# Presentation: 341629

## NIEHS Presents: the NIH eRA Commons 101 WorkshopThursday,  July 10, 2003 

- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

## Commons 101: Agenda

**Introductions **
**What is CGAP?  What is Grants.gov?  What’s the difference? **
**What is NIH eRA Commons?**
**Current Status of NIH eRA Commons – Overview of Modules**
**How to Register for NIH eRA Commons **
**Introduction to the Commons Demo Site **
**Overview of current applications **
**IPF – Institutional Profile Maintenance **
**PPF – Personal Profile Maintenance **
**Status – Information on Grants and Applications **
**eSNAP – Electronic Progress Report Submission **
**FSR – Financial Status Reporting **
**Wrap-up and Q&A**
**Preview of Next Release and other “coming attractions”**

*Introductions:*Tim TwomeyChief, eRA User Support BranchScarlett GibbChief, eRA Communications and Outreach BranchMark Siegert, Cathy Walker, Tracy SotoeRA System AnalystsPaul JordanNIEHS Information Technology Specialist

## Competing Grant Application Process

- CGAP: NIH’s implementation of the electronic 398 and other NIH applications
- -Not specifically a part of NIH eRA Commons
- Grants.gov:  Government wide storefront for all grant applications

## Receive electronic grant applications (R01) as an XML stream (XML files and PDF files)
Process e-applications through Receipt and Referral at NIH without printing
Define requirements for downstream processing of e-applications (Review, Program, Grants Management, etc.)

- CGAP Objectives 2003

- Receive electronic grant applications (R01) as an XML stream (XML files and PDF files)
- Process e-applications through Receipt and Referral at NIH without printing
- Define requirements for downstream processing of e-applications (Review, Program, Grants Management, etc.)

## How:  eRA Exchange

**Computer to computer** information exchange; no front-end
- In-coming applications and requests
- Out-going messages and status updates
- XML as the technology for structured data
- PDF for text and graphics

## Current: Multi-Source Receipts

## Single-Source Receipt for NIH

## Target Time Table  (current)

- Phase 1:   Now to end of January 2003
- Standard XML documentation, technology and application receipt flow
*Inception, tech architecture and analysis*
- Phase 2:   February - June 2003
- Application receipt and validation
*Build and test the receipt of XML stream*
- Phase 3:   July - August 2003
- Business to Government flow and interchange infrastructure
*Complete Design and build Business to Gov exchange*
*Pilot*
- Phase 4:   August – November 2003
- Integration with bi-directional communications on IPF, PPF, FSR and potentially other requests
*Build out the integrated system for e-Applications : Test and Gradual introduction*

## Coordination with Grants.gov

- E-Grants hired development contractor (Northrop Grumman, AT&T, Ekagra)
- Monthly coordination meetings Grants.gov – NIHD    (Dr. McGowan, Jim Cain, Charlie Havekost, Deputies)
- eRA staff participates in the Grants.gov team

##  CGAP Info on eRA Website

## NIH Electronic Research Administration (eRA)

- What is eRA?
- electronic Research Administration (eRA) is NIH's infrastructure for conducting interactive electronic transactions for the
- Receipt,
- Review,
- Award,
- Monitoring, and
- Administration of NIH grant awards to biomedical investigators worldwide.

##  NIH IT Project Management

## Commons Working Group (CWG)

- eRA feedback from the extramural community
- Definition of user requirements
- Definition of future priorities
- Assistance with testing and deployment
- Contact George Stone or David Wright at NIH
- Representatives from 18 institutions
- Diverse skills
- 14 Research Administrators
-  6 IT Technologists
-  4 Active Research Faculty
- Diverse institutional representation
- Check eRA Website for listing

**Notes:**
The Commons Working Group was established as a subgroup of the PROG (Peer Review Oversight Group) to provide input to the eRA project on behalf of the extramural grantee community.  The CWG includes members with both grants administration and technical expertise, as well as faculty participation.  Diverse institutional representation allows for cross-fertilization of information and solicitation of the broad NIH Commons user community.

