New Federal Common Disclosure Forms Strengthen Integrity and Security of NIH-Funded Research

Back in April, we announced that Common Disclosure Forms for the Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support would be required for all applications and progress reports submitted in 2025, amongst several other changes. These Common Forms aim to standardize disclosure requirements and processes across federal research agencies, with the goal of reducing the time and effort researchers spend providing disclosure information to federal funders and ensuring integrity throughout the research process. We recently released a Guide Notice with additional information and expectations for applications and progress reports effective May 25, 2025, including the requirement that Senior and Key Personnel use an Open Researcher and Contributor Identification digital identifier (ORCID ID).

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) through the National Science and Technology Committee (NSTC) working group, led the development of the Common Forms to support “a secure and fair research ecosystem in the United States.” Through National Security Presidential Memorandum-33, they directed the development and use of these disclosure forms and encouraged funding agencies to allow supported researchers to provide unique digital identifiers as part of the disclosure process. The memorandum resulted from thoughtful and deliberative conversations amongst leadership from NIH, the National Science Foundation, and other federal research partners. OSTP discussed the importance of these forms at a House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing back in February, where I also testified about our efforts to secure NIH-supported extramural research from malign foreign interference.

These Common Forms allow researchers to disclose the relevant experience, achievements, and resources that demonstrate their qualifications (Biographical Sketch) and capacity (Current and Pending (Other) Support) to conduct proposed research. This information helps us to be informed and better assess potential scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap when making funding decisions. Relatedly, these Common Forms will further strengthen the integrity and security of NIH funded research, and promote principled international collaborations.

So, what exactly do these new Common Forms mean when applying for NIH supported research and reporting on progress?

• The Common Forms being implemented will replace the NIH Biosketch and Other Support format pages. NIH will implement the Common Forms without changes to any collection fields.
• The Biographical Sketch Common Form will collect much of the same information included in current format pages. However, familiar fields focused on the Personal Statement, Contributions to Science, and Honors will now be collected through a separate new NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement in accordance with NIH’s Peer Review Regulations to assess qualifications.
• The Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form will be required.
• The Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) web platform must be used to complete the Common Forms and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement. SciENcv should simplify and clarify the completion of these forms.
• An ORCID ID must be provided in the persistent identifier section of the Common Form and linked to a Senior/Key Personnel’s eRA Commons Personal Profile. ORCID IDs are unique digital identifiers that help streamline biographical sketch development and allow better tracking of the professional accomplishments of NIH supported researchers. This is similar to the requirement announced in 2019 that trainees and fellows link their ORCID ID with their eRA profile.

Current Biosketch and Other Support format pages must still be used through May 24, 2025. But keep in mind, starting on May 25, NIH will require the use of these new Common Forms and ORCID IDs, and will not accept applications that use older forms. We will share additional guidance, instructions, FAQs, and other resources as they are available. For now, you can learn more about these changes as we move forward on our Common Forms webpage.

We can have robust research collaborations, enhanced integrity, and security of NIH funded research at the same time. For this to happen, full transparency and disclosure of all foreign and domestic research activities is needed. We appreciate the proactive efforts many recipient institutions and researchers are taking to comply with longstanding disclosure and oversight requirements, and these new Common Forms will support these efforts going forward.