What is changing? 

• NIH is requiring use of the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form for applications due on/after January 25, 2026.
• The change will
  • enable greater standardization across federal agencies, and
  • provide clarity regarding disclosure requirements, disclosure process, and expected degree of cross-agency uniformity (details).
• NIH will collect the Personal Statement, Honors, and Contributions to Science in the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement.
• Investigators are required to use SciENcv to complete the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form and Biographical Sketch Supplement.
  • The Biographical Sketch Common Form and Biographical Sketch Supplement are completed in a single user interface in SciENcv that will generate a single PDF containing both forms.
  • NIH will require the final PDF to be certified by each investigator.
  • Altering the certified PDF could result in withdraw of the grant application.
• See a summary of formatting changes due to the switch to the Common Forms and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement below, which include character limits to the Personal Statement and Contributions to Science sections. 

When the change will be implemented?

• Use of the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form and Biographical Sketch Supplement will be required for applications due on or after January 25, 2026.
  • For applications due on or before January 24, 2026, continue to follow the instructions on the NIH Biosketch page.  
• Templates for the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form and Biographical Sketch Supplement are currently available in SciENcv. 

What can I do to prepare for the change? 

• Obtain an ORCID iD
• Link your ORCID iD to your eRA Commons Profile
• Establish a SciENcv profile
• Create an NIH Biosketch in SciENcv
  • Delegates can be assigned in SciENcv (see instructions)

Additional considerations

• The file name of the PDF generated from SciENcv may be updated once certified and downloaded, but must align with NIH formatting instructions.
• Do not flatten the PDF once certified and downloaded (unless noted in the Application Guide Instructions).