# Presentation: 075435

## NIH

**NIH**
** ****eRA Commons/Electronic Submission for the Administrators and Investigators**

- 8th Annual NIH SBIR/STTR Conference Cleveland, OH - July, 2006

## Electronic Submission

**Prepare to Apply**

**Find Opportunity and download application package**

**Submit application to Grants.gov ****(AOR submits)**

**Prepare application**

**Check submission status in Commons**

**Check Assembled Application**

**Submission Complete**

**Transitioning to electronic submission**

**Finding help**

**THE PROCESS**

## Multiple Systems Working Together

- Grants.gov – the Federal government’s single on-line 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.

-          Each system has its own registration requirements and validation process.

**Important!**

## Choose Submission Method

- _Applicant Organization_
- Applicant Organization Rep./
- Signing Official

- Forms-based submission using PureEdge software

- System-to-system using XML data stream

- Service Provider

- Establish agreement with commercial service provider to submit applications on behalf of the organization

- The applicant organization’s business office will need to decide how their organization will submit grants electronically to Grants.gov.

## NIH will continue to use RFAs and PAs, but all solicitations will be referred to as funding opportunity announcements (FOA) in Grants.gov

FOAs will continue to be posted in the NIH Guide for Grants 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 

FOAs will simultaneously be posted to Grants.gov along with the appropriate application package 
All grant applications must be submitted in response to an FOA.  “Investigator Initiated” applications will now be submitted, via grants.gov, to parent announcements that are mechanism (e.g. R01, R21, R44, etc.) specific.

- FOAs will continue to be posted in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (_[http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/guide/](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
- FOAs will simultaneously be posted to Grants.gov along with the appropriate application package
- All **grant applications must be submitted in response to an FOA**.  “Investigator Initiated” applications will now be submitted, via grants.gov, to parent announcements that are mechanism (e.g. R01, R21, R44, etc.) specific.

- Funding Opportunity Announcements

**Notes:**
Funding Opportunity Announcements will be posted in Grants.gov “Apply”, generally 2 months before the submission date.
Release Date – the date an application is posted. Posting announcement allows downloading of application package and the ability to start working on the application.
Opening Date - the first date the completed application can be submitted to Grants.gov.

## Searching the NIH Guide

**Button added to the NIH Guide announcements allows applicants to access the Grants.gov application package directly from the NIH Guide.**

## Searching the NIH Guide

**Download FOA instructions and applications package from Grants.gov **

## 
The Grants.gov portion of our presentation

- The Grants.gov portion of our presentation

## Find, Apply & Succeed!

*Find, Apply & Succeed!*

*Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services**Fulfilling the President’s Management Agenda*

## Agenda

- What is Grants.gov?
- What can we do at Grants.gov?
- How can we find grant opportunities?
- How can we apply for these opportunities?
- How do we get registered?
- What’s next?

## The Grants.gov Program...

- Is a cross-agency initiative spanning 1000 grant programs from the 26 grant-making agencies, and over $400 billion in annual awards
- Is a simple, unified “storefront” for all customers of Federal grants to electronically
- Find Grant Opportunities
- Apply for Grants
- Is one of 24 Federal cross-agency E-Government initiatives designed to improve access to services via the Internet
- Part of Public Law 106-107, which sets to streamline grants and grants management within the federal government
- Is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services, the largest provider of Federal grants

## The single website for...

- 26 Federal grant-making agencies
- Over 1million potential applicants and grantees
- State, Local, and Tribal governments
- Education and Research organizations
- Non-profit and For-profit organizations
- Public Housing Authorities
- essential and forward-looking Federal program objectives

-  Homeland Security
-  Health
-  Education
-  Housing
-  Transportation

-  Medical and Scientific Research
-  Faith-based
-  Energy/Environmental Conservation
-  Arts & Humanities

## Grants.gov provides robust functionality for the grant community

- One-Time Registration
- Organizational representatives register once to apply to all 26-Grant-making agencies
- Organizations control who can be authorized to submit grant applications on the organization’s behalf
- Find Grant Opportunities
- Search for available grant opportunities
- Register to receive notification of grant opportunities
- Apply for Grants
- Search for and download application packages
- Complete application packages offline
- Submit completed application packages
- Track the status of submitted applications

## The “Find” process...

- Easy access from every page

- Locate and learn more about funding opportunities in a standardized manner

- PAGE

## The “Find” process...(continued)

-    Select search option according to interest

- PAGE

## Email Notifications

- You must provide an email address to receive notices.

