• Implementation of Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support Format Page
• Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-110
• https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-110.html

Purpose

This notice describes implementation of the updated Other Support and Biosketch format pages and associated instructions, as outlined in NOT-OD-21-073.

To align applicant and recipient systems with NIH's longstanding policy requirements and application requirement updates, NIH expects applicants and recipients to use the updated biosketch and other support format for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) Reports, and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs) as of May 25, 2021. NIH will require the use of the updated format pages for the previously mentioned submissions for anything on and after January 25, 2022. Failure to follow the appropriate formats on or after January 25, 2022 may cause NIH to withdraw applications from or delay consideration of funding.

Please note, applicants and recipients remain responsible for disclosing all research endeavors regardless of the version of the forms used. Therefore, if applicants and recipients choose not to use the updated format pages before they are required, applicants and reecipients must still capture all the necessary information. NIH is fully committed to implementing the SciENcv template for Other Support in early FY 2022.

Should you have any questions, please contact OSP.

• Expanding Requirement for eRA Commons IDs to All Senior/Key Personnel
• Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-109
• https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-109.html

Purpose

Targeting due dates on or after January 25, 2022, NIH, AHRQ, FDA, and ORD/VA will require all individuals listed on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form to have an eRA Commons username (Commons ID). Extension of the existing eRA Commons ID requirement to include all senior/key personnel will facilitate better data collection for individuals contributing to federally funded research as well as assist in disambiguating data on applications and facilitating the identification of conflicts of interest in peer review.

Background

eRA Commons IDs are already required as part of application submission for PD/PIs, multiple PD/PIs, sponsors on fellowship applications, component leads on multi-project applications, candidates for diversity supplement support, and the primary mentor identified on individual mentored career development applications. While it has always been strongly encouraged that all other senior/key personnel to obtain eRA Commons IDs, it has not been required. Without a unique personnel credential, it is difficult to correctly identify conflicts of interest in peer review as well as gather unambiguous data on personnel involved in federally funded research.

Implementation

Targeting due dates on or after January 25, 2022, an eRA Commons ID must be entered in the “Credential, e.g. agency login” field for all Senior/Key Personnel (as defined in NIH GPS 1.2) listed on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form.  An eRA system validation will be implemented to check for a valid eRA Commons ID. For multi-project applications, this requirement also applies to the individual components of the application and not to just the Overall component.

To facilitate awareness of this policy change, starting late April, applicants will encounter an eRA system validation if the “Credential, e.g. agency login” field is blank or does not contain a valid eRA Commons ID. This validation will be a warning for no less than 2 council rounds before being escalated to an error that must be corrected before the application can be submitted to the agency.

Should you have any questions, please contact OSP.

Gabriel Duran received a BS in Geography and Environmental Systems and a BA in Biology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 2020. He is now a Biology MSc student with a focus in biogeochemistry at the Université du Québec à Montréal. He is also a Research Assistant at the Woodwell Climate Research Center where he is supporting the arctic research team in the mapping of gas emission craters and retrogressive thaw slumps across Northern Siberia. He previously supported the soil carbon team in the analysis of thousands of soil samples from across the Midwest United States using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. He is co-leader of Unlearning Racism in Geoscience (URGE) where he created the URGE curriculum alongside Dr. Vashan Wright and continues to support and facilitate URGE initiatives, including live events, BIPOC Listening sessions, URGE deliverables, conference planning, etc.

Dr. Phoebe Cohen is an Associate Professor in Geosciences at Williams College. Phoebe is a paleontologist who utilizes a wide variety of microscopic and microchemical techniques, combined with data from field-based stratigraphy and sedimentology, to reconstruct ancient organisms and ecosystems, mostly through the lens of microfossils. Much of her work focuses on the evolution of life in the Proterozoic, before the rise of animals. Phoebe received her undergraduate degree in Earth Systems Science at Cornell University and her PhD in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences school at Harvard University in 2010. Phoebe is very involved in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work in the geosciences and is also actively involved in the Paleontological Society. In 2012, Phoebe was awarded the Geological Society of America Subaru Outstanding Woman in Science Award. Her research is funded by the NASA Astrobiology program, The American Chemical Society, and The National Science Foundation.

Upcoming Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support Format Page for Due Dates on or after May 25, 2021

Notice Number: NOT-OD-21-073

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-073.html

Purpose

In an effort to support strong collaboration between Federal research agencies, NIH has made every effort to align the Biographical Sketch (Biosketch), Other Support format page and Application Form Instructions with the guidance issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy Joint Committee on the Research Environment.

As a result, this Guide Notice informs the extramural community that NIH has updated its application forms and instructions to support the need for applicants and recipients to provide full transparency and disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic.

The updated forms and instructions will be required for use for applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) submitted for due dates on or after May 25, 2021.

The revisions serve as updates to the Biosketch and Other Support format page templates used as attachments in our current Forms-F application packages and RPPRs. The forms updates do not change the policies for Biosketch or Other Support.

The changes are as follows:

Full details are provided in the Notice linked here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-073.html

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs.