A university or organization is required to register in eRA Commons to electronically submit a grant application. Only individuals with legal signing authority at the university or organization (e.g., CEO, Dean)—known as signing officials (SOs)—can register their organizations. Once the organization is registered, the SO can register or affiliate the principal investigator (PI) in Commons.
More than 35,000 organizations are already registered in Commons. To see if your organization is already registered, check this Quick Query: Commons Registered Organizations.
Link to Register an Organization in eRA Commons
If your organization is not listed, SOs can register their institutions at the Register Grantee Organization link on the eRA Commons home page.
Basic Tasks (step-by-step instructions)*
- Register the applicant organization in eRA Commons
- Create a new PI account *
- Create new user accounts *
- How to Affiliate an Account *
* You must be logged into eRA Commons with appropriate role(s) to complete these activities.
Main Screenshots
Click on thumbnail image to expand to full view.
Figure 1: Online Registration Instructions page
Figure 2: Register Institution screen
Additional Resources
- OER Register Page
- Manage Affiliations
- Account Management System Online Help
- Switching Institutions? Take your Commons account with you. (PDF – 248 KB) November 2012
- Who is Eligible for an NIH Grant?
Policy Links
- NIH Grants Policy Statement: eRA Commons Registration
- NIH Grants Policy Statement: Determining Applicant Organization Eligibility