## The “Apply” process

-    Grants.gov provides PureEdge Viewer, a small, free software program to access, complete and submit applications electronically and securely

- Program Overview          PAGE

## The “Apply” Process...(continued)

-    Easy to follow pages and instructions to find and download application packages to any desktop

- PAGE

## The “Apply” process...(continued)

-    Register to receive notification of changes to application package before downloading it

- PAGE

## Preparing to Apply via Grants.gov: Overview

- A two-phase process for increased organizational security and efficiency for conducting business with the federal government.
- 		1. Prepare your organization
- 		2. Prepare yourself

*Get your authorized users “prepared to apply” today!*
*Grants.gov registration/authentication processes may take 7 days! *

## Registration Checklist

_**Successful Registration**_
- Completed the government-wide organization registrations (DUNS and CCR).
- AOR has username and password.
- AOR has successfully logged onto Grants.gov.
- AOR has been approved by the organization’s E-biz POC.
- 		**Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process.  Approved AORs have the ability to submit grant applications to all funding announcements on Grants.gov.  Log on to **_[http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted](http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted)__** **_**for specific details.**
- 	Grants.gov Applicant Support Helpdesk: 1-800-518-4726Grants.gov Applicant Support Email:  support@grants.gov

## What’s next? Try Grants.gov out! 

- Start the Registration Process!!!
- Find a Grant Opportunity/Sign-up for the Email Notification Service
- Download the application viewer
- Download the selected application package
- Complete the application package offline
- After completing the registration process, AOR can submit the completed application package to Grants.gov
- You’ll receive a tracking number at the time of submission.
- Grants.gov notifies applicant when the application has been validated and downloaded by the agency

## Important points to remember!!

- Make sure the registration process has been completed before attempting to submit.
- Only an approved Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) may submit an application.
- You must download the PureEdge viewer  software to complete the electronic forms.
- Always read the application instructions.

## Contact Information

- Grants.gov Customer Response Center
- Monday – Friday, 7 AM – 9 PM (EDT)
- 1-800-518-4726
- support@grants.gov

## 

Back to the eRA Commons Registration....

- Back to the eRA Commons Registration....

## Registration Requirements

- Both Grants.gov (organizations only) and eRA Commons (organizations and PIs) registration is required for electronic submission.
- These are separate processes that can be done simultaneously.
- All registrations must be _completed prior to application submission_.
**Failure to complete the required registrations prior to application submission may result in delay of review assignment and funding consideration.**

- It is critical for institutions to begin these registrations **at least** **2-4 weeks before** applications are due!

## Preparing an Application

- Only the specific application package associated with an FOA can be used to apply.
- Some fields of the application are pre-filled from the announcement.
- The forms must be filled out according to the accompanying application guide and any specific guidelines in the announcement.

- Carefully read and follow all NIH instructions!

## Preparing Text Attachments

- NIH only accepts attachments in PureEdge or PDF format.
***Do not*** submit attachments in other formats such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, etc.
- Do not put special characters in file names.
- Disable all security features in the PDF document.
- Do not send PDF documents with editable fields (fields that can be changed).

- Check out _[http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/](http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/)__ for additional information on avoiding common errors. _

**** Second most common Error made by applicants to-date. ****

**Notes:**
An example of a PureEdge form attachment can be found in the R&R SubAward budget Attachment Form. This form provides a Subaward template (separate PureEdge form) that applicants fill out and attach to the original PureEdge form.

