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Bio Sketch and Other Support Information

Common Proposal Components

Each sponsor establishes their own guidelines for content, format, and timing requirements related to bio sketch and current, pending, and other support information. When applying for or receiving external funding, researchers must familiarize themselves with new and evolving guidelines relating to these requirements. Below is guidance that has been issued by some sponsors. Note the disclosure of current, pending, and other support is not the same process as the Outside Interest Disclosure (OID) that is required internally. More information about OID can be found on the Office of Institutional Compliance’s Outside Interest Disclosure page. Questions related to the internal Outside Interest Disclosure requirements should be directed to the Office of Institutional Compliance.

Bio Sketches

A Biosketch/CV is a document typically included for all senior/key personnel at the time of proposal submission, or with a change in PI during an award highlighting their educational, professional and academic history. Below is a list of common sponsor biosketch resource pages:

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
 
A biographical sketch (also referred to as biosketch) documents an individual's qualifications and experience for a specific role in a project. NIH requires submission of a biosketch for each proposed senior/key personnel 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. NIH staff and peer reviewers utilize the biosketch to ensure that individuals included on the applications are equipped with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research. NIH biosketches must conform to a specific format. Applicants and recipients can use the provided format pages to prepare their biosketch attachments or can use SciENcv a tool used to develop and automatically format biosketches according to NIH requirements.
Department of Defense (DOD)
 
There are multiple units within DOD, so different formats may be required depending on which unit a proposal is submitting to- Investigators should confirm the specific requirements within their funding opportunity announcement. For submissions to CDMRP, DOD provide a suggested biographical sketch format which is available as a Word document on the “Funding Opportunities & Forms” web page in eBRAP. DOD provides a resource page identifying suggested templates for many of their proposal documents. Note the NIH formatted biosketch is also acceptable in DOD proposals. 

Current and Pending Support

Current and Pending Support, also known as Other Support, is a form typically used by federal sponsors to request information for the PI(s) and Key Personnel’s current and pending research projects. Most federal agencies require Current & Pending Support documents to be submitted with the proposal or just before an award is issued (during Just in Time (JIT) process), and if awarded, they may require any changes to be disclosed in progress reports. 
 
The format of this requirement varies by sponsor. It is the responsibility of the Investigator/Key Personnel to ensure that all research projects and affiliations are fully disclosed and that the document is completed in its entirety.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Information on other active and pending support may be requested (often as part of Just-in-Time procedures for grant applications or in progress reports) to ensure there is no scientific, budgetary, or commitment overlap. “Other Support” is sometimes referred to as “current and pending support” or “active and pending support.”
  • NIH maintains a website with full instructions, templates, samples and FAQs related to Other Support..
    Effective 1/25/2022, NIH require the use of the revised Other Support template.
Highlights of key changes include:
 
  • NIH’s new template separates Project/Proposal support from In-Kind contributions. Support should be grouped together based on their “Status” and reported in the order of Active, Pending or Completed during the past three years, (from top to bottom).
  • Completed support does not need to be reported for In-kind contributions.
  • Primary Place of Performance has been added
  • Provide the Total Award Amount (including Indirect Costs)
  • Person Months must be provided per budget period for the project:Year (YYYY) Person Months (##.##)
    • [enter year 1]
    • [enter year 2]
    • [enter year 3]
    • [enter year 4]
    • [enter year 5]
  • Signature line for the PD/PI or other senior/key personnel to certify the form- Signature must be completed as “digital signature” using software such as Adobe’s Digitally Sign option which “locks” the file after signature ( not “fill and sign”). “Wet” Ink or typed signatures are not acceptable. See Pre-Award’s guide to completing digital signature requirement for further information.
Required certification text:
 
I, PD/PI or other key/senior personnel, certify that the statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge, and accept the obligation to comply with Public Health Services terms and conditions if a grant is awarded as the result of this application. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
NSF require disclosure of Collaborators and Other Affiliations, and Current and Pending Support for senior personnel at the time of proposal submission and provide full instructions at these links: 
 
Department of Defense (DOD)
There are multiple units within DOD, so different formats may be required depending on which unit a proposal is submitting to- Investigators should confirm the specific requirements within their funding opportunity announcement. 
 
For submissions to CDMRP, DOD provide a suggested biographical sketch format which is available as a Word document on the “Funding Opportunities & Forms” web page in eBRAP
 
Instructions for the CDMRP applications can be found on pages 16 and 17 of the current DOD General Application Instructions. DOD provides a resource page identifying suggested templates for many of their proposal documents. 
 

