Dear Colleagues, 

As part of Michigan State University’s efforts to streamline research administration and prepare for upcoming federal changes, I am writing to strongly encourage all faculty to connect their ORCID unique identifier to their NetID at MSU through the MSU ORCID Connect site. 

The ORCID iD serves as a permanent digital nametag for a scholar throughout their career. By linking your MSU NetID with your ORCID iD, we can ensure that your research, publications, and professional activities remain connected to you across disparate platforms. This disambiguation is vital in the global research landscape, ensuring your work is properly attributed. Furthermore, this linkage allows MSU to streamline internal processes regarding research tracking, reporting, and compliance. 

Federal Requirements  

Taking this step is also critical for federal grant preparedness. The NSF, DOE, NIH and USDA, require the use of SciENcv (Science Experts Network Curriculum Vitae) to prepare Biosketches and Current & Pending (Other) Support forms. Many agencies require researchers to link their ORCID iD in SciENcv to populate the Persistent Identifier field on the “Common Forms”.

Establishing this connection now is a proactive step to avoid delays during future grant submissions. Additionally, the Office of Research and Innovation plans to require linked ORCID iDs for all internal funding programs, making this connection critical for all potential internal applicants.

Faculty Incentive  

To support this initiative, we will hold a drawing among all faculty who register via MSU ORCID Connect. In March 2026, one registrant will be selected to receive $500 in discretionary funds to facilitate their scholarly work.  

Please visit orcid.msu.edu to complete this brief process. 

Thank you for your attention to such evolving requirements and for your continued contributions to MSU’s research enterprise. 

Sincerely, 

Doug