eSubmission News and Updates
NIH eSubmission Items of Interest — July 31, 2006
Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile — Workaround for More than Eight Senior/Key Persons
As mentioned in a previous Item of Interest, we have identified an issue
with the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile component included
in the Version 2 packages. The section of the form that allows attachments
for Additional Senior/Key Person Profiles, Biographical Sketches and Current
and Pending Support is missing. The good news is that Grants.gov is working
quickly to address the form issue. The bad news is that once the issue is
corrected we will need to go through the exercise of posting updated application
packages with the corrected forms (stay tuned late August, early September,
for more news on that front).
So, what do we do in the meantime? NIH has just issued a Guide Notice describing
a workaround for applications using Version 2 forms that require more than
eight Senior/Key Persons. Excerpt from NIH Guide Notice NOT-OD-06-087:
Field 11 of the Research & Related Other Project Information form component allows for “Other Attachments”. The “Other Attachment” field should be used to separately attach the Additional Senior/Key Person Profile and Additional Biographical Sketch PDF attachments that normally would have been included on the Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile form component. (Consistent with current policy, Additional Current and Pending Support should only be provided when specifically instructed in an FOA.)
The PDFs that are included with “Other Attachments” will be placed in the assembled application immediately before the Senior/Key Person Profile page and bookmarked in the Table of Contents with a single entry of “Other Attachments”. Application Reviewers will be notified of this workaround.
Errors, Warnings and eRA Commons Profiles
Many of the most frequent errors and warnings encountered by applicants that
are submitting electronically are related to mismatches between information
provided on the application forms and the information contained in eRA Commons
profiles. Some of the profile information is under the control of Signing
Officials (SOs) that maintain organization profiles and some of the information
is under the control of Principal Investigators (PIs) that maintain their
own profiles. It is important to keep the profiles current, since many functions
like reporting (including ranking information) and post-submission activities
(e.g., summary statements, post-submission notifications) pull information
from the eRA Commons profiles and not the applications. Of course, we would
love for all the information contained in the eRA Commons Profiles to be current
and accurate, but here is a handy chart that references the profile data items
we actually check during the electronic submission process. Remember, errors
will stop the application process in its tracks. Warnings do not need to be
addressed for the application to be submitted, but do highlight items that
may need attention.
| Mismatched item --› Error/Warning | Where to find it in… | |
| Application | eRA Commons | |
| DUNS # --› Error | SF424 (R&R) form component in Organization DUNS field (field #5) | From SO account: Institutional Profile tab under Basic sub-tab in DUNS Number field |
| Human Subject Assurance Number --› Warning | R&R Other Project Information form component in Human Subject Assurance Number field (field #1a) | From SO account: Institutional Profile tab under Basic sub-tab in Human Subjects Assurance Number field |
| Animal Welfare Assurance Number --› Warning | R&R Other Project Information form component; Animal Welfare Assurance Number (field #2a) | From SO account: Institutional Profile tab under Basic sub-tab in Animal Welfare Assurance Number field |
| PI First Name and Last Name --› Warning | SF424 (R&R) form component in First Name and Last Name fields (field
#15) (Note: input carries to R&R Senior/Key Person Profile fields) |
From PI Account: Personal Profile tab under Personal Information sub-tab in First Name and Last Name fields |
| PI Position/Title --› Warning | SF424 (R&R) form component in Position/Title field (field #15) | From PI Account: Personal Profile tab in Employments sub-tab (you will need to Edit the employment record to view/update the Title field) |
| PI Degrees --› Warning | PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement form component in Degrees field (field #1) | From PI Account: Personal Profile tab in Degrees sub-tab (you’ll see list of all degrees; degrees listed on application should be a subset) |
While we’re on the subject of eRA Commons profile administration, let me offer a few more reminders…the PIs eRA Commons Username must be included in the PD/PI Credential field in the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile form component. The provided Username must:
- be a recognized eRA Commons account
- be affiliated with the applicant organization
- contain the PI role (and not the SO role)
A little account maintenance can go a long way in avoiding application submission
errors and warnings.
eSubmission Video Library – New Arrivals
We have posted in our Video Library updated video
presentations of Interacting Electronically with NIH Part 1 & II.
Marcia, our eSubmission star, walks viewers through an overview of the eSubmission
program and step-by-step through the submission process providing handy tips
along the way. Check them out!
