Sponsored Projects Administration

Update: NIH Other Support and Biosketches

NIH recently released new clarifications for the Other Support format pages and Biographical Sketches. Key clarifications include:

  • Signatures are not required on the Other Support format pages until January 25, 2022, regardless of whether you use the old or new formats.
  • Completed support from the last three years is no longer required in Other Support. Only include active and pending projects.
  • Awardees must report significant changes in Other Support in RPPRs, such as a change in status of previously reported current or pending projects, or access to a new resource/in-kind contribution.
  • Only unique, high-value materials and data received within the past three years, that are still in use, must be included as in-kind contributions in Other Support.
  • Only current positions and scientific appointments are required in the Biosketch. Applicants may choose to include past appointments that they wish to highlight.
  • Consulting agreements must be included in Other Support only when the PD/PI or other senior/key personnel will be conducting research as part of the consulting activities. Non-research consulting activities are not Other Support.
    • Include estimates for the amount paid, rather than time and effort reflected in calendar months, for consulting that is disclosed in Other Support.
  • Rather than simply updating a previously submitted Other Support form, we strongly recommend that you create a new form from scratch, to ensure that you are able to implement all changes.

To assist you further, we created additional FAQs based on questions collected from researchers and administrators at Columbia University. They are meant to supplement NIH's FAQs. In addition, we will be hosting monthly webinars to walk you through the forms. Stay tuned for a separate communication with the webinar schedule.

All questions should be directed to your SPA Project Officer. Below is a listing of applicable resources:

NIH’s FAQs and Instructions:

Columbia resources:

By
Stephanie F. Scott, MS, CRA
August 19, 2021
Tags
NIH Updates Sponsored Projects Administration Office of Research Compliance and Training