5 Registrations for Your Business
The following registrations are required to apply for SBIR/STTR funding. Be sure to notice that some are dependent upon completing others first. Also, some take up to 6 weeks to obtain, so start early:
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
A unique 12-digit number that identifies your organization. It is required before an NIH award is issued. The UEI permits you to register for other registrations in this list (SAM, eRA Commons, and SBA Company registries), and is assigned through SAM along with SAM registration. The UEI replaced the use of the Dunn and Bradstreet Universal Numbering System (DUNS) in April 2022. SAM automatically issued a UEI to anyone who had already registered prior to that date.
System for Award Management (SAM)
Registers your business to do business with the government. Required to get a federal grant and must be renewed annually. This process can take 2 to 6 weeks.
Grants.gov
The official access point to search for and apply for federal grant funding. You need to register to use this portal to apply for funding but not to search for funding opportunities. Registration is free and requires a UEI number and SAM registration.
- Registering your organization/institution’s contact person (Authorized Organization Representative) can take from several days to 5 weeks and should be completed before submitting a grant application.
- Grants.gov Applicant Registration Allow 2 days for the registration to be completed.
eRA Commons
eRA Commons is electronic system for NIH electronic research administration for extramural research. It allows sharing of grant applications and grant information among applicants, grantees, reviewers, and NIH staff. Both the institution/organization and the individuals who are key personnel on a grant proposal must have accounts. The applicant organization should start registration at least 6 weeks before the grant submission. The Signing Official account is created when the organization is registered. The SO creates the individual accounts for the key personnel.
Login.gov account
You will need to establish your Login.gov account. The 2-factor log-in via log-in.gov was phased in starting September 2021 and will be required by all users instead of logging in via ERA.gov by early 2022. See more details.
4.a. NSF Account Registration: Information on the equivalent registrations for NSF funding.
SBA Company Registry
This registration yields an SBC Control ID number that gives access to the SBIR.gov system. UEI, EIN, and email are required to register. Proof of registration is required before submitting an application (in Other Project Information, Other Attachments). It usually takes only one business day.
Resource
Required Company Registrations – Describes the registrations to obtain before applying for funding with the NIH. Produced by the NIH’s resources SEED.gov
Sample Registration Illustrations:
UEI Screenshots (on SAM.gov)
SAM.gov Screenshots
Grants.gov Screenshots and Point of Contact Resource
Ebiz POC Authorizes Profile Roles – If you are a grant applicant, but are not your organization’s representative (Ebiz POC), you must be authorized by your POC. This webpage on Grants.gov explains the process.
ERA Commons
SBA Company Registry
(USDHHS, 2020)
References
USDHHS. Five Required Registrations. Originally in: SBIR/STTR Application Process Infographic. December 23, 2020. See: Register Your Company section on Before You Apply for more recent details.
Matching: Check Your Understanding of These Registrations and IDs
Drag the description of each registration to the corresponding registration. After matching all descriptions and registrations, click “Check” to view feedback.
