Looking up an eRA Commons ID is a different task from setting one up — you’re not creating an account, you’re finding the username or Person ID tied to an account that already exists, either your own or a colleague’s. NIH’s eRA system supports both directly, and the steps differ depending on whether you’re looking up your own ID or someone else’s.
What you’re actually looking for
An eRA Commons ID is the individual login credential (username) issued within NIH’s Electronic Research Administration system, required for Principal Investigators, other Senior/Key Personnel, trainees, Signing Officials, and Account Administrators. It’s used to log into eRA Commons itself, plus connected modules like ASSIST, xTrain, and RPPR.
Alongside the username, every account also has a numeric eRA Person ID. Both identify the same individual and both are visible on the same screen once you’re logged in, so in practice most people use “eRA Commons ID” loosely to mean either one — the distinction rarely matters unless a specific form or help-desk ticket asks for one and not the other.
Finding your own eRA Commons ID
If you already have an account and just need to confirm the username or Person ID:
- Log into eRA Commons with whatever credentials you normally use.
- Open your Personal Profile.
- Expand the Name and ID section. It displays your username and eRA Person ID as read-only fields, alongside your contact information for account-related communications.
If you’ve never logged in and don’t know your credentials at all, check for the account-creation notification your institution’s Signing Official or Account Administrator would have triggered when the account was first created — it typically includes the username. Individuals cannot self-register in eRA Commons, so if no such notification exists, the account may not have been created yet; see How to Set Up an eRA Commons Account for who at your institution can create one.
Looking up someone else’s eRA Commons ID
This is the more common lookup scenario in practice: a Signing Official, Account Administrator, or another user with Account Management Module (AMM) privileges needs to find a colleague’s existing Commons ID — often specifically to confirm whether the person already has an account before requesting a new one, since duplicate accounts create their own cleanup problem later.
- In eRA Commons, go to Account Management (Admin).
- Open the account search function (Search Accounts).
- Search using one or more of: User ID, name (formatted as “Last name, First name Middle name”), email address, or role. You can also restrict the search to only your own organization.
- Review the results screen for the matching account and its username/Person ID.
Access to this search function depends on your assigned eRA Commons role — it’s generally available to Signing Officials and Account Administrators, not to every account holder, since it exposes other users’ account records within the institution.
If the account search doesn’t turn anything up
A few situations that can’t be resolved through self-service search:
- You suspect you (or a colleague) have more than one account. Duplicate accounts happen when someone is registered again without an existing-account check first. Don’t try to merge or delete an account yourself — contact the eRA Service Desk to have it resolved.
- The person genuinely has no eRA Commons account yet. A search will correctly return nothing; the next step is account creation, not further searching — see the account setup guide linked above.
- You’re locked out or the credentials don’t work even though the ID is confirmed correct. That’s a login/password issue, not an ID lookup issue, and also goes to the Service Desk.
The eRA Service Desk can be reached at public.era.nih.gov/submithelp or 1-866-504-9552.
Frequently asked questions
Is my eRA Commons ID the same as my NIH login or Login.gov account?
No. Your eRA Commons username/Person ID identifies your account within the eRA system itself. NIH has separately moved toward Login.gov as an authentication layer for accessing federal systems including eRA Commons, but the Commons ID is still the underlying account identifier tied to your institution’s registration — check current era.nih.gov guidance if you’re setting up multi-factor authentication, since the login mechanics have been actively changing.
Can I look up someone’s eRA Commons ID without an AMM role?
Not through the official account search — that function is restricted to users with Account Management Module privileges, typically Signing Officials and Account Administrators. If you need a colleague’s ID and don’t have that access, ask your institution’s SO/AA to look it up, or ask the colleague directly.
What’s the difference between my eRA Commons username and my eRA Person ID?
The username is the login credential; the Person ID is a numeric identifier tied to the same account. Both display together in the Name and ID section of your Personal Profile. For most day-to-day purposes (submitting an application, being added as Senior/Key Personnel) you’ll be asked for the username-style Commons ID rather than the numeric Person ID, but it’s worth having both on hand.
I found two accounts under my name — which one should I use?
Don’t guess. Duplicate accounts can cause real problems (split submission history, mismatched role assignments), and only the eRA Service Desk can properly consolidate or deactivate one. Contact them before using either account for a new submission.
See also: eRA Commons ID (dictionary), eRA Commons Roles, How to Set Up an eRA Commons Account, and eRA Commons vs. Research.gov for how the NIH and NSF systems differ.
