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Office of Research

Funding Agency Resources

National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF Biographical Sketch (Biosketch)

This 3-page document outlines an individual's education and training, their appointments and positions, and other information that helps NSF assess how well qualified the individual is to conduct the proposed activities.

How to format your biographical sketch

NSF has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as the NSF-approved format for use in preparation of the biographical sketch section of an NSF proposal. Adoption of a single, common researcher profile system for federal grants reduces administrative burden for researchers.

Proposers must use SciENcv to prepare their biographical sketches for proposals to NSF.

SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF version of the biographical sketch. Proposers must save this document and submit it as part of their proposal via Research.gov or Grants.gov.

What to include in your biogprahical sketch

NSF Current and Pending Support

NSF requires information on all current and pending support for ongoing projects and proposals. This document contains a list of an individual's proposed and active projects and sources of support. It is used by NSF to assess:

  • The capacity of the individual to carry out the proposed research
  • Any potential scientific and budgetary overlap or duplication across projects.
  • The potential the individual is overcommitting themselves with the proposed project.

What to include in Current and Pending support document

NSF has partnered with the National Institutes of Health to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as the NSF-approved format for use in preparation of the current and pending support section of an NSF proposal. Adoption of a single, common researcher profile system for federal grants reduces administrative burden for researchers.

Proposers must use SciENcv to prepare their Current and Pending (Other) Support information for proposals to NSF.

Frequently asked questions on using SciENcv (PDF)

NSF Collaborators and Other Affiliations (COA Form)

This document contains a table of an individual's collaborators, such as their advisors, co-authors and students. NSF requires the use of the Collaborators and Other Affiliations Excel Template (XLSX) for identifying this information. NSF uses Collaborators and Other Affiliations information during the merit review process to help manage reviewer selection. To expedite identification of potential reviewers, having a standard, searchable format for this information is essential.

National Institute of Health (NIH)

SciENcv can be used to prepare the documents for NIH proposals (see directions above)

NIH Biographical Sketch (Biosketch)

NIH requires submission of a biosketch for each proposed senior/key personnel and other significant contributor on a grant application. Some funding opportunities or programs may also request biosketches for additional personnel (e.g., Participating Faculty Biosketch attachment for institutional training awards).

Applicants and recipients are required to submit biosketches

  • in competing applications for all types of grant programs,
  • in progress reports when new senior/key personnel or other significant contributors are identified, and
  • to support prior approval requests for changes in senior/key personnel status and changes of recipient organization.

Biosketches are required in both competing applications and progress reports.

NIH Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (NIH ASSIST)

The Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system is used to prepare and submit applications electronically to NIH and other Public Health Service agencies. Prior to using ASSIST, applicants should identify a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to which they'd like to apply. FOAs are posted in the NIH Guide for Grants & Contracts and/or in Grants.gov each of which has robust search capabilities. The FOA text will indicate whether ASSIST can be used to apply to that opportunity. You will need the FOA number (e.g., PA-XX-XXX or LITC-ABCD-XX-000) to initiate an application. Active Grants.gov and eRA Commons credentials are required to prepare and submit applications using ASSIST.

NIH Forms Directory

A lot of information is shared between applicants/recipients and agency staff during the life of a grant. The Forms Directory provides reference copies forms used as the basis for collecting information, identifies the online systems used to complete and submit the forms, and provides related resources including links to instructions, samples, and more. You can browse the forms and format pages grouped by category or search for an individual form.

Access the NIH Forms Directory