Just-in-Time

Purpose

To ensure that applicants send NIAID information required to issue grant awards.

Procedure

Just-in-time (JIT) refers to information that NIH requests after an application has been peer reviewed and is within the range of possible funding.

For R01 applications receiving a percentile of 20.0 or less, NIH sends an automatic mailer asking for JIT information. For other grant mechanisms, the grants management specialist will request it when appropriate. Receiving a JIT request does not guarantee the applicant will receive an award.

Information required post-review includes other support, certification of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, certification of institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) approval, and a Letter to Document Training in the Protection of Human Subjects.

Though required just-in-time, IRB or IACUC review and training documentation can be included with an application. However, they should be sent together, not separately.

A different rule applies for other support information. If you send it before we request it, NIH may delay processing your application or return it without peer review.

If a human or animal assurance number changes after initial submission, the new number and approval date will be required just-in-time.

NIH will email just-in-time notifications to the PI and business office as a single notice. Just-in-time notifications for R01 applications will be sent 15 days after the priority score is released. See the Just-in-Time Sample Email for an example.

Investigators

• Gather the following items.
  • If human subjects are involved, your institution should file a human subjects assurance with the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP). Provide the assurance type and number, IRB certification of approval, and certification of human subjects education for each person identified under key personnel. See the certifications and assurances section of the Human Subjects in Research Requirements SOP.
  • If vertebrate animals are involved, your institution should file an animal welfare assurance with the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW). Provide the assurance number, verification of IACUC approval with date, and any IACUC-imposed changes. See the Animals in Research SOP.
  • Other support. See our Prepare Your Other Support Submission in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal and the NIH Guide notice on other support information.

• Give all your information to your institutional business official, who must sign and submit the materials. You don't sign; instead, you must provide your institution with a signature assurance.

For more information on just-in-time, see Prepare Your Just-in-Time Information in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Institutional Business Officials

• Submit information by either using the JIT feature of the eRA Commons (the preferred method) or faxing the grants management specialist identified in the just-in-time notification letter.
• Submit other support and human subjects education information within two weeks of receiving a just-in-time notice.
  • Since IRB and IACUC certifications may take more than two weeks, submit them at the earliest date possible.

Program Officers

• Review JIT information and document your approval on the program officer checklist. For further details, see the Program Officer Checklist SOP.
• Work with the PI and grants management specialist to resolve scientific or budgetary overlap, time and effort exceeding 100 percent, and other issues.
• Work with the grants management specialist on restrictive award terms.

Grants Management Specialists

• When you review a grant for funding, review the information in the IMPAC grant folder. If the information is incomplete or out of date, contact the grantee institution.
• For grant mechanisms that are released for funding and don't receive a percentile score (i.e., those receiving a priority score), contact the grantee for just-in-time materials.
• Request the required JIT information or updated information in an email to both the PI and the business office, and give them a deadline for submission. For email templates, see GMP's Just-In-Time Requests SOP.
  • Refer to the Grants Timeline for Fiscal Year when assigning your deadline to grantees.
    • Earlier in the fiscal year, you can give grantees a longer turnaround time.
    • As the end of the fiscal year approaches, grantees must provide the JIT information within a couple of days or they might not be funded.
  • Copy the program officer when sending your request.
• If applicant has not already submitted it, request information to address summary statement concerns and unacceptable human subject codes (e.g., gender, minority, children) along with the JIT information.
• Contact the PI and the business office if they miss the submission deadline for their JIT information.
• Review the information and work with the applicant and program officer to resolve any issues (e.g., scientific or budgetary overlap, time and effort exceeding a total of 100 percent).
• Issue a restricted award at the end of the fiscal year if time doesn't allow an applicant to submit JIT information or if issues cannot be resolved.

For more information, read GMP's Just-In-Time Requests SOP.

Contacts

Ann Devine, ad22x@nih.gov, 301-402-5601

If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.

Links

IACUC Web site

Just-in-Time Information Checklist

Just-in-Time questions and answers

eRA Commons Web site

OHRP Web site

OLAW Web site