NIH Biographical Sketch Format

Office Hours

Overview

NIH and AHRQ will require the Biographical Sketch Common Form, the Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form, and a new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement for all applications, Just-in-Time (JIT), RPPRs, and Prior Approval submissions on or after January 25, 2026. 

Beginning with due dates on or after January 25, 2025, failure to follow the appropriate formats may cause NIH to withdrawal applications or delay consideration for funding.

UCSF Other Support Page includes changes for submissions on or after January 25, 2025.
 

Key Changes in Biosketch 

  • All senior/key personnel on federally funded research projects must now use the Biographical Sketch Common Form and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement.
  • These two forms are completed together in SciENcv, which produces one certified PDF for submission.
  • Section D: Scholastic Performance (formerly required for fellowships) has been eliminated and will no longer be accepted.
  • The combined Biosketch + Supplement no longer has a page limit, though certain sections have character limits.

 

January 24, 2026 and earlier submissions: 

Biosketch

On or after January 25, 2026 submissions: 

Biographical Sketch Common Form

On or after January 25, 2026 submissions: 

NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement

Education/TrainingProfessional PreparationNot applicable
A. Personal Statement
Narrative with up to 4 cited products.		Products
“Products Most Closely Related to the Proposed Project” (up to 5 citations).		Personal Statement
No citations allowed. Narrative (limit 3,500 characters) that may refer to products listed in the Products Most Closely Related to the Proposed Project section of the Biographical Sketch Common Form.
B. Positions, Scientific Appointments, and HonorsAppointments and Positions
All domestic and foreign professional appointments and positions outside the primary organization for up to three years prior to application.		Honors
Limited to no more than 15 entries.
C. Contributions to Science
Up to 5 contributions, each with narrative and up to 4 cited products.		Products
Up to 5 “Other Significant Products” that highlight the individual’s contributions to science. Narrative detail is moved to the Supplement.		Contributions to Science
No citations allowed. Up to 5 narrative contributions (each limited to 2,000 characters). May refer to relevant products listed in the “Other Significant Products” section of the Biographical Sketch Common Form.

 

UCSF Biosketch Resources

  1. 2026 OSR Resources and Office Hours for New NIH Other Support and Biographical Sketch Common Form
  2. RA Town Hall (December 17, 2025) 
    1. Slide Deck and Recording are available.

  3. NIH’s Implementation of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2026.

 

NIH Resources

  • Relevant NIH Notices
    • NOT-OD-26-018 - NIH’s Implementation of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support for Due Dates on or after January 25, 2026
    • NOT-OD 25-152 Preview of NIH Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support in SciENcv Preview templates are available now in SciENcv.
  • Additional resources, including training videos, 
  • NOT-OD-26-018 also includes 
    • Reminders and Tips for SciENcv and 
    • Reminders and Tips for eRA Commons 
  • Delegation in SciENcv 
    • Delegation is optional and intended for department or research administrators who assist with Other Support or Biosketch preparation. Delegates have edit access to SciENcv documents and should be assigned intentionally. The MyNCBI workshop website provides step-by-step instructions for adding delegates.
    • An eRA Commons account is not required to become a delegate in SciENcv. Only a MyNCBI account is required and must be created by each individual.
    • Creating a MyNCBI account offers multiple sign-up options, including UCSF credentials:
      • Choose “More sign up options” at the bottom of the screen
      • Search for “University of California, San Francisco”
      • You will be redirected to log in through MyAccess
    • If a user already has an eRA Commons account, it can be linked to MyNCBI .
    • After creating a MyNCBI account, users may log in using multiple options, including Login.gov or UCSF credentials.
    • For UCSF Credentials 
      • Choose “More login options” at the bottom of the screen
      • Search for “University of California, San Francisco”
      • You will be redirected to log in through MyAccess

 

UCSF Resources
  1. How to get the URL to a customized bibliography from MyNCBI (Collections) - contributed by Ray Herrman
  2. UCSF Compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy
Sponsor Resources
  1. NIH
  2. eRA Commons
    1. Reminders and Tips for eRA Commons
  3. ORCID
    1. Linking your ORCID iD to your eRA Commons account
  4. SciENcv
    1. SciENcv Getting Started
    2. Reminders and Tips for SciENcv
    3. Help DocumentsNIH PMCID Instructions
  5. PubMed Central (PMC)
  6. My NCBI

 

Updated 12.23.2025