The Full Form of ORCID is‍ Open Researcher and Contributor ID.

The ORCID is a nonproprietary alphanumeric code to uniquely identify scientific and other academic authors and contributors.

ORCID provides a universal, non-proprietary solution by linking your publications/research activities to you.

Your name is key to establishing a unique public profile throughout your research and academic career for publications and research activities. But if your name is a common name or if you have changed your name, or if you are affiliated with several organizations over your career, there may be multiple name variants associated with your publications and research activities.

ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes authors from other authors and through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between authors and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognized.

ORCID is linked among other identifier systems such as the Scopus Author ID, ResearcherID and LinkedIn; publishers such as Nature and APS; and funding agencies such as NIH and the Wellcome Trust. This means that ORCID is not limited to a specific platform and is a non-proprietary means of establishing your author name.