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Beginning in FY20, individuals supported by research training, fellowship, research education, and career development awards will be required to have ORCID iDs (Open Researcher and Contributor Identifiers.)

To learn more about this change, please see: NIH Notice NOT-OD-19-109

While other NIH-funded researchers are not yet required to link an ORCID to their eRA Commons account, it is advisable to request an ORCID and/or link an existing ORCID with your eRA Commons. ORCID iDs are persistent identifiers the can be used to distinguish investigators and and provide a continuity across a researchers career, throughout name or affiliation changes. Additionally, a number of publishers are now requesting or requiring ORCID iDs during the manuscript submission process.