A biographical sketch or biosketch is a document highlighting the qualifications of key personnel for a specific role in a proposed grant project. Both the NIH and the NSF require a biosketch for senior or key personnel applying for and renewing grants with each agency.
Proposers must save these documents and submit them as part of their proposals in Streamlyne and via Research.gov
NCBI's Science Expert Network Curriculum Vitae (SciENcv) is a research profile system compatible with both the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) biographical sketch requirements for funding. Researchers can use SciENcv to compile information on expertise, employment, education, and professional accomplishments to create biosketches for federal grant submissions and reporting. SciENcv also allows users to automatically pull data from outside sources like NCBI's My Bibliography and ORCID to add publications and other accomplishments to biosketches.
This guide covers the basics of creating a biosketch with SciENcv as well as how to add delegates and integrate your SciENcv account with an ORCID iD.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires all individuals identified as Senior Personnel to submit a biographical sketch as part of grant proposals. Beginning in spring of 2023, all NSF biographical sketches will move from a fillable PDF toSciENcv. SciENcv will produce an NSF-compliant PDF version of the biographical sketch. Proposers must save these documents and submit them as part of their proposals in Streamlyne and via Research.gov
Although the new format required for the biosketch is a bit different from the old, the required content remains mostly the same. The only difference is that the definition of Appointments has been broadened for proposals submitted after June 1, 2020. Appointments now include "any titled academic, professional, or institutional position whether or not remuneration is received, and whether full-time, part-time, or voluntary (including adjunct, visiting, or honorary)"
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also require biographical sketches for both grant applications and progress reports. NIH recommends using SciENcv to create and format biosketches according to NIH guidelines. However, they do provide instructions, sample biosketches, and Microsoft Word document templates as an alternative.
