NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS—CONVERSION TO AN ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION PROCESS

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Electronic Submissions

NIH recently announced that we will begin to convert from the PHS 398 grant application form to the new Standard Form (SF) 424 Research and Research Related (R&R) application form. The new form will require electronic submission through Grants.gov (for background information, please see the NIH Guide Announcement, ).

The transition begins with the December 1, 2005, submission date for the SBIR/STTR program, with other grant mechanisms soon to follow.

The NIH has made a number of resources available to enable you to educate yourself about the transition.

• The External Electronic Receipt Web site provides essential information to the NIH staff and the extramural research community.
  
  
• A network of Institute and Center liaisons will serve as a local resource and first line of support for issues related to electronic receipt and the transition to the new application forms. The NHLBI liaison, William Johnson, may be contacted by phone (301 435 0317) or by E-mail for more information and assistance.
  
  
• A Customer Support page is available at Grants.gov that contains more information, including a Tutorial, a User Guide, FAQ, and contact information.

We recognize that the transition to electronic receipt will be a huge change for all of us. We will try to make the transition as easy as possible.

Important information for Macintosh Users

Why does NIH use a system that is not platform independent for electronic submission?

The President’s Management Agenda and Public Law 106-107 require all Federal Agencies to use a single electronic system to post funding opportunities and accept electronic applications for Federal grant opportunities. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has chosen Grants.gov to implement the President’s Management Agenda and the Department of Health and Human Services to serve as the managing partner for Grants.gov. For additional information about Grants.gov and P.L. 106-107 go to the About Us page in Grants.gov.

I have heard that Grants.gov is not Macintosh compatible. What do I do if I use only a Macintosh?

Grants.gov is aware of the issues facing Macintosh users who apply for Federal grants electronically. The NIH Office of Extramural Research has provided information regarding this issue on the eRA FAQ Page of their Web site, under Software (direct link to Mac information on the eRA FAQ Page).

Last updated: October 5, 2005