCBI, ORCID, and SciENcv accounts, and that these have been linked.
4. Verify that you have delegate access for all investigators supported.

For Proposal Development:

1. Identify key personnel as early as possible so the new process can be reviewed and understood.
2. Contact key personnel early to request Biosketch Common Forms
3. If responsible for building documents in SciENcv, start early. Although much information can be transferred, Common Form formatting and requirements differ from prior versions and will require investigator input.

For upcoming RPPRs, JIT, and Prior Approval Requests:

1. Compile a list of key personnel for the project or action item requiring Common Forms.
2. Confirm with each individual that all steps are complete and that compliant documents will be provided by the OSRA internal review deadline (for RPPRs and JITs) or the applicable timeline for other requests.

WCM Internal Resources

• RAISE Session on January 6, 2026:
• Slide deck
• Recording
  
• FAQs
• NIH Common Form Biosketch/Biosketch Supplement Factsheet
• NIH Common Form Current and Pending (Other) Support Factsheet
• Visual Guide - Linking ORCID iD
• Visual Guide - Adding Delegates to SciENcv
• Visual Guide - Creating Common Forms in SciENcv
• Visual Guide - Delegates view in SciENcv
• PI Checklist for the transition to Common Forms

External/Sponsor Resources

• Creating an ORCiD ID
• Linking ORCiD and eRA Commons credentials
• NIH Common Forms FAQ
• NIH instructions on creating Other Support Common Forms
• NIH instructions on creating Biosketch Common Forms
• YouTube Tutorial on ORCiD and SciENcv
• Creating an NIH or NSF Biosketch with SciENcv