# Presentation: 719080

## Application Submission and Review Considerations

**NIGMS**

***Mona R. Trempe, Ph.D.***
- Scientific Review Officer
- NIGMS Office of Scientific Review

- April 2008

## Application Submission is a Two System Process

**Grants.gov**
- Electronic application via this site using these forms is mandatory for this funding opportunity announcement (FOA).
- Hosts standardized federal forms SF424 (R&R) and agency-specific forms (PHS 398)
- Checks the application for federal-wide requirements.
**eRA Commons**
- Retrieves the data from Grants.gov and checks the application against NIH-specific requirements
- Allows applicants to electronically track the status of submissions and to receive/transmit application and award information

- April 2008

**Notes:**
The electronic application process for NIH involves using standardized federal forms and some agency-specific forms provided online by Grants.gov.  Once the forms are submitted to Grants.gov, the data is retrieved by NIH systems and checked against the rules and requirements for the Funding Opportunity Announcement.  The vast majority of NIH Funding Opportunities require electronic submission through Grants.gov.  Within NIH’s system, called the eRA Commons, Signing Officials and Principal Investigators can check the status of their applications and view the assembled application image.  Each one of these systems has registration requirements that are independent of one another.

## Online Resources

- Overview of Electronic Submission _[http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/](http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/)_
- Frequently Asked Questions http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/faq.htm
- Avoiding Common Errors http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/avoiding_errors.htm
- Training Resources, Videos, Quick Reference Materials http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/training.htm

**NIGMS**

- April 2008

## Finding Help

**Grants.gov Contact Center **
- 	Toll-free: 1-800-518-4726Hours : Mon-Fri, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ESTEmail : support@grants.gov
- 	Support for: PureEdge Forms, PureEdge with a Mac, Grants.gov Registration
**eRA Commons Help Desk**
- Phone: 301-402-7469Hours : Mon-Fri, 7a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
- 	Online Help Ticket : http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/
- 	Support for: Commons Registration, Application Status, Post-submission questions

**NIGMS**

- April 2008

**Notes:**
Please do not hesitate to use the resources listed on this page for assistance with this new process!

## NIGMS

**Forms**
- Revised PHS 398 (NIH Guide NOT-OD-08-028)
- 11/2007 version** **_must_ be used for all applications for submission/receipt dates on/after **May 25, 2008**.
**Format**
- Supply all requested materials within page limits
- Follow general appendix guidelines (NIH Guide NOT-OD-07-018) _and_ ones specific to the program announcement
- NO surveys, catalogs, evaluation reports, biosketches in the appendix

**Recent changes to note**

- April 2008

## NIGMS

**When****	****What****	****Who***
-  0 	Submission
- + 2 months	Referral
- + 4 months	Review
- + 5-6 months	Summary Statement
- + 7 months	Council
- + 8 months	Funding Decisions
- + 9 months	Award - or - Not

- *NIH Contact:  Scientific Review Officer (SRO) or Program Officer (PO)

- PO

- SRO

**Timeline of Application and NIH Contacts**

- April 2008

## Review of Research Training Program Applications

**Review Panel**
- Organized by an SRO in the NIGMS Office of Scientific Review
- Special Emphasis Panel or Standing Committee
- Temporary committee members included for particular expertise
**Reviewer characteristics**
- Experience with multiple education levels
- Involvement with research training programs
- Educators, researchers, and institutional administrators

**NIGMS**

- April 2008

## NIGMS

**Content**
- Read and _respond_ appropriately to the program announcement
- Successful submission through Grants.gov and eRA Commons does _not_ mean responsiveness to the program announcement
**Context**
- Present the _institutional_ framework and environment of your program
- Be realistic in your program’s goals

**Writing Tips**

- April 2008

## NIGMS

**Comprehensive**
- Address all of the requirements of the program announcement
*E.g.,* if you don’t have institutional baseline data, explain how you plan to obtain it
**Consistent**
- Data in tables and text should match
- Match justification to budget items

**Writing Tips**

- April 2008

## NIGMS

**Clear**** **
- Don’t bury important information in appendices or expansive prose
- Don’t expect reviewers to “read between the lines”
**Current**
*E.g.*, make sure faculty biosketches are up to date
*E.g.*, provide data on current and prior students

**Writing Tips**

- April 2008

## NIGMS

- Questions?

- April 2008