NIH Biosketches

Coming: NIH Will Adopt the Common Forms Effective May 25, 2025!

• NIH will move to the Common Form for Biographical Sketch and a new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement prepared using SciENcv for application due dates and other submissions including RPPRs (Research Performance Progress Report(s) on or after May 25, 2025 (NOT-OD-24-163), as per the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum on Policy Regarding Use of Common Disclosure Forms.

• The approved Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support (OMB Number 3145-0279 managed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)), can be accessed at NSF’s website at NSTC Research Security Subcommittee NSPM-33 Implementation Guidance Disclosure Requirements & Standardization.
• Greater standardization across federal agencies; Provide clarity regarding disclosure requirements, disclosure process, and expected degree of cross-agency uniformity.
• Applicants and recipients must not use Common Forms for application due dates and report submission dates on or before May 24, 2025.
• Applicants and recipients must use Common Forms for application due dates and report submission dates on or after May 25, 2025.

Source: NOT-OD-24-163: NIHs Adoption of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support by May 25, 2025 | Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support | Grants & Funding

Most grant applications require a Biographical Sketch (biosketch), an abbreviated record of your accomplishments. If you are engaged in research, even as a collaborator, you will need a biosketch. The National Institute of Health (NIH) Biosketch is the most common format. It is similar to a CV but limited to five (5) pages with information pertinent to the application.

NIH encourages researchers to create a NIH biosketch online using SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae) to integrate information from your NIH eRA Commons profile and your bibliography in NCBI.

There have been changes to the NIH Biosketch and the Other Support page. NIH requires researchers to use the updated format for NIH Biosketches and Other Support in the new format for applications, JIK reports, and RPPRs with due dates on and after January 25, 2022. 

To learn how to create the NIH Biosketches (for non-Fellowship and Fellowship) and Other Support in the new format, please contact Yingting Zhang, Research Services Librarian, at yzhang@rutgers.edu.

There have been changes to the NIH Biosketch. The notice for changes was released in March 2021, became effective in May 2021, and will be mandated to use for applications or reports for due dates on and after January 25, 2022. The new NIH Biosketch now has two types: Now-Fellowship Biosketch and Fellowship Biosketch. Major changes are noted below:

• Section A - Updated
• Section B - “Positions and Honors” à "Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors”
• Section D - was removed for Non-Fellowship Biosketch
• Section D – Updated for Fellowship Biosketch. “Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance” à  “Scholastic Performance” for Fellowship Biosketch