NIH Common Forms (SciENcv) Playbook (2026)
This site is a PI + admin team guide to preparing NIH’s required Common Forms in SciENcv:
- NIH Biosketch = Biographical Sketch Common Form + NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement
- Current and Pending (Other) Support = CPOS Common Form
Independent guide, not official NIH/NCBI guidance. Verify details in References.
Effective date: NIH requires Common Forms for applications, JIT, RPPR, and Prior Approval submissions on/after Jan 25, 2026. Current enforcement status: NIH is using warnings during a leniency period through May 2026 and has said it will announce the later submission-blocking error date in a future Guide Notice. See Policy & Timeline.
Start here (role-based)
- PI / faculty (15-minute checklist)
- Administrator / delegate (fast checklist)
- Co-I / key personnel (fast checklist)
The two biggest success factors
- Identity + data plumbing is correct (ORCID linked to eRA Commons; MyNCBI/SciENcv account access working; My Bibliography clean).
- Workflow timing accounts for individual certification in SciENcv (delegates cannot certify).
What’s inside
- A fast checklist for each role
- Step-by-step “how-to” pages for SciENcv biosketch and CPOS
- Templates (Personal Statement, Contributions, intake forms, email nudges)
- Troubleshooting and common eRA validation failures
- Curated references (NIH + institutional guides)