NIH GRANTS.GOV IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Following are links to information regarding the National Institutions of Health (NIH), including their implementation of Grants.gov.

• NIH & Adobe Forms
• NIH Planned Transition Dates of Mechanisms for Electronic Submission using SF424(RR) including transition to Adobe Forms (updated 5/12/08)
• NIH Application Guide
• NIH Electronic Submission of Grant Applications (including Electronic Application Process)
• (SF424RR)
• Checklist for submitting an NIH Grants.gov application
• NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal
• Information to be included in NIH electronic application packages (SF424)
• Some New NIH Terminology
• Parent Announcement Page

 

LINKS TO NIH INFORMATION

NIH eRA Commons

• NIH eRA Commons Homepage
• eRA Commons Demonstration Site
• NIH Commons FAQs
• Stanford Grants.gov NIH FAQ
• NIH Commons Help Desk
  • Email: commons@od.nih.gov  (include your Commons username, contact information, Grants.gov tracking number and your specific questions.)
  • Phone: 301-402-7469  866-504-9552 (Toll Free) 301-451-5939 (TTY)
  • Hours:  Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. EST
  • eRA Commons Online Help
• Grants.gov validation error- resource document    From the NIH ERA webpage, click on the "Updated SF424 (R&R) Validations" link in the right-hand column. This 82 page PDF file lists:
  1. all of the possible validation error messages that can come up on an NIH electronic application,
  2. the page/component on the application package that the error is most likely on, and
  3. what the problem might be.

  Check page 4 for a key to terms and color cues.
  

NIH Notices

• NIH/AHRQ Set Transition from PureEdge to Adobe Application Forms for December 2008 and Plan Subsequent Transition of Remaining Mechanisms to Electronic Submission (NOT-OD-08-073) National Institutes of Health Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• FY08 appropriation level at 1% increase over FY07
  This could result in a decrease in previously established commitments on grant awards that were based on a 3% escalation level. Please note that each Institute will use it's own discretion to allocate the adjustments to non-competing awards.
• Change in Standing Receipt Dates for NIH/AHRQ/NIOSH Beginning in January 2007
• NIH/AHRQ Now Using Version 2 of SF424 (R&R) and Agency-Specific Electronic Forms For SBIR/STTR, Conferences/Scientific Meetings, and Other Specific Funding Opportunities
• SF424(R&R) Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form Issue - Workaround for Adding More Than Eight Senior/Key Persons
• NIH/AHRQ to Update/Post FOAs with New SF424 (R&R) and PHS 398 Electronic Forms
• NIH/AHRQ Reminder to Use Updated SF424 (R&R) and Agency-Specific Electronic Forms in Reposted FOAs
• Reminder: All R18/U18, C06/UC6 and R25 Grant Applications Must Use the SF 424 (R&R) Application Form and Apply through Grants.gov for the October 1, 2006 Submission Date and Beyond
• NIH Adjusts Timeline for Electronic Application Submission to Provide Additional Time Before the R01 Transition

HOW TO COMPLETE AN NIH APPLICATION IN GRANTS.GOV - WHAT'S DIFFERENT?

To process an NIH grant application using Grants.gov, you follow the same steps as any other grant. However, there are a few additional steps to take, and some additional required fields that may not be apparent in your application. If you submit NIH grant applications, please familiarize yourself with the following:

1. The PI MUST register in the NIH Commons with a PI account affiliated with Stanford University.  Be sure to register at least two weeks before the submission deadline.
   Getting an NIH Commons Account at Stanford :

   • School of Medicine Users:  Contact your RPM
   • All Others: Contact Csilla Csaplar in OSR 498-6877

   NIH e-commons cannot recognize hyphenated names, the hyphen is considered a special character and the file will be rejected. We recommend running the names together:
   Example: If the PI's last name was "Smith-Doe", it should be entered "SmithDoe" (no hyphen, no space).

2. Use the forms in the downloaded application package. The package contains common use forms adapted by NIH using agency-specific instructions. You cannot use the sample forms from the NIH Forms and Applications site. Additionally, NIH has created agency-specific forms including a modular budget form unique to NIH. Follow the NIH guide associated with your solicitation
   • Read the NIH Notice linked above
   • The appropriate guide will be linked to each FOA
   • Check the sample forms package for NIH

