NIH has announcement Common Forms implementation guidance for Biographical Sketches and Current and Pending (Other) Support documents. Per NOT-OD-26-018, all proposals, JITs, and RPPRs submitted on or after January 25, 2026 must use Common Form formats. Submissions that do not use this format will be rejected.
Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement:
- The Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement are required by each individual identified as a senior/key person on a Federally funded research project. For NIH, these instructions also apply to all other individuals required to submit a Biographical Sketch and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement.
- 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.
- Section D. Scholastic Performance (Fellowship) is no longer required or accepted as per NOT-OD-24-107: Implementation of Revisions to the NIH and AHRQ Fellowship Application and Review Process. See Changes to Fellowship Applications for additional guidance.
- There is no page limit for the combined Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement PDF output. See table below for character limits applicable to specific sections of the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement.
Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form:
- The Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form is required by each individual identified as a senior/key person on a Federally funded research project. For NIH, these instructions also apply to all other individuals required to submit Current and Pending (Other) Support.
- Information on Current and Pending (Other) Support is not specifically requested for Program Directors, training faculty, and other individuals involved in the oversight of training grants since applicable information is collected in other sections of a training grant application. Current and Pending (Other) Support is not required to be submitted for individuals categorized as Other Significant Contributors.
Common Forms are the templates being adopted by federal agencies for both Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support documents. NSF made the use of Common Forms mandatory as of May 20, 2024; per NOT-OD-26-018 the NIH implementation date for Common Forms is January 25, 2026.
The Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) web platform must be used to complete the Common Forms and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement. SciENcv should simplify and clarify the completion of these forms. It will also allow investigators to store their in-kind support information that is not currently centrally captured in a Yale system. See more information on what must be disclosed to federal agencies.
What do I need to know when applying for NIH supported research and reporting on progress?
- The Common Forms being implemented will replace the NIH Biosketch and Other Support format pages.
- The Biographical Sketch Common Form will collect much of the same information that is included in current format pages. However, fields focused on the Personal Statement, Contributions to Science, and Honors will now be collected through a separate new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement to assess qualifications.
- The new Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form will be mandatory for all Just In Time (JIT) requests, as well as when required for proposals and RPPR (progress report) submissions.
- An ORCID ID must be provided in the persistent identifier section of the Common Form and linked to a Senior/Key Personnel’s eRA Commons Personal Profile. ORCID IDs are unique digital identifiers that help streamline biographical sketch development and allow better tracking of the professional accomplishments of NIH supported researchers. This is similar to the requirement announced in 2019 that trainees and fellows link their ORCID ID with their eRA profile.
Current Biosketch and Other Support format pages must still be used for NIH submissions until the January 25, 2026 implementation date. Applications containing the older forms will not be accepted after the implementation date. Links to resources are listed below.
What should I do now?
- Create an ORCID ID now if you don’t already have one
- Update your eRA Commons profile
- Link your ORCID ID to your eRA Commons account
- Create your Biosketch in SciENcv
- Sign up for Instruction Sessions about NIH Common Forms Requirement