## NIH eRA Objective: Full Electronic Grants Administration

**Applicant/Grantee Interface – NIH Commons**

**NIH Grants Database Interface – IMPAC II**

**NIH Institutes and Centers**

- NIH eRA Objective: Full Electronic Grants Administration

** **1.6 million transactions daily

## Mail room 1

## eRA Concept of Operations  1998

**Extramural**
**Research**
**Community**

**NIH**
** ****IC Staff**

- eRA Concept of Operations**  1998**

## eRA Concept of Operations 2002 

**Extramural**
**Research**
**Community**

**NIH**
** ****IC Staff**

- eRA Concept of Operations** **2002** **

## eRA Concept of Operations 2003  

**Extramural**
**Research**
**Community**

**NIH**
** ****IC Staff**

- eRA Concept of Operations 2003**  **

## Web Configuration

- External
- App Server 2
*Corvus 4 CPU*

**eRA Commons Production 2002**

- External Apps 8i
- Infrastructure

- User

- User

- User

- User

## Current Web Configuration

- Load
- Balancer
- SSL ACC

- External Apps 9iAS
- Infrastructure
***NEW**** 2 CPU*

- External
- App Server 1
***NEW**** 2 CPU*

- External
- App Server 2
*Corvus 4 CPU*

- Failover

- User

- User

- User

- User

**eRA Commons Production 2003**

## NIH Electronic Grants Administration Components

** **Unrestricted Interfaces
-   NIH and OER Web Sites -  _http://www.nih.gov/grants_
-   CRISP on the Web – Awards Database – _http://crisp.cit.nih.gov_
-   Restricted Interfaces – _http://commons.era.nih.gov_
-   Commons Registration – Initial set-up for organizations
-   Accounts Administration – User account maintenance
-   Application/Award Status – Monitor grant applications & awards
-   Institutional & Professional Profiles (IPF & PPF)– Maintain repetitive
- 	information about institutions and investigators
-   Competitive Application(CGAP)– Competing Grant Application
-   Trainee Appointments (X-Train) – Trainee Appointment maintenance
-   Submission of non-competing progress reports (e-SNAP)
-   Financial Status Report (FSR)
-   Internet Assisted Review (IAR)
-   Interagency Edison (iEdison) – Invention Reporting

## Current Status of NIH eRA Commons

- Registration/User Information
- Over 54,000 total log-ins
- Over 400 organizations
- Over 3,600 user accounts
- Over 1,600 PIs

- *Note: All data as of 7/5/2003

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## Slide 24

**Notes:**
Though plans for CY2003 may be seen currently as a bit premature, the plans call for:

The CWG’s recommendations for reengineering of the competing grant applications will be incorporated into the design, development and (hopefully) pilot deployment of the first version of the electronic competing grant application.  The first version of the software will allow institutions to submit applications using a computer-to-computer transmission, rather than web-based (human-to-computer) transmission (similar to FastLane).

Deployment of an enhance version of X-Train.  The enhancements will be based on input received from the user community.

Work has already begun on a future release of the Commons that will allow for Commons users to have customized profiles.  This feature will allow for institutions to provide each Commons user with unique combinations of permissions to support creation, approval, and submission of electronic applications.

## Uncommon Commons Modules

- CRISP – NIH Awards Database
- Records include all awards 1972 - 2003
- 32,000+ CRISP queries per week
- Interagency Edison – Invention Reporting
- 450 grantee/contractor organizations
- Reporting for 18 Federal Agencies using common site
- New interface released 6/28/2003

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**IPF (Institutional Profile)**
- Organizations maintain their own information
- Address, DUNS, Org Hierarchy
- Assurances
- Other Contact Info (NGA, Notifications, etc.)
- Currently in full production
**PPF (Personal Profile)**
- People maintain their own information
- Single Point of Ownership
- Multiple Address Information
- Degree Information
- Publication Information
- Currently in full production

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**Status – Full Production Now**
- Access level dependent upon roles
- Priority Scores/Percentile information *
- Link to on-line documents
- Abstract
- NGA
- FSR
- Summary Statement *
- eApplication **
- NIH contact information
- Link to Study Section information
- Availability of pre-populated forms for renewals
- More to come
- *PI Only                    ** PI and SO only

