Transcript Administrivia

eGrants
Electronic Grants
Submission:
 Grants.gov
 eRA Commons
Tom Hilton
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Register YOURSELF to Submit
Applications

You must personally register to create a
Grants.gov account and receive approval
from your organization to submit
applications.

This provides you with the ability to track
your application status.
Register YOUR BUSINESS to Submit
Applications
If you ARE a small business you must:
–
–
MostorResearch
Organizations
Obtain
supply a valid
DUNS Number
(Academia & Institutes)
Register with Central Contractor Registry
Will
already
registered.
(CCR)
(Employer
ID #be
form
IRS)
–
Authorize your Organization's
Representatives so they can register
–
Set up an account to login as an E-Business
Point of Contact (POC)
To Apply for Grants
1.
Peruse Funding Opportunity Announcements
(FOAs) on Grants.gov or NIH’s Program
Announcements/Requests for Applications.
2.
Check to see if it is available to apply online
through Grants.gov.
3.
Enter the Funding Opportunity Announcement
and/or CFDA number to access the application
package and instructions.
4.
Download and install the PureEdge Viewer to read
the application materials and complete the form.
Electronic SF424 (R&R) Application
Process Get Ready….
Registration
PI registers through
AOR/SO in Commons
Prepare to
Apply
Select approach
Find
Opportunity
and
download
application
package
Prepare
application
AOR registers with
Grants.gov, Commons
Download PureEdge
Viewer from Grants.gov
Download application
package from
Grants.gov or NIH
Guide for Grants and
Contracts
Forms-based
submission
Org. system-to-system
Service Provider
Electronic SF424 (R&R) Application
Process Get Set….
Submit
application
to
Grants.gov
(AOR submits)
Grants.gov performs
basic checks
If processed successfully; no
errors and no warnings
eRA Commons checks
application against
guidelines
Application grant image
generated and ready for
verification
…GO!
Verify
Check
submission
status in
Commons
If errors found, AOR
must correct application
and submit to
Grants.gov
PI & AOR/SO
verify
application
Submission
Complete
Organization Administrivia

All Organizations need to be registered in Grants.gov and the
NIH Commons well in advance of the submission date.

Applicant Organizations need to obtain a DUNS number and
register with the Central Contract Registration before they can
register with Grants.gov.

The applicant organization must include its DUNS number in its
Organization Profile in the eRA Commons. DUNS number
must match the one provided at CCR registration with
Grants.gov.

Profile requires a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) or
Employer Identification Number (EIN), and IRS must verify
them first --- So, allow for extra time to complete registration
with Grants.gov.
PI Administrivia

Principal Investigators do NOT need to register in Grants.gov but
MUST be registered in the NIH eRA Commons prior to electronic
submission of an application.

NIH requires the Principal Investigator to fill in his or her
Commons User ID in the PD/PI section Credential log-in field on
the Senior/Key Person Profile Component.

Applicants who resubmit an application must include a NEW
cover letter or extend the existing one because the information
from the previous application is not retained and each
submission has to be complete in itself.

NIH strongly encourages applicants not to use double columns
to present their research plans. Since reviewers will be reviewing
the electronic document, not a paper version, the two column
format may pose difficulties.
FinancialAdministrivia

CCR validates the TIN/EIN against Internal Revenue
Service records, a step that will take one to two
business days.

For calendar month efforts that are less than 1 when
the budget period calls for a listing of 1 to 12 months,
round the number to 1 and leave the budget
unchanged. Explain the actual effort/person months
in the budget justification.

