SciENcv for Creating Your Biosketch

A biographical sketch (aka biosketch) documents an individual's qualifications and experience for a specific role in a grant funded project. The NIH, DOE, and the NSF require a biosketch for senior or key personnel applying for and renewing grants with each agency. 

NIH Biosketch Requirements

For additional information on biosketches for NIH grant proposals visit "Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support" from NIH.

• To further support a successful transition to the Common Forms, NIH is postponing the May 25, 2025 implementation for all applications and Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPRs). NIH applicants and recipients must continue to use the current NIH Biosketch and Other Support format pages for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) and RPPRs. 

NSF Biosketch Requirements

For information on biosketches for NSF grant proposals visit "Documents Required for Senior/Key Personnel" from the NSF. 

• NSF has partnered with NIH to use SciENcv: Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae as an NSF-approved format for preparation of Biosketch and Current and Pending Support sections of the proposal.

Important: You should consult with your research administrator(s) if you have questions about how any of the above information will affect your grant submission and deadlines.

Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) is a free profile service that is part of NCBI offered by National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is becoming the standardized way of creating biosketches for many federal grant systems and its use is now required by the NIH and NSF for grant proposals. The best way to get your SciENcv profile created at SIU is through an eRA Commons account, which we will go over in this guide.