NIH Update

 

On November 26, NIH confirmed that the biosketch format that has been piloted with specific Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) over the last year will be expanded to all FOAs with due dates on/after January 25, 2015.  The guide notice (NOT-OD-15-024) and  Rock Talk blog post explain why the new format has been put in place so I won’t rehash that here. Instead, let’s talk logistics…

The easiest way to navigate the biosketch changes is to use the Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv). SciENcv serves as an inter-agency system designed to create biosketches for multiple federal agencies. Support for NIH’s new biosketch format and NSF’s current format is expected later this month.

The SciENcv home page has plenty of resources to get you started, including: FAQs,  YouTube tutorial and support documentation.

I realize folks are sometimes leery of using new systems, especially with something as important as a grant application. You really need not worry. There are already over 8,000 profiles in SciENcv and NIH tests submissions with applications that include biosketch PDF attachments generated through SciENcv. I’m a trust but verify person myself. I’ve personally tested a few submissions with SciENcv biosketches and can confidently say “they work great with eRA systems”!

As we transition from one biosketch format to another, it really is the perfect time to let a tool take the guesswork out of your biosketch attachment. Pull together your information centrally and let SciENcv do the formatting for you.

Need help spreading the word within your institutions? You’re welcome to use the flyer our Grants Information team has brought to recent outreach events.

 

For more information, contact Sheri Cummins (Communications & Outreach – NIH Office of Extramural Research)