SCiENcv & Common Forms

Important updates

Update to NIH Common Form Implementation

The current leniency period previously communicated in NOT-OD-26-033 will end on May 7, 2026, the final AIDS standard receipt date for Cycle 1. Use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement will be required for all application due dates and Just-In-Time (JIT), Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), and Prior Approval submissions on or after May 8, 2026.

Updates regarding Research Security Training Certification on Common Forms

On April 22, 2026, SciENcv will add the Research Security Training (RST) Certification back to the Common Forms to provide individuals time to comply with the requirement for applications submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2026 (NOT-OD-26-017).

If you certified your Common Forms prior to the addition of this text on April 22, 2026, and:

  • Have not yet submitted your application for a due date on or after May 25, 2026, you should regenerate your Common Form PDF(s) prior to submission.
  • Have submitted your application for a due date on or after May 25, 2026, you do not need to resubmit your application with regenerated Common Forms. NIH staff will collect updated documents to meet the RST certification requirement at JIT for applications selected for possible funding.

For applications that include Common Forms with the RST Certification, but are submitted for due dates on or before May 24, 2026, NIH will not hold individuals accountable for the portion of the certification statement related to the research security training that complies with the CHIPS and Science Act due to the training requirement being effective for due dates on or after May 25, 2026.

NIH has announced 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.

  • 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. See NOT-OD-24-107: Implementation of Revisions to the NIH and AHRQ Fellowship Application and Review Process and 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.

  • 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.

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.

Biosketch Information

New NIH Biosketch

  • Identifying Information, Organization and Location
    • Name, Position Title, Name of Primary Organization, Organization City/Country/State, Start date at Primary Organization
  • A. Professional Preparation (add individual entries into set fields)
  • B. Appointments and Positions (add individual entries into set fields)
  • C. Products (up to 10 projects total will be allowed, categorized into two subsections- pull in from MyBib and/or ORCID)
    • Products Closely Related to the Proposed Project (up to 5 projects, aligns with projects formerly in Personal Statement)
    • Other Significant Products Highlighting Contributions to Science (up to 5 projects, aligns with projects formerly in Contributions to Science)

New NIH Biosketch Supplement

  • Personal Statement (3,500 character limit- narrative text box)
  • B. Honors (15 entries max, add individual entries into set fields)
  • C. Contributions to Science (up to 5 entries, each no more than 2,000 characters -add individual entries into narrative text box)

XML SciENcv Current and Pending (Other) Support NIH Common Form Report

Yale’s XML SciENcv Current and Pending (Other) Support NIH Common Form report has been developed to assist in the SciENcv file upload process. SciENcv Data Ingest (XML file upload) helps you organize data to create the Current and Pending (Other) Support NIH Common Form. The link to the XML SciENcv Current and Pending (Other) Support NIH Common Form Report can be found on the Research Enterprise Report Landing Page. Complete instructions on how to utilize this tool can be found in the Current and Pending (Other) Support NIH Common Form Process Guide.

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

Investigator Resources

As of January 28, 2026, NIH published a new FAQ on the required use of the Common Forms for the Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement for applications due on or after January 25, 2026. Due to multiple technical issues, NIH will allow for a period of leniency on the required use of SciENcv for proposal applications until May 2026. If the old Biosketch and Other Support form is used, the system will system generate warnings, but NIH will not withdraw applications that use the old forms. Faculty are strongly encouraged to continue to work on creating their documents in SciENcv. NIH will release a notice announcing the date when the system validation will be changed from a warning to an error; this error will prevent the application from being submitted.

Yale’s OSP site contains more information on SciEncv and Common Forms.