Organizations and individuals who rely on NIH’s eRA Commons for grant submission on ASSIST and post-award management must now consolidate multiple user accounts into a single set of credentials. This change is driven by NIH’s move to mandatory multi-factor authentication through Login.gov, and it affects anyone who has maintained separate accounts for different roles or institutions. Here’s what changed, why it matters, and how to get it done before the September 8th deadline.
How to Consolidate Your Accounts
*Before beginning, you must know the username and valid working password of each account you want to consolidate.
The process is completed in three steps:
Step 1 — Initiate the Request Upon login, all users are presented with a popup window requesting that they consolidate their accounts. To proceed, click “Submit A Request to Consolidate.” The consolidation screens can also be accessed at any time by clicking the Person icon in the upper right corner of eRA Commons and selecting “Consolidate Accounts.”
Step 2 — Validate Accounts and Select a Primary Enter the usernames and passwords for each account and click “Validate All Accounts.” Once credentials are verified, select a primary account. It is better to choose the account already set up with Login.gov and/or the Secure Payee Registration System (SPRS) so you do not have to associate the account with Login.gov.
Step 3 — Review and Submit Review all information and click “Submit Request.” The request is sent to the eRA Service Desk, who vets each request and compares personal information to verify the accounts belong to the same person. A confirmation email with an Account Consolidation Request Number will be sent to the contact email of all accounts included in the request.
Once consolidation is complete, users log in with the primary account credentials and are prompted to select their organization and role category. Users may save a default selection for future logins or switch between organizations and roles at any time. Users should also review their Personal Profile carefully after consolidation, as conflicting information between accounts may result in unexpected changes.
Additional Resources:
We strongly encourage all affected users to complete their account consolidation well in advance of the September deadline as the eRA Service Desk must manually review and process each request, which may take additional time.
