NIH eRA Commons ID Requirement Effective January 25, 2024
January 8, 2024
NIH recently issued a notice (NOT-OD-24-042) which serves as a reminder and provides updated guidance on the requirement that all individuals listed on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile Form must have an eRA Commons ID. This requirement is effective for all NIH, AHRQ, FDA, and ORD/VA applications with due dates on or after January 25, 2024.
Application Requirements, Validation, and Submission
An eRA Commons ID must be entered in the “Credential, e.g. agency login” field for all Senior/Key Personnel and Other Significant Contributors (OSCs) listed on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile Form. If this field is blank or does not contain a valid eRA Commons ID, applicants currently encounter an eRA system warning. The validation will be updated from a warning to an error (anticipated in mid-January), and errors must be corrected before the application can be successfully submitted to the agency.
How to Run a Validation in CERES
There are two validations in CERES SF424 applications: one in the smartform and one SF424 workspace:
Smartform Validation
In the smartform, the “Validate” option will indicate any missing data on required questions with a red error icon and an error message. It is recommended that you review those issues when you’re entering data. Keep in mind that not all submission errors at different federal agencies are included in the smartform validation.
SF424 Workspace Validation
In the SF424 workspace, there’s a “Validate Submission” button. This runs the Grants.gov XML validations and any further sponsor validations – notably the NIH eRA Commons warnings and errors. Issues not resolved in the smartform validation will show up in this validation as well. Please note that you may need to run this validation multiple times. For example, missing data warnings/errors can mask other errors. After you resolve the missing data issues, re-running the validation might reveal additional underlying errors that were previously hidden. Once you successfully complete the submission validation (i.e., “Validate Submission” yields no errors), the status of the SF424 will change to “Valid for Submission.”
Requesting New eRA Commons IDs and Commons-Related Assistance
If you require a new eRA Commons ID or other Commons-related assistance, use the eRA Commons Request Form to submit a request to the Sponsored Research Business Systems & Operations (BSO) Team. Note that the BSO only creates new Commons IDs for current and incoming Northwestern faculty, staff, and students. Subcontractors and consultants, who are not Northwestern employees, must have a Commons ID set up at their own place of employment.
For any senior/key person who is not affiliated with a registered organization, there are two options for obtaining an eRA Commons ID:
- The senior/key individual’s organization can register in eRA Commons and provide a Commons username (Commons ID) for them.
- The senior/key individual can register themselves as an organization using our Special Instructions for Unaffiliated/Independent Applicants. This is an option for independent consultants or other individuals not affiliated with an organization.