Biosketches are a key component of NIH grant proposals and are required for every proposed senior/key personnel and any other significant contributor to the proposed project. Reviewers use the biosketch to gauge whether individuals working on the project have the experience, skills, knowledge, and resources to successfully carry out the proposal. 

NIH biosketches are a maximum of five (5) pages and must conform to a specific format. They can be completed in two ways:

1. Completing the formatted .doc template for Non-Fellowship or Fellowship proposals.
2. Using SciENcv to automatically pull information from your MyBibliography or ORCID profiles and format the information. Please see the SciENcv guide for instructions on using the tool.

In 2021, the NIH announced a new biosketch format that came into effect for all proposals submitted after January 25, 2022. 

Highlights:

Name: Should match with the name you are referred to in other proposal sections (e.g., budget).

eRA Commons User Name: Required for PD/PI (including career development and fellowship applicants), primary sponsors of fellowship applicants, all mentors of candidates for mentored career development awards, and candidates for diversity and reentry research supplements. User name should the Credential field of the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form. Optional for other project personnel. 

Position Title: List current position.

Education/Training: Begin with the baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing. Include postdoctoral, residency, and clinical fellowship training, as applicable, listing each separately. For each entry, include the name and location of the institution; degree received; month and year of end date or expected end date (fellowships: include the start month and year); and field of study.

Examples

"Briefly describe why you are well-suited for your role(s) in this project. Relevant factors may include: aspects of your training; your previous experimental work on this specific topic or related topics; your technical expertise; your collaborators or scientific environment; and/or your past performance in this or related fields, including ongoing and completed research projects from the past three years [...]." [Source: NIH]

Key takeaways:

1. Focus on ongoing projects or ones that have been completed in the last three years that speak to your experience and skills that relate to or are transferable to the project you are proposing.
2. Cite up to four total publications or research products that highlight your qualifications for the project, such as article publications, conference and poster presentations, audio/visual products, datasets and models, software, etc.
3. Do not include any figures/tables or hyperlinks; you will be able to include a link to your complete NCBI MyBibliography page in Section C.
4. In this section, address any considerations you want to bring up to reviewers that might have impacted your past productivity (e.g., family care, health concerns, military service, etc.).

Examples

"List in reverse chronological order all current positions and scientific appointments both domestic and foreign, including affiliations with foreign entities or governments. This includes titled academic, professional, or institutional appointments whether or not remuneration is received, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, or honorary). High school students and undergraduates may include any previous positions. For individuals who are not currently located at the applicant organization, include the expected position at the applicant organization and the expected start date." [Source: NIH]

Key takeaways:

1. List achievements in reverse chronological order (i.e., most recent at the top). 
2. There are no time constraints on what can be included, unlike in other sections.
3. Students, postdoctorates, and junior faculty should include scholarships, traineeships, fellowships, and development awards, as applicable.
4. Clinicians should include information on any clinical licensures and specialty board certifications that they have achieved.

Examples

"Briefly describe up to five of your most significant contributions to science. The description of each contribution should be no longer than one half page, including citations. While all applicants may describe up to five contributions, graduate students and postdoctorates may wish to consider highlighting two or three they consider most significant." [Source: NIH]

Key takeaways: 

1. Contributions do not have to be directly related to the proposed project.
2. Each contribution description should have the following information: 
   1. any relevant historical background that provides context for the scientific problem;
   2. central findings and their impact on science and application to health/technology;
   3. your role in each project.
3. For each contribution, cite up to four total publications or research products that highlight your qualifications for the project, such as article publications, conference and poster presentations, audio/visual products, datasets and models, software, etc. These can include publications or research products that are in development, such as a paper that has not yet been published.
4. Do not include any tables/graphics or hyperlinks to individual publications or research products.
5. However, you can provide a hyperlinked URL to your complete published works hosted on a Federal Government .gov website, such as NCBI MyBibliography. Ensure that your MyBibliography is set to public. 

Examples

Only the following types of applicants must complete this section:

• applicants for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships
• applicants to dissertation research grants (e.g., R36)
• candidates for research supplements to promote diversity in health-related research from the undergraduate through postdoctoral levels

Key takeaways:

1. Predoctoral applicants/candidates (including undergraduates and post-baccalaureates): List by institution and year all undergraduate and graduate courses, with grades. In addition, explain any grading system used if it differs from a 1-100 scale; an A, B, C, D, F system; or a 0-4.0 scale. Also indicate the levels required for a passing grade.
2. Postdoctoral applicants: List by institution and year all graduate scientific and/or professional courses with grades. In addition, explain any grading system used if it differs from a 1-100 scale; an A, B, C, D, F system; or a 0-4.0 scale. Also indicate the levels required for a passing grade.

Examples

NIH biosketch overview

Expanded instructions

Examples (Word .doc):

• Non-Fellowship Biosketch
• Predoctoral Fellowship Biosketch
• Postdoctoral Fellowship Biosketch

Formatting requirements