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**FSR (Financial Status Report)**
- Replaces mainframe TSO system
- Search for grants based upon due date
- Submit new/revised FSR
- View FSR status (due, late, received etc.)
- Submitted FSRs appear in “Status”
- Integrates with NIH accounting system
- Over 9,000 FSRs processed (2,000 in June)
- Over 4,500 from external users
- Over 180 grantee organizations participating
- Currently in full production

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**IAR (Internet Assisted Review)**
- Reviewers may
- Electronically submit critiques and preliminary scores prior to the meeting
- Review the critiques submitted by others on-line
- Modify their critiques after the meeting
- SRAs may
- Manage meetings and Reviewer’s IAR access via Control Center
- Designate applications as lower half (triage)
- Download preliminary summary statements generated from submitted critiques
- In Pilot by 16 SRAs, 45 Review Meetings
- 487 IAR accounts created
- 3,900 critiques uploaded
- Full production 8/1/2003

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**eSNAP (Streamlined Progress Reports)**
- Improved interface and workflow
- Additional 15 days allowed for submission
- Delegated submission to PI possible
- 234 eSNAPs submitted (140 Awarded)
- 21 grantee organizations participating
- (currently limited to CWG members and a few others)
- Completed system due 8/1/200
- Expanded deployment through Fall 2003
- Full deployment Winter 2003

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Modules

**xTrain (Trainee Appointments)**
- Submission of new and re-appointment 2271s
- Very limited production
- 23 grantee organizations participating
- Approximately 300 submissions
- Using Commons 1 technology today
- New improved System due Fall/Winter 2003
- J2EE technology (like the rest of Commons)
- Terminations
- Personal Profile Interface

**Notes:**
Status of the NIH Commons and Commons-related interfaces.  

Interagency Edison has been in production now since 1995.  Within the last year 5 additional agencies have joined this interagency effort whereby grantee and contractors can access the single iEdison site to report on inventions supported by any of the 16 agencies.

CRISP has undergone recent enhancements.  Through a single interface the details for any NIH award made from 1972 to current can be obtained.  The most recent change in the interface allows for expanded search capabilities including fuzzy matches, stemmed words, and boolian logic.

The current version of the NIH Commons was deployed in production in 1996.  In 1998 institutions were able to register as part of a limited deployment pilot.  The pilot was expanded to include the FDP schools in 1999, and an additional 100 schools by early 2000.  Currently 185 grantee organizations have created accounts for 4,810 users.  Further registration on this version of the Commons has now been put on hold, pending the deployment of the new Commons version in June 2002.

Registration and a Commons account will currently allow the user to maintain their professional profile and check the status of pending grant applications, including receipt of summary statement and priority score.

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Highlights Calendar Year 2002
- Deployed new NIH Commons platform, architecture and Base Systems (Oct ’02)
- Deployed new NIH Commons interface
- Deployed eSNAP pilot (Nov ’02)
-  Implemented Changes in SNAP Business Process
- Deployed Internet Assisted Review (IAR) Pilot  (Dec ’02)
- Deployed Financial Status Report (FSR) (Pilot Nov ’02; Production Jan ’03)

**Notes:**
Plans are currently on track for the deployment of the new Commons database platform and architecture, as well as new version of the Commons user interface in June 2002.  The deployment will allow for all institutions to register for the Commons.  In fact, once the deployment is underway all institutions will be expected to register whether they plan to submit electronic applications or continue to submit applications in hard copy.  The registration of all institutions will important for efforts to improve data quality in the NIH enterprise database, IMPAC II.  Registration will ensure that the information that is submitted on the hard copy application will be the same as the information present in IMPAC II. This reconciliation will allow NIH to use a single profile for each institution, thereby removing any doubt or question as to the true identity of any institution.  

Institutional staff should be encouraged to review the NIH Guide weekly, since further information about the Commons registration will be posted as June approaches.

Having made recommendations for the reengineering of the SNAP progress reporting process in CY2001, in CY2002 we expect to be deploying the e-SNAP interface, including all the recommendation made by the CWG. We will also be implementing a Financial Status Report (FSR) function to support the electronic submission of grants financial status reports (Standard Form 269).

In 2002 the CWG’s attention will be providing the NIH with recommendations for the reengineering of the competitive grant application.

