The NIH has now implemented Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support for application due dates beginning January 25, 2026.
Note: To allow for a period of leniency, NIH will provide a warning when the Common Forms are not used but will not withdraw applications that don’t comply with the use of the Common Forms. NIH is extending the leniency period through May 2026. NIH will issue a Guide Notice announcing the date when the validation will be changed to an error and the requirement to use the Common Forms will be system-enforced (Reference NIH FAQ Updated 1/27/26 and NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-26-033 issued 2/4/26.)
Notable Changes:
The products associated with contributions are now separated from the narrative Contributions to Science section.
Products live in the Biographical Sketch Common Form under:
- “Products Most Closely Related to the Proposed Project” (up to 5)
- “Other Significant Products Highlighting Contributions to Science” (up to 5).
The narrative Contributions to Science are now entered in the separate NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement, not in the Common Form itself.
In the new Supplement:
- You can provide up to 5 contributions, each limited to 2,000 characters.
- No formal citations are allowed in the Contributions to Science text box; you may only refer to products already listed in the “Other Significant Products” section of the Common Form (e.g., by title, author, year), but not paste citation strings.
eRA Commons Validations:
With the release of the NIH Common Forms, additional validations are being prompted in eRA Commons. Specifically, new validations have been included to check against the uploaded NIH Common Forms document(s), Biographical Sketch & Current and Pending Support, against the Senior/Key Personnel’s IDs. All three of the following must be linked correctly and matching each other.
- eRA Commons Credential field
- ORCID ID embedded in the SciENcv Common Form Biosketch
- ORCID ID linked in the eRA Commons Personal Profile
NIH has provided the following examples of mismatches that could cause a warning:
- an old ORCID iD,
- a stale SciENcv profile,
- or an ORCID that was linked after the biosketch was generated
All personnel listed as a Senior/Key person on an NIH proposal should work closely with their department to ensure the above IDs are properly linked.
Each portal has specifics on how to add an ORCID iD appropriately, it is advised to review their guidelines thoroughly. Only those with access to the account, or delegates, will be able to add/edit IDs; due to this it is the responsibility of the Senior/Key Person and Unit to affiliate the required IDs appropriately. In eRA Commons case, only those with access to the profile will be able to view the linked ORCID iD to confirm it matches the submission document(s).
Resources:
Use the following links to access general guidance and UF resources:
Portal contact information:
Click here to submit a request for general ORCID iD issues.
Click here to create a ticket for Issues with SciENcv.
Tickets can be made with eRA Commons helpdesk at:
1-866-504-9552 / Web Ticket
