eSubmission News and Updates
NIH eSubmission Items of Interest — May 15, 2006
Reminder: R03, R21, R21/R33, R33 and R34 Grant Programs Transition to eSubmission June 1
OK, it is the middle of May and you probably don’t need reminding that ALL applications submitted in response to R03, R21, R21/R33 and R34 funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) with submission deadlines of June 1, 2006 or later must be submitted electronically. However, you may have missed the May 4th notice in the NIH Guide indicating that there were a number of active R03, R21, R21/R33, R33 and R34 FOAs that had not yet been updated to reflect the new electronic submission process. The notice immediately expired any R03, R21, R21/R33 and R34 announcement (or portions of announcement) that still referenced paper submission for these mechanisms. Applicants were encouraged to use parent FOAs (referencing the expired FOA in the cover letter) or to contact the NIH Institute or Center (IC) that issued the specific expired FOA for guidance. See NOT-OD-06-068 for details.
eSubmission Validation Process Encourages Consistency
The SF424 application package is filled out. You click the “Check Package
for Errors” button on the forms one last time just to be sure. You click
submit and wait. You start getting emails …Grants.gov received the application…Grants.gov
validated the application and prepared it for retrieval…grantor agency
retrieved it…getting closer…UGH! - NIH has identified errors and
the process stops in its tracks.
The systematic check of applications against NIH application guide and FOA
instructions does catch a lot of errors that may have gone through the paper
process unnoticed. The iterative nature of the process can be frustrating.
It will take everyone a while to adjust to this stricter enforcement of business
rules, but in the long run the validation process will lead to cleaner data,
greater consistency and a level playing field for everyone. Carefully reading
and following the application and FOA instructions goes a long way. NIH also
has posted validation documents that describe (sometimes in excruciating detail)
all the specific validations that may lead to errors or warnings in your application.
The SF424 (R&R)
Validations document (PDF - 