To combine flattened PDF's (e.g., when you have to compile multiple flattened Other Supports), you must have an Adobe PDF reader.

Once the document has been flattened, this bar will disappear, but the signature or digital ID should remain. The unflattened, signed/certified Other Support will have a 'blue bar that says Signature Panel on the right-hand side' that states that there are signatures (if signed via Adobe Pro/Adobe Acrobat Reader) or that the document has been certifiedby Adobe Sign (see screenshots below). (For NIH Other Support signed using the Stanford guidance) How do I know if my document has been flattened? Stanford University and the Investigator must retain sufficient supporrting documentation to reasonably authenticate that the appropriate individual signed the form. However, the original, unflattened Other Support documents must be retained and kept internally in the event that it is requested by NIH. Since each electronically signed Other Support needs to be flattened first before compiling as a single PDF document, this is a crucial step. The process of signing the Other Support electronically creates a certification 'layer' that first must be flattened before it can be uploaded to eRA Commons/ASSIST and/or before it is combined with other PDF's before submission to NIH. And for JIT's and RPPR's which usually involve a single attachment for multiple Investigators: only a single, flattened PDF that combines all signed Other Supports is required. While NIH requires that Investigators eletronically sign their Other Support, NIH's systems (eRA Commons/ASSIST) will only accept a flattened PDF as an attachment.

Adobe acrobat pro dc flatten pdf