DISCLAIMER: Rolling out MFA requirements among eRA users spanning hundreds of organizations is a massive undertaking. As the project unfolds, details shift. This guide reflects our best interpretation of eRA's latest plan as it happens. Things may change. If you are seeing different behaviors, please let us know at help@incommon.org.


About this Guide

This Readiness Guide helps IdP operators in the InCommon Federation understand how eRA’s September 2021 MFA requirement impacts their campus users. It also helps campuses prepare support options to assist users during the transition.

Jump ahead to the Readiness Assessment >>

What is happening?

Beginning on September 15, 2021, NIH’s Electronic Research Administration Portal will commence a rolling process to require users to sign in with multi-factor authentication. 

To enable eRA users at your campus to satisfy this requirement, an Identity Provider (IdP) must support the following requirements by September 15, 2021:

  1. Support REFEDS MFA Profile
  2. Release the required user attributes defined in the REFEDS Research and Scholarship Entity Category to the NIH Login service provider. NIH Login SP’s entity ID is https://federation.nih.gov/FederationGateway.
  3. Perform multifactor for users accessing NIH Login service provider (which handles federated login to the eRA Portal)

At the same time eRA enforces this MFA requirement, it will update the “Login with Federated Account” drop down on its login page to display all InCommon/eduGAIN identity providers. Today, only IdPs that have explicitly registered with eRA are listed. 

Use the Readiness Assessment Guide below to determine how this change affects you and your users and how to prepare your campus for this change:


Start the Readiness Assessment >>


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