UW Research

May 19, 2021

NIH: PDF Guidance as of May 25th, 2021

NIH PDF reminders for applications, Just-in-Time (JIT) Other Support File section, and Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) submission on or after May 25th, 2021.

Flatten Your PDFs

NIH PDF files uploaded in the following sections will require “flattening”:

  • JIT Other Support File section
  • RPPR Participants section D.2.b New Senior/Key Personnel
  • RPPR Participants section D.2.c Changes in Other Support

PDFs that have not been flattened before upload to eRA Commons, will result in a submission error.

Review instructions from NIH. NIH also recommends: File>Print, select the printer option from the menu that has a PDF option. Click the Print button and name the file.

Retain Digitally Signed Originals

Campus units who flatten digitally signed PDFs should retain the original signed and unflattened document within their files.

Start Using NIH Biosketch & Other Support Templates

NIH also encourages using the updated Other Support and Biosketch templates for submissions on or after May 25, 2021. These templates will be required as of January 25th, 2022.

NIH Guide Notices