## Advice from Experience

**Read and follow all application instructions!**
- Failure to follow instructions has resulted in applicants having to submit corrected applications.
- There are application fields not marked as mandatory on the federal-wide form but that *are* required by NIH
- For example, the credential field of the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile component MUST contain the PI’s assigned eRA Commons User ID for NIH to process the application submission.

**Important!**

**** Most common Error made by applicants to-date.**** ********

## PI eRA Commons  User ID must be supplied here for successful submission

**PI eRA Commons  User ID must be supplied here for successful submission**

## Post-Grants.gov Submission...grant application is now with eRA Commons

## Check Submission Status in Commons

- Once the application has been submitted, Grants.gov and eRA Commons will send a series of status Email notifications.
- Grants.gov sends notifications to the AOR only; eRA Commons sends notifications to the AOR/SO and the PI.
- A full list of notification messages can be found at: http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/submit_app.htm#4.
- Email can be unreliable – applicants should proactively check the status of their applications in eRA Commons after submission.

**Grants.gov will process the app. and send an email within 2 business days after submission.**

**eRA Commons will process the app. and send an email within 2 business days after availability in Grants.gov.**

## Viewing Application Errors/Warnings

**1. Click the Status tab to view the PI Status.**
**2. Find application that shows “eSubmission Error” in Application Status.**
**3. Follow the link on the Application ID to see specific error/warning messages.**

## Viewing Application Errors/Warnings

## Errors and Warnings

**IMPORTANT – There must be a different account for the PI and the AOR/SO (one account may NOT have both Roles)**
**Warnings** can be fixed at the applicant’s discretion but **do not require action** for the application to move on.
**Errors must be addressed before the application can move on.**
- After making all corrections, the entire changed/corrected application must be resubmitted through Grants.gov.
- Once all errors are corrected, a grant image is generated and made available for review by the PI and AOR/SO.
- The AOR/SO must “Reject” the application within 2 days if the application is to be modified and resubmitted.

## Verify the Application - NOT!

**As of** **May 2006, NIH no longer requires an electronic signature on the SF424 from either the PI or the AOR/SO.  **
**Upon receipt at eRA, applications that have no errors will move forward to the Referral step of the process after 2 business days.**
**Email notification sent to the PI and AOR/SO **
**A PI who wishes to make corrections to an application with warnings must ask the AOR/SO to “reject” the application within the 2 business day period.**
**The modifications are made and the AOR/SO will submit the changed/corrected application.**

## AOR/SO Status Result 

- AOR/SO Status Result

**The AOR/SO can reject an application from the hit list. **

## PI Status Result

**The PI has the opportunity to view the application and/or the transmittal sheet.**

## Transmittal Sheet

**Transmittal Sheet is generated when the application is received without any errors from Grants.gov.**

## Where to find more information

- Electronic Submission Website at:
- http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/

## Finding Help

- General information on Electronic Submission and the SF424 (R&R):
- _[http://](http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt)__[era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt](http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt)_
- Grants.gov registration, submission and Pure Edge behavior questions:
- Visit:  _[http://](http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport)__[www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport](http://www.grants.gov/CustomerSupport)_
- Grants.gov Customer Service
- E-mail: _[support@grants.gov](mailto:support@grants.gov)_
- Phone: 1-800-518-4726
- eRA Commons registration and post submission questions on Commons functionality
- Support Page: _[http://](http://era.nih.gov/commons/index.cfm)__[era.nih.gov/commons/index.cfm](http://era.nih.gov/commons/index.cfm)_
- eRA Commons Help Desk
- Web support: _[http://](http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/)__[ithelpdesk.nih.gov](http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/)__[/eRA](http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/)__[/](http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/)_
- E-mail: _[commons@od.nih.gov](mailto:commons@od.nih.gov)_
- Phone: 1-866-504-9552 OR 301-402-7469
- Forms transition and questions on NIH’s overall plan for electronic receipt
- NIH Grants Information
- E-mail: _[grantsinfo@nih.gov](mailto:grantsinfo@nih.gov)_
- Phone: 301-435-0714

## Questions?___________________Thank you!