SAM is the central office that completes user account registration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). If you are in need of an NIH or NSF account, please send a written request to your SAM representative and include the required information (listed below for each agency). Visit our SAM Staff by Departmental Assignment page to look up your SAM representative. 

 

NIH Registration Elements

• Individual’s full name
• University email address
• The needed account type:
  • Principal Investigator: A Principal Investigator (PI) directs a research project or program supported by the NIH.  The PI is responsible and accountable to the grantee for the proper conduct of the project or activity.
  • Assistant: This is a person to whom the PI on an NIH award has delegated responsibility for entering data and grant information and maintaining the PI profile on the PI’s behalf.
  • Trainee: This role allows the user to electronically manage appointments for awarded Training Grants.
  • Postdoctoral: The Postdoctoral role is for postdoctoral scholars with funding through the NIH. This role provides the means for NIH supported postdoctoral scholars and trainees to provide NIH with the information needed to administer their Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (Kirschstein-NRSA) training grants.
  • Graduate Student: Role assigned to an individual who is in a graduate program and is participating in an NIH-funded project for at least one person month. A Graduate role has no privileges; it is used for reporting purposes only. Graduate students should complete and maintain their Personal Profiles.
  • Undergraduate Student: This role is assigned to an individual who is in an undergraduate program and is participating in an NIH-funded project for at least one person month. An Undergraduate role has no privileges. It is used for reporting purposes only. Undergraduate students should complete and maintain their Personal Profiles.

If a USC staff member already has an eRA Commons account from a prior institution, then a written request should be sent to your SAM Administrator to request an affiliation with USC. Once that is done, the staff member will need to update pertinent information in the system and add USC as the primary institution through the Personal Profile.

 

NSF Registration and Account Management

Researchers should register for an account for the first time accessing Research.gov.  If an account was held while at another university, please update your email address in Research.gov, and request a new affiliation. If you cannot remember your login credentials, please use the forgot ID /password feature on Research.gov.