September 21, 2005
News Articles
Opportunities and Resources
Advice Corner
New Initiatives
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News Articles |
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Electronic Grants -- Just Around the Corner
Don't be blindsided by the dawn of the electronic grants era. It's fast approaching. NIH advises you to register with the eRA Commons now or at least four weeks before you plan to submit your application. Foreign and domestic institutions must register with both Grants.gov and the eRA Commons.
Though both grantees and NIH should expect some bumps on the transition road, the benefits are huge. Grants.gov houses a single application format and a single interface for finding opportunities from the federal government's 26 grant-making agencies.
To turn onto the electronic route, NIH will switch from the PHS 398 to the SF 424 Research family of application forms. First to zip through cyberspace will be small business applications, due December 1, 2005 -- read more on that below under "More tips for small businesses."
Other funding mechanisms follow a preset schedule. NIH will also announce each transition in the NIH Guide at least four months ahead of time.
Submission dates and mechanisms
- December 1, 2005 -- Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs (STTR) (R41, R42, R43, R44)
- December 15, 2005 -- Conferences and Scientific Meetings (R13 and U13)
- January 25, 2006 -- Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA) (R15)
- June 1, 2006 -- Small Grant Programs (R03) and Exploratory/Developmental Research Grants (R21)
- October 1, 2006 -- Research Project (R01) and NIAID Clinical Trial Planning (R34) Grants
RFAs and program announcements will continue to appear in the Guide as well as Grants.gov, and of course, we will continue to list NIAID's initiatives on our NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID list.
Every application must correspond to an announcement. NIH will issue broad announcements for investigator-initiated applications. Find more information on NIH's Electronic Receipt and Electronic Receipt FAQ pages.
Our new Email Alert system can let you know when a new NIAID initiative appears in the Guide.
- Adjust your profile using the
 NIAID Funding News and Email Alerts Subscription Center.
- In the "Your Interests" column, find "All NIAID Funding Opportunities or Choose Specific Areas."
- Check the boxes to receive all announcements or only those in scientific areas related to an NIAID division: DAIDS, DAIT, or DMID.
Got a Mac? Read more in our article, "SF 424 -- What About Mac Users?"
Register with Grants.gov and the Commons
Organizations -- not investigators -- must register with both Grants.gov and the eRA Commons. Why? Grants.gov registration lets investigators submit their applications electronically.
Signing up with the Commons then lets NIH receive those applications, validate them against NIH business rules, and communicate with organizations and applicants afterward.
Grants.gov. Organizations register only once to apply for funding from any federal agency. Organizational officials go to Grants.gov Get Started, and follow these steps:
If you have questions about registering, call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726, Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST.
eRA Commons. Both organizations and investigators must register with the eRA Commons.
- Organizations. See if your organization is on the List of Commons Registered Organizations. If it's not, go to Online Registration for instructions.
- PIs. You need to be affiliated with a registered organization. An organizational official who is already registered in the Commons must do this for you, and you must register at least two weeks before you want to apply.
If you have questions, call the Commons Help Desk at 301/402-7469 or 1-866-504-9552 (toll free) or 301/451-5939 (TTY) Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. EST.
For more on the NIH transition plan, read the August 19, 2005, Guide notice and go to Electronic Receipt and the Electronic Receipt FAQ.
More tips for small businesses
NIH expects small business solicitations to be in Grants.gov by October 17, 2005.
In the meantime, you can use the instructions in the Omnibus Solicitation for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) to prepare your Research Plan, which will be the same in the SF 424.
For the NIH small business announcement, read the August 19, 2005, Guide notice.
Nearing the End of the Paper Trail
As part of our move to electronic grants, NIH will stop sending applicants summary statements and peer review outcome letters.
Paper summary statements will be gone on October 1, 2005, and review mailers on February 1, 2006. These changes apply to both foreign and domestic institutions.
It's good for applicants, who will have access to these key documents faster. You can find them in the Commons within about eight weeks of the scientific review group meeting.
If you haven't done so already, now is the time to register with the Commons.
NIH will continue to send mailers for assignment and assignment changes, though you can find this information in the Commons too. For more on the change, see the September 8, 2005, Guide notice.
NIAID will also drop post-review mailers because we're setting up a Web site with all the information you need to interpret your score and assess your funding prospects.
On another review note, CSR is proposing to revamp the summary statement's resume section. If enacted, you'll see resumes of just two to four sentences, starting with applications for January 2006 Council.
The new resume would begin with a one-sentence statement of the research and its significance followed by a summary of the discussion, including how the study section arrived at a priority score.
Katrina Victims Can Get Free Medical Advice
Drawing expertise from here and academia, NIH has launched a round-the-clock medical consultation line for patients and clinical trial participants affected by Katrina.
The toll-free number is 1-866-887-2842. Read the September 14, 2005, press release for more information.
Hurricane Rita Triggers More Application Delays
If your institution lies in Rita's path, you can send your grant application to NIH late.
You don't need permission; just state the reason in your cover letter. Your request should not exceed the time your institution is closed. NIH published this notice in the September 20, 2005, Guide.
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Opportunities and Resources |
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Register with ClinicalTrials.Gov
If you're a clinical investigator, make sure your clinical trial is listed on ClinicalTrials.Gov. The FDA site gives patients information about federally and privately supported clinical research, currently for serious or life threatening conditions only.
Though more than 14,000 protocols are registered, some NIH-supported clinical trials are missing. Congress is very interested in this public site and is already moving to strengthen the law with the Fair Access to Clinical Trials Act. Read S.470.
Clinicians: Check Out Short-Term Training in Primary Immunodeficiency
The new Short Term Training in Primary Immunodeficiency program from the NIAID-sponsored US Immunodeficiency Network gives early career clinicians experience with patients with primary immunodeficiencies and includes some lab work.
It's for medical students, recent graduates including interns and residents, and fellows in their first years after graduation.
If selected, you will visit a center of your choice for a one- to two-week experience on primary immunodeficiency and related clinical topics and receive a stipend up to $3,000.
Find background information in Training in Primary Immunodeficiencies; go to the Visiting Immunology Scholar Application -- Short Term Training Program.
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Advice Corner |
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SF 424 -- What About Mac Users?
The PureEdge software needed to fill out the SF 424 form is not compatible with the Macintosh, but there is an interim fix. For now, Mac users must use a Windows emulation program, for example, Virtual PC.
Grants.gov is working with PureEdge on a better solution. We will let you know when this happens. Until then, read the white paper, PureEdge Support for the Mac to see how to create an electronic grant application and submit it to Grants.gov.
Missing Misconduct Reports Can Derail Your Grant!
Think bars to grant awards are only for research involving human subjects and animals? Not so.
Any award can be barred if your institution fails to follow HHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI) procedures for assurances that certify your institution has a process for responding to allegations of research misconduct.
Most PIs get burned when they turn in a progress report and find their institution has not submitted its annual report to ORI.
Each year, institutions must submit an Annual Report on Possible Research Misconduct -- PHS 6349, usually online through ORI's Assurance Program -- Annual Report System.
Filing an assurance is easier. Your business official simply signs the grant application face page.
At any time, ORI can request information about institutional policies and procedures. For more information, go to the Assurance and Compliance Program page of the ORI Web site starting with Assurance -- Introduction.
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New Initiatives |
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