Dear Colleagues:
Effective January 25, 2026, the use of the Common Forms for Biographical Sketch, Current and Pending (Other) Support, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biographical Sketch Supplement are required for all NIH application due dates and all Just-in-Time (JIT), Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR), and Prior Approval submissions.
However, after evaluating recent technical challenges with SciENcv and eRA systems, NIH is providing a leniency period through May 2026. During this time, applications submitted without the Common Forms will receive a warning but will not be withdrawn. Following this period, NIH will issue a Guide Notice announcing when the requirement will be system-enforced, at which point non-compliant applications will receive errors.
This announcement is in updated FAQs on the NIH website.
Regards,
Jeff Warner
Senior Director, Sponsored Projects
Office of Research
University of California Irvine
949-824-7654