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Frequently Asked Questions

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Find Opportunity and Download Application Package
  1. With electronic submission, all applications must be submitted in response to a Funding Opportunity Announcement. How does one submit applications, especially R01s, which previously came in unsolicited?
    NIH and other HHS Agencies have developed generic Parent Funding Opportunity Announcements for use by applicants who wish to submit what were formerly termed “unsolicited” or "investigator-initiated" applications. See the Parent Announcements page for a list of current Parent Announcements and further information.

  2. Will NIH continue to use the NIH Guide to Grants and Contracts?
    Yes. Opportunities will be published in both the NIH Guide and the Find section of Grants.gov.

  3. How does the Grants.gov system populate the field for CFDA numbers?
    The Grants.gov system allows NIH to leave this field blank. NIH staff will complete this field in the eRA system after submission.

  4. Should I look for an opportunity by entering the CFDA number on Grants.gov?
    On Grants.gov, applicants should search by Funding Opportunity Announcement number rather than CFDA. Note that NIH has made it easier for applicants by adding a button titled 'Apply for Grant Electronically' (see button below) to the NIH Guide for Grants & Contracts announcements that allows applicants to access the Grants.gov application package directly from the Guide. apply for grant electronically button image

  5. When I download an application package from the FOA and save it for the first time locally, I get this warning message:

    Warning - One or more of the items in this form contains an invalid value. Do you want to proceed anyway?

    Is there something wrong with the forms?

    No, the forms are OK. The message shows because no data has been entered yet. You will actually get this or a similar message every time you save until all data entry is complete. The applicant can ignore this error message until the final save before you submit. If you are ready to submit and are still getting this error message when you save, you should use the "Check Package for Errors" button to determine what may need to be fixed before submitting. If errors are found, a message box will appear telling you the total number of errors found and the details about the first one. Unfortunately there is no way to get a comprehensive list at this time. If you have five errors, you would have to fix the first one, and repeat the "check package for errors" process until all are corrected.

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