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Calendar Year 2003 Plans
- Improved Performance (Winter/Spring)
- Enhanced Architecture (Spring)
- Demo Facility (Spring)
- Full deployment IAR (Summer)
- Deploy X-Train V 2.0 (Fall)
- eNotification (Fall)
- CGAP Pilot (Fall)
- Full deployment eSNAP (Fall/Winter)

**Notes:**
Though plans for CY2003 may be seen currently as a bit premature, the plans call for:

The CWG’s recommendations for reengineering of the competing grant applications will be incorporated into the design, development and (hopefully) pilot deployment of the first version of the electronic competing grant application.  The first version of the software will allow institutions to submit applications using a computer-to-computer transmission, rather than web-based (human-to-computer) transmission (similar to FastLane).

Deployment of an enhance version of X-Train.  The enhancements will be based on input received from the user community.

Work has already begun on a future release of the Commons that will allow for Commons users to have customized profiles.  This feature will allow for institutions to provide each Commons user with unique combinations of permissions to support creation, approval, and submission of electronic applications.

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Version 2.0.0.0 - 10/11/2002
- Version 2.1.0.0 - 11/01/2002
- Version 2.2.0.0 - 12/06/2002
- Version 2.2.1.0 - 01/10/2003
- Version 2.2.2.0 - 03/24/2003
- Version 2.2.3.0 – 08/01/2003
- Version 2.3.0.0 – 11/01/2003
- Version 2.3.1.0 – Spring 2004

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Version 2.2.2.0 - 03/24/2003
- Enhanced Demo/Training Facility
- Improved Account Administration
- More UI enhancements for eSNAP
- Expanded IAR pilot
- Performance Improvements

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Version 2.2.3.0 - 08/1/2003
- Human Subjects Reporting in eSNAP
- Enhanced Personal Profile Information
- eNotification for T5 progress reports
- IAR full deployment
- Other fixes/enhancements

## eRA Commons Deployment Schedule

- Version 2.3.0.0 - 11/01/2003
- “New” xTrain 2.0
- Expanded eSNAP deployment
- “No Cost Extensions”
- Improved Query and Reporting
- Just-in-Time submission
- Other cool stuff

## Commons Demo

## Coming Attractions

- Pop Tracking in eSnap
- Status Search Screen
- Status Hit List
- -No Cost Extensions
- -Just-in-Time
- -Close out information

## Training-Support-Outreach

- On-line/content sensitive help
- User Guides (pdf)
- “Cheat Sheets”
- FAQs and other resources
- Enhanced Demo/Training Site
- Computer Based Training

## Training-Support-Outreach

-   National/Regional Meetings 2003
- March - Commons Workshop	Houston, TX
- April - NIH Regional Seminar	Palo Alto, CA*
- April – SRA Southern Section 	Memphis, TN
- April - NCURA Region 4	Cincinnati, OH
- April - SRA Northeast Section	Providence, RI
- February - FRA IV		New Orleans, LA
- June - NIH Regional Seminar	Baltimore, MD*
- July - NIEHS Commons 101	RTP, NC
- October - SRA International	Pittsburgh, PA*
- November - NCURA National	Washington, DC
- Others - TBA
-   						(* hands on labs)

## Training-Support-Outreach

**NIH eRA Helpdesk**(866) 504-9552 (Voice -Toll Free)(301) 402-7469 (Voice - Local)(301) 451-5675 (Fax)(301) 451-5939 (TTY)
- EMAIL
-   Commons application problems
- 			_[commons@od.nih.gov](mailto:commons@od.nih.gov)_
-   All Other questions
- 			_[askera@od.nih.gov](mailto:askera@od.nih.gov)_

## Training-Support-Outreach

**Web Sites:**
- Commons Home Page _[http://commons.era.nih.gov](http://commons.nih.gov/)__ _
- eRA Home Page
- 	_[http://era.nih.gov](http://era.nih.gov/)_
- Commons Support Page
- 	_[http://era.nih.gov/commons/](http://era.nih.gov/commons/)_
*Revamp of websites is underway...*
**	**

## Training-Support-Outreach

**Other important Web Sites:**
- Grants.gov Program Management Office
-   _[http://www.grants.gov](http://www.grants.gov/)_
- Inter-Agency Electronic Grants Committee
-   _[http://www.iaegc.gov](http://www.iaegc.gov/)_
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
-   http://www.cfda.gov
**	**