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Biosketches and Current and Pending Support in SciENcv

SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae) is a free, electronic system within My NCBI that helps researchers create, manage, and update professional profiles and biosketches required for federal grant applications (NIH, NSF, IES). It reduces administrative burden by aggregating education, employment, and publications from sources like ORCID or eRA Commons. SciENcv is accessed through the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) part of the National Library of Medicine. To use SciENcv investigators must have an ORCID iD linked to their eRA Commons ID and have both linked to their NCBI account.

Because both the content of the new forms and the process for generating them have changed significantly from current practice, we are providing the following step-by-step guide to help investigators begin complying with the requirement. 

Creating Common Forms

  1. Obtain an ORCID iD, if you don’t already have one. Your ORCID iD is your unique identifier in SciENcv 
  2. Log in to your eRA Commons account, select ‘Personal Profile’ and link your ORCID iD to your eRA Commons ID
  3. Log in to SciENcv via NCBI, using any of the log in options available
  4. Connect your ORDID iD and eRA Commons ID to your NCBI profile 
    1. click on your login ID in the top right corner of the screen
    2. select  ‘Account Settings’
    3. under Linked Accounts your eRA Commons ID is likely already linked
    4. select ‘Add account’ to add your ORCID iD, and your eRA Commons ID if necessary
  5. Click ‘MyNCBI Dashboard’ at the top left to access the main NCBI screen 
  6. Click ‘Click here’ in the SciENcv box at the bottom right to access the main SciENcv screen 
  7. Select ‘Edit My Profile’ to review/ update the information included, then  
  8. At 'My Documents’ select 'New Document' to begin creating the required forms.

Create a Biographical Sketch Common Form

The Common Form Biosketch consists of two forms, the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form, which collects the information used by all agencies, and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement, which collects NIH specific information. The forms are created from the same screen and at the end of the process are compiled into a single pdf form.

  1. Under Document type select NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form. DO NOT select NIH Biosketch
  2. Give your document a name 
  3. If you already have biographical information in a source available to SciENcv, e.g you have already created an NSF Biosketch or NIH Biosketch, select that as the Data Source and the information will be copied to SciENcv. Otherwise select ‘Start with a blank document’
  4. Begin completing the form sections, carefully following the instructions. 

 

Notable differences between the current and new format Biographical Sketches
Comparison of NIH Biosketch Document Types
SectionCurrent NIH BiosketchBiographical Sketch Common FormNIH Biographical Sketch Supplement
Education/TrainingEducation/TrainingProfessional PreparationNot applicable
Personal StatementNarrative and 4 product citationsProducts Most Closely Related to the Proposed Project, limit 5 citationsNo citations allowed. Can provide narrative for Personal Statement including information on the Products Most Closely Related to the Proposed Project, cited in the Products section of the Biographical Sketch Common Form. Field is limited to 3,500 characters.
Positions, Scientific Appointments and HonorsPositions, Scientific Appointments and HonorsAppointments and Positions: Must only identify all domestic and foreign professional appointments and positions outside of the primary organization for a period up to three years from the date the applicant submits the application to the agency for funding consideration.Honors: Limited to no more than 15 entries
Contributions to ScienceUp to 5 narrative contribution descriptions, each allowed to include citations for up to 4 productsProducts: Can provide up to 5 other significant products that highlight the senior/key person's Contributions to Science. The NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement will provide the opportunity to describe these contributions in more depth.No citations allowed. Can provide up to 5 narrative contributions to science. Each entry is limited to 2,000 characters. You may refer to products listed in the Other Significant Products section of your Biographical Sketch Common Form that are relevant to the contributions described in this section.

For help understanding the distinctions among academic, professional, and institutional appointments and how to report them, see: 

Create Current and Pending (Other) Support

  1. Under Document type select NIH Current and Pending (Other Support) Common Form
  2. Give your document a name 
  3. Begin completing the form sections, carefully following the instructions. 

 

Notable differences between current and new format Current and Pending (Other) Support
Comparison of NIH Other Support Document Types
SectionCurrent NIH Other SupportCurrent and Pending (Other Support) Common Form
Person MonthsEffort is classified as either calendar or academic/summer months.Effort is classified only in person-months (not calendar or academic/summer). For example: an individual's effort currently expressed as 1.2 calendar months, or 0.9 academic and 0.3 summer would be expressed as 1.2 person-months.
Project GoalsMajor GoalsOverall Objectives (field label changed, limited to 1,500 characters)
In-Kind ContributionsEstimated Dollar Value of In-Kind Contribution: An estimate always needs to be reported regardless of time commitment or dollar value.US Dollar Value of In-Kind Contribution: Report only if estimated at $5,000 or more and requires a commitment of the individual's time.
Overlap StatementOverlap is summarized at the end of the document rather than for each Other Support entry.Statement of Potential Overlap: Each proposal, active project, or in-kind contribution entry will have its own statement rather than being summarized at the end.
Supporting DocumentationProvided/appended as a PDF following the Other Support form.Not attached to the Current and Pending (Other) Support document. Will be attached in a separate field when submitting via Just-In-Time, RPPR, or Prior Approval modules.

 

 

Certification

Once completed each investigator is required to agree to the following certifications regarding the information provided in their Biosketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support: 

  • I certify that the information provided is current, accurate, and complete. This includes but is not limited to information related to domestic and foreign appointments and positions. 
  • I certify that the information provided is current, accurate, and complete. This includes but is not limited to current, pending, and other support (both foreign and domestic) as defined in 42 U.S.C. § 6605. 
  • I also certify that, at the time of submission, I am not a party in a malign foreign talent recruitment program. 

Misrepresentations and/or omissions may be subject to prosecution and liability pursuant to, but not limited to, 18 U.S.C. §§ 287, 1001, 1031 and 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733 and 3802. The signature date must be within 12 months of when the form is submitted. Certification cannot be delegated – the investigator is personally responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the information provided. 

Other information and help

Viewing and saving the form 

Users are prompted to save the form after each entry and can view a draft of the form at any time by clicking ‘View Draft’ at the top of the data entry page. Once all the sections are completed and the form certified if necessary, it can be downloaded as a pdf for inclusion in a proposal, RPPR, etc. using the ‘Download PDF’ button next to the ‘View Draft’ option. 

Delegating access 

Under NCBI Account Settings investigators can add delegates to help them manage their documents. Departments/Units will decide whether they will support their staff providing such assistance. Sponsored Program Officers cannot be listed as delegates. However, whether or not a delegate assists with entry and upkeep of SciENcv data, the subject investigator is responsible for data accuracy and integrity and for certifying that such is the case. 

Helpful links