New Requirement Added IN FY22 General Application Guide:

Certification Regarding Disclosure of Funding Sources. The proposing entity must comply with Section 223(a) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which requires that the PI, Partnering PIs (if applicable), and all key personnel:
 
Certify that the current and pending support provided on the application is current, accurate, and complete; Agree to update such disclosure at the request of the agency prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the agency determines appropriate during the term of the award; and have been made aware of the requirements under Section 223(a)(1) of this Act.
DOD requires full disclosure of current and pending support from domestic and non-domestic sources. Full instructions can be found in the DOD General Application Instructions.
 
Suggested text for certification:
 
I, PD/PI or other senior/key personnel, certify that the statements herein are true, complete and accurate to the best of my knowledge, agree to update such disclosure at the request of the agency prior to the award of support and at any subsequent time the agency determines appropriate during the term of the award and accept the obligation to comply with Section 223(a) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021. I am aware that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject me to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties.
 
*Digital Signature:
 
Date:

Just-in-Time (JIT)

NIH and other federal sponsors will request Just-In-Time (JIT) information at the time when a pending project is under consideration for funding. JIT is time-sensitive information that isn’t usually submitted as part of an initial application. For applications that are associated with the NIH, the JIT process generally requires current Other Support information for key personnel, IRB approval/Human Subjects Research Education Certification (if applicable), IACUC approval (if applicable), Institutional Certification regarding human genomic data (if applicable), and responses to reviewers/summary statements (if applicable). The sponsor’s official may request additional information or clarifications that are more specific to the project under consideration. Effective October 1, 2024, The NIH automated Just-in-Time email, generated by the eRA system and sent to applicants for all applications that receive an overall impact score of 30 or less, will be retired – NOT-OD-24-165. Official notification of the need for JIT material(s) will continue to be sent directly by NIH staff from the awarding Institute/Center to those who are required to provide the material(s). The JIT link to submit the materials, when requested, will also continue to be available in eRA Commons until the application is awarded. The JIT link is accessed 1.) by SOs, on the Status Results screen by clicking on the three-dot ellipsis in the Application/Award ID column and choosing JIT from the dropdown menu or 2.) by PIs, on the Status screen, by expanding a grant application and clicking the JIT link in the Available Actions column. As a reminder, a request for JIT information is not a Notice of Award, nor should it be construed as an indicator of possible funding by the NIH. OSP recommends that applicants respond to a direct JIT request from the Grants Management Specialist. JIT requests do not guarantee that a proposal will be funded, but if a PI receives a JIT request directly from a NIH staff member, failure to submit the requested information on time can significantly delay chances of being funded. Note that the Notice of Award is the only official confirmation of funding. JIT information must be up to date, and if a funding decision is not made within the time of the initial JIT request (typically 120 days), applicants may be asked to resubmit JIT information. For NIH applications, JIT information is submitted through the JIT module in eRA Commons. Other federal sponsors such as NSF and DOD will require similar information if they are considering a project for funding. These sponsors will also provide a detailed request and instructions for submission. Additionally, changes in other support of key personnel active and pending projects may also be required for Research Performance Progress Reporting (RPPR) prior to the award of a competitive project segment. Please also note NIH’s Adoption of Common Forms beginning on or after May 25, 2025 as this will affect the NIH Current and Pending (Other) Support and Biographical Sketch format pages

Current and Pending Support Report Tool

This Current and Pending Support Report is a tool that quickly compiles proposal and project data from Cayuse SP. This data can be used to complete the current and pending forms required by many sponsors. Note: The information included in the report reflects data from Cayuse SP. Be advised each sponsor has requirements for what current, pending, and other support information must be disclosed. The information in this report may not provide all information required by a sponsor. Additional information may be available from departmental business office as they have access to additional data that may be required by the sponsor but is not stored in Cayuse. It is the responsibility of the Investigator/Key Personnel to make sure that all research projects and affiliations are fully disclosed and that the document is completed in its entirety to meet the sponsor's guidelines.
 
Additional Information:
ORCID
Federal regulations are shifting to persistent identifiers of which ORCID is a preferred method. Additional information and resources for ORCID are provided by UT Libraries.
SciENcv
Several sponsors are requiring biosketch and/or current and pending information to be formatted using SciENcv.

 

Sep 16, 2024