Using SciENcv to Create an NIH Biosketch and Other Support Documents

NIH Common Forms Implementation: Important Changes Coming

The NIH issued a notice (NOT-OD-24-163) about the implementing Common Forms (Biosketch and Current and Pending [Other] Support) for all applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) submitted on or after May 25, 2025. (This is the expected implementation date.) 

Update: March 25, 2025: The NIH has postponed the mandated use of SciENcv for biosketch and Other Support documents. 

They have not released a new target date for the mandated change. 

Source: https://grants.nih.gov/policy-and-compliance/implementation-of-new-initiatives-and-policies/common-forms-for-biosketch#timing

Until the new forms are required, investigators should continue to use the current NIH biosketch and Other Support forms.

Key Changes: 

• NIH will require the use of the NIH/NCBI Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) to generate a digitally certified PDF biosketch and Other Support form for use in NIH application submission for all Senior/Key Personnel. 
• The NIH will change the biosketch format significantly by adopting the "Common Form": a form used by all federal agencies for biosketches
  • The Common Form is currently available in SciENcv as the "NSF Biographical Sketch"
  • There will no longer be a Personal Statement, Awards and Honors, or Contributions to Science section in the Common Form
    • NIH will introduce a new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement form, which will also be available in SciENcv, to capture three required agency-specific data elements: Personal Statement, Contributions to Science, and Honors.

ORCID ID Requirement: 

• Senior/Key Personnel must obtain an ORCID ID and enter it in the Persistent Identifier (PID) section of the Common Forms. 
• The ORCID ID must be linked to your eRA Commons Personal Profile. 

Reminder: Until the NIH fully adopts the Common Forms, applicants and recipients should continue using the continue to use the current NIH biosketch and Other Support forms for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) Reports, and RPPRs. 

Want to get a head start? 

• Sign up for or connect your ORCID to your Northwestern NetID: Link to ORCID 
• Link your ORCID to your eRA Commons Account: 
  • Northwestern’s Guide to Linking ORCID to eRA Commons 
  • eRA Commons ORCID Information 
• Link your ORCiD and eRA Commons to your NCBI user account
• Feinberg Faculty Only: Connect your ORCID to your Northwestern Elements Profile.   

What are we doing to help? 
A collaboration among Northwestern's Sponsored Research, Galter Health Sciences Library, and Research Administration Managers are preparing webinars and online guides for faculty and research administrators to provide guidance on these changes. Details will be shared once more information becomes available. 

The National Institutes of Health is the largest biomedical funder in the world. Its mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. There are 27 institutes and centers that compose the NIH, and 24 of those offer funding opportunities and award grants. NIH funding is made through these institutes and centers. 

There are five grant programs:

• Research Grants (R series)
• Career Development Awards (K series)
• Research Training and Fellowships (T & F)
• Program Project/Center Grants (P series)
• Resource Grants (various series)