In Research & Related Budget - Section A & B - for
Senior Key Person, be sure to enter PD/PI.
Multiple Systems Working
Together

Grants.gov – the Federal government’s single online portal to find and apply for Federal grant
funding.
–

Used by all 26 Federal grant-making agencies.
eRA Commons – the NIH electronic Research
Administration system that allows
applicants/grantees to electronically receive and
transmit application and award information.
–
Used by NIH and other HHS components.
Important!
Each system has its own registration
requirements and validation process.
Registration Requirements – Grants.gov

Applicant organizations must complete one-time only
registration

Principal Investigators do not need to register with
Grants.gov

Detailed instructions at: http://grants.gov/GetStarted

Registration not required to find funding opportunity or
download application package, only to submit
completed application
It is critical for institutions to begin this registration process
at least 2-4 weeks before applications are due!
Registration Reqts – eRA Commons


Principal Investigators (PIs) must work through their
institutions to register.
–
The PI must hold a PI account and be affiliated with the
applicant organization.
–
PIs currently registered only for Internet Assisted Review
(IAR) must work through their institutions for full eRA
Commons registration.
PI and Signing Official (SO) need separate
accounts because BOTH need to verify the
application.
Submission Methods
Applicant organization can submit applications to
NIH through Grants.gov in one of two ways:
1.
Direct submission - using PureEdge Viewer
2.
System-to-system – using (XML) data stream to
communicate with Grants.gov


Can be created by institution OR
Institution can establish an agreement with a commercial
Service Provider http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/sp.htm
Software Requirements

PureEdge viewer downloaded (free) from Grants.gov
site at http://www.grants.gov/DownloadViewer

PDF generation software
–

Grants.gov lists some available tools and software
http://www.grants.gov/assets/PDFConversion.pdf.
MAC users will need to use PC emulation software or
download free CITRIX client application to take
advantage of the CITRIX service offered by
Grants.gov in partnership with NIH.
http://www.grants.gov/MacSupport
Using standard forms to apply through
Grants.gov is a very different model

Download the application package for the specific
funding opportunity announcement from within
Grants.gov .

This specific application package MUST be used to
apply for the accompanying solicitation.
–
Some fields of application are pre-filled from announcement
Funding Opportunity Announcements
Funding opportunities will continue to be posted in the NIH
Guide and Contracts (http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/)
– Button added to the NIH Guide announcements
allowing applicants to access the Grants.gov
application package directly from the NIH Guide
–
NIH will continue to use RFAs and PAs, but will be
referred to as funding opportunity announcements
(FOA) in Grants.gov
For NIH FOAs, you must search Grants.gov by
opportunity number rather than CFDA number
NIH Forms and Applications Page
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/forms.htm
`
SF424 (R&R) Application
and Electronic Submission Information
http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/
Applying at Grants.gov (1)
Step 1: Search for and identify a grant opportunity in the
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts or on
Grants.gov.
Step 2: Download the grant application package.
Step 3: Complete the application.
Step 4: The Authorized Organizational Representative
(AOR) submits the application to Grants.gov
either directly or through a Service Provider. All
required registrations must be completed
prior to submission.
Applying at Grants.gov (2)
Step 5: Grants.gov validates and virus checks submitted
application.
Step 6: Track the status of the submitted application
package at Grants.gov until you are notified via
email that NIH has received it.
Step 7: eRA software performs NIH business rule
validation on submitted application.
Step 8: NIH notifies Principal Investigator (PI) and
Signing Official (SO) by email to check the eRA
Commons for results of NIH validations check.
Applying at Grants.gov (3)
Step 9: The PI and SO find out if the grant application
passed or failed the rule check, and:
– If
it passed, PI and SO must verify the application in
eRA Commons to complete the application submission
process.
– If
it failed, all errors must be corrected and the entire
corrected application must be submitted to Grants.gov.
Step 10: After verification, the eRA Commons saves the
data and grant image, and NIH begins
processing the application.
Step 11: Applicants can track the progress of their
application in eRA Commons.
Expected Turnaround Times

Registration – can take several weeks to complete; start 2-4
weeks in advance of submission date

Grants.gov response to application submission - up to 2
business days

eRA Commons response to application submission - up to 2
business days

Principal Investigator (PI) and Authorized Organization
Representative (AOR)/Signing Official (SO) Verification of
application - within 2 business days of availability in eRA
Commons
NIH’s eTransition Strategy

NIH will transition by individual research
program/funding mechanism

ALL applications in response to these announcements
for transitioned mechanisms will require electronic
submission through Grants.gov on the SF424 family of
forms

Mechanisms not yet transitioned will continue to
require paper PHS 398 submission (If you download
the package, it will provide the appropriate form).