3. Areas of Caution in the Senior/Key Person Profile form:
   • Credential, e.g. agency login
     The PI must enter their eCommons Login ID, which is necessary for upload to the NIH eCommons. The User ID must be affiliated with Stanford since the DUNS number for the User ID and the applicant organization must match (other Key Personnel may include their User ID but it is optional).
   • An "Organization" must be entered for each Senior/Key person
     The application will FAIL if it is missing. This will pre-populate from the SF-424 form for the PI; it must be entered for subsequent people.
   • A "Department" and "Division" should be entered for each Senior/Key person
     You will receive warnings if they are missing
4. Once a file is submitted through Grants.gov, it is held there until retrieved by the agency. In the case of NIH, the forms will be compiled to resemble a standard NIH application and uploaded to the NIH Commons. Resubmission of technically unsatisfactory applications must be resubmitted via Grants.gov by the program deadline. Technically unsatisfactory applications are those which generate ERRORS in the NIH eRA Commons. Although applications may also include WARNINGS, only ERRORS prevent applications from being checked by NIH to be accepted. Applications sent late must include a cover letter requesting acceptance of the late submission according to NIH late submission policies.
   If the PI doesn't like an image and needs to resubmit, they should wait until it gets assigned, then send the revised image to the study section. Do not reject and resubmit the proposal!
5. If an application is retrieved by NIH and deemed error-free, it is posted in the NIH eCommons. It can be accessed by logging into eCommons and clicking on “Status.” A list of possible categories is will be display on the left side. Click on “e-applications,” for a search table. Locate using the PI name. The “ANxxxxx” number on the left field of the table links to a page containing a PDF of the compiled application. The verification link is on the far right field of the same table. Both the PI and Institutional Rep (AOR) must view the e-application to check its readability and ensure that all information is there. If the file is acceptable, both independently must approve the application. Once both approvals are recorded, NIH assigns the application a standard assignment number (as usual) and refers it to an appropriate Review Group. View this graphic help tool for more information.
6. See also Checklist for submitting an NIH Grants.gov application.
   
   

COMMON NIH ERRORS AND HOW TO CORRECT

These are in no special order:

1. Applicant organization length exceeds 40 characters including spaces
2. Zip code length is over 9 characters – must be either 5 or 9 characters (no hyphens). Use “94305” (School of Medicine use "(94305-5401")
3. Person-months for PI and Key Personnel are less than 1.0 (must be 1-12). Roundup any fraction less than 1 to 1.0 and explain in the budget justification what the actual effort in person-months will be. Other personnel may have person-months less than 1.0.
4. DUNS number does not match PI User ID DUNS (Stanford DUNS is 009214214)
5. Budget totals on cover page do not match totals from the budget pages. Check budget information and correct cover sheet information to match.
6. PDF files contain editable fields and/or are password protected. Unprotect file and “print” using PDF writer or consult directions in NIH instructions.
7. Defined page length for section is exceeded. Text length may be restricted in the guidelines for the program. Be sure not to include other sections of text that may be uploaded elsewhere. DO NOT include references with the text – these are uploaded in another field.
8. NIH-required information is missing, e.g., PI department and division (must contain standard “Face Page” information). Correct by adding in the missing information even if these fields were not “mandatory” in Grants.gov. 
9. State or Country codes are incorrect – they must be obtained from the dropdown box, not typed in manually.
10. NIH-maintained list of Commons Problems and Solutions

 

eRA SERVICE ADVISORY

Date: May 22, 2007
Issue: eRA Software Release on May 18
Affected Applications: eRA Commons
Questions: Contact the eRA Commons Helpdesk

Web is the preferred method of contact
Toll-free: 1-866-504-9552
Phone: 301-402-7469
TTY: 301-451-5939
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)

What changed?

The new eRA Commons software includes a number of defect fixes, including:

• eSNAP software fixes
  • PI Assurance Report fixed so that corrections to invalid date or month entries are retained in the Search Criteria block
  • eSNAP label titled “SNAP and Other Progress Reports Questions & Checklists” is now shown correctly when eSNAP is launched through Status
  • eSNAP report now properly displays the justification to the question “Is it anticipated that an estimated unobligated balance (including prior year carryover) will be greater than 25% of the current year's total Budget?”
  • On the eSNAP’s SNAP and Other Progress Report Questions & Checklists screen, the text “If yes, please explain in the Progress Report.” was added to the question “Change in Multi PI Leadership Plan?”
• For electronic application submissions that result in warnings only, Commons Status now appropriately shows identified warnings at the top of the Status screen
• Commons Status Reference Letter section is now visible to Signing Officials (SOs) in addition to Principal Investigators (PIs)
• PDF version of Notice of grant Award has been added to “Other Relevant Documents” in Status detail in the Commons PI view
• SOs for non-NIH applications serviced through Commons can now Reject applications (i.e. NIH Rejection process extended to non-NIH applications serviced through Commons)