SAMHSA PD Account Creation

A simple step by step guide

1. Go to eRA COMMONS: public.era.nih.gov/commons. 

2. Enter Username and Password. Click Login.

3. Choose Admin -> Accounts -> Account Management link. 

a. Note: This will open the Account Management System (AMS) in a separate window or tab.

4. Search for the PD

a. First, ensure the User Type is set to Commons.

b. Enter search criteria such as first and last name.

i. You may use % wild cards if you are uncertain of a field. For Example, Chris% will 

return results for both “Chris” and “Christopher”.

c. When you have entered your criteria, click Search.
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5. Review the search results to determine if any of the results are applicable to the PD account you are 

creating.

a. You can click the hyperlinked Name of each account or profile to view a list of applications 

and review committees associated with name in order to narrow down the results.

b. For records that have accounts, not just a profile, you may also click the Manage button to 

access additional information.

6. If you select Manage for an active account, you will be able to review additional information as shown 

below:

a. You can also confirm with the PD if the information listed is correct in order to more 

accurately identify the right PD account.
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b. Active accounts will also list the affiliated organization(s). 

7. Profiles, which can be accessed by clicking the hyperlinked name after searching for accounts, will display 

the projects and review committees associated with the profile.
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8. Once you have reviewed the PD profiles and accounts, evaluate the next steps. The steps above 

represent Scenario 1:

Scenario 2: Affiliating an existing account with your organization 

1. Click Manage for the correct PD account.

2. Click Affiliate under the Roles section.
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3. Your organization will be populated automatically. Select PI – Principal Investigator from the Role(s) 

drop-down menu and then click Add Role(s).

4. You will be returned to the Roles page, where you will need to click Save.

a. If you have added an incorrect role, you may remove it with the Remove action.

Scenario 3: Converting a profile to an account 

1. After identifying the correct profile, click Create.
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2. Input the required information (User ID, email address, and email address confirmation) and then click 

Add Roles.

3. Select the PI – Principal Investigator role from the Role(s) list and then click Add Role(s).
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4. Click Create to create the account. If you added a role by mistake, you may remove it by clicking the 

Remove button.

5. The PD must access their email to verify the account information is correct. If an email needs to be resent, the SO can resend it using the Resend Email button.

a. Note: After the PD verifies their email address, NIH will perform a final review before the 

account status changes from Pending to Active.

Scenario 4: Creating and affiliating a new account 

1. If no account or profile is correct, click Create New Account.
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2. Input the required information (User ID, email address, and email address confirmation) and then click 

Add Roles.

3. Select the PI – Principal Investigator role from the Role(s) list and then click Add Role(s).
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4. Click Create to create the account. If you added a role by mistake, you may remove it by clicking the 

Remove button.

5. The PD must access their email to verify the account information is correct. If an email needs to be resent, the SO can resend it using the Resend Email button.

a. Note: After the PD verifies their email address, NIH will perform a final review before the 

account status changes from Pending to Active.