In preparation for the upcoming change to the Common Forms, the NIH announced a Preview of NIH Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support. Preview versions of the forms are now available in SciENcv, a tool from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
The preview forms cannot be used for any applications but they provide the opportunity to prepare for the expected implementation of the Common Forms in 2026.
What you can do now to prepare:
- Make sure you have your ORCID and eRA Commons accounts connected to SciENcv. See the ORCID BeckerGuide for instructions.
- Make sure you have assigned team member(s) to serve as your SciENcv delegate(s). See this blog post for screenshots of how to assign a delegate.
- Try out the new preview forms in SciENcv.
- Use the new NIH Biographical Sketch PREVIEW Common Form as an opportunity to see how information is auto-populating from your connected data sources and existing documents in SciENcv.
- Test the XML upload for the NIH Current and Pending (Other) Support PREVIEW Common Form. To learn more about the XML upload and WashU’s RADAR project, talk to your research administrator or attend the upcoming STAR 120: Hot Topic – RADAR and SciENcv on November 19.
- Use the new NIH Biographical Sketch PREVIEW Common Form as an opportunity to see how information is auto-populating from your connected data sources and existing documents in SciENcv.
Please note: the preview versions will be deleted when NIH releases the official NIH Common Forms. You will not be able to download the preview versions nor will you be able to use them as a data source to create official NIH Common Forms.
The preview versions offer a great way to make sure your connections are working and to understand what data you may have to enter manually when the official NIH Common Forms are released. Please do not spend time manually completing the preview versions as you will not be able to use them for applications.
For a more detailed walkthrough about the expected changes in the NIH Biosketch, register for Becker Library’s upcoming session on November 21, NIH Biosketch and NCBI SciENcv.
Stay tuned to Research News and Becker Library for more information about the upcoming changes.
Resources:
NIH Forms Directory: (PREVIEW) Biographical Sketch Common Form
NIH Forms Directory: (PREVIEW) Biographical Sketch Supplement
NIH Forms Directory: (PREVIEW) Current and Pending (Other) Support (CPOS) Common Form