Update on Linking ORCID To Implement Persistent Identifier Requirements While Reducing Burden and Improving Transparency

It has been almost exactly seven years since we announced eRA Commons was establishing a real-time link with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor Identification). As we said then, ORCID is a non-profit organization that assigns persistent identifiers to researchers, making it easy for them to maintain up-to-date information and linkages to their various professional activities. For example, thousands of journals incorporate ORCID into their publications, which means that a researcher can automatically see their bibliography – as recorded on their ORCID page – updated with new publications.  

Two years later, in August 2019, we announced that NIH, along with CDC and AHRQ, would require that all individuals supported by training, fellowship, career development, and other research education awards link their eRA accounts to ORCID beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2020. These linkages would not only reduce administrative burdens on researchers – for example by enabling automatic importation of publications into biographical sketches via Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (“SciENcv”) – but would make it easier for the agencies to evaluate the impact of their programs and funding on the career outcomes of early career researchers.  

In July 2024, we went further, announcing that as of May 25, 2025, and as part of our implementation of National Security Presidential Memorandum – 33 (“NSPM-33”), NIH will require senior / key personnel on all NIH applications to use SciENcv to complete “Common Forms” (that is Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending Other Support Forms). The Common Forms will have a Persistent Identifier (“PID”) section; all senior / key personnel will enter their ORCID iD into SciENcv when preparing the Common Forms as well as link their ORCID iD in their eRA Commons Profile. 

In our November 2019 post, we shared data on the number of NIH accounts with linked ORCID iD’s; over the previous two years the number increased dramatically. Today, we will share updated data, focusing on Principal Investigators (contact Principal Investigators [PIs] and Multiple Principal Investigators [MPIs]) on extramural research grant awards. Figure 1 is a bar plot showing over time the number PIs / MPIs with and without linked ORCID iD’s. Back in FY2016, only 871 had a linked ORCID iD out of 36,499 PIs / MPIs (that is, only 2%). In FY2023, over half (24,326 out of 47,397, or 51%) had a linked ORCID iD!  

Figure 1: Number (left axis) and proportion in percent (right axis) of PIs / MPIs with ORCID iD’s linked to eRA Commons Profiles from FY2016 to FY2023. 

Figure 2 shows data according to mechanism. As might be expected, given the requirements we issued back in 2019, the proportion for Fellowship PIs with linked ORCID iDs has increased to over 98%. But even the proportion of Research Project Grant (RPG) PIs / MPIs has increased dramatically from 2% to 49%. In other analyses (full report can be found here), we found greater proportions for Early-Stage Investigators, younger investigators, women investigators, and investigators identifying themselves as under-represented minorities. 

Figure 2: Proportion in percent of PIs / MPIs with linked ORCID iD’s according to grant mechanism. 

We are encouraged by the substantial increases in the numbers and proportions of PIs / MPIs who have already linked their eRA Commons IDs to ORCID in Personal Profile. These data make us optimistic that the transition to the NSPM-33 mandated Common Forms will not only harmonize government grant administrative requirements, but also enhance administrative efficiency and transparency. In the meantime, we encourage those of you who do not yet have ORCID iD’s to get one before they are required for Common Forms in May 2025. It should be well worth the (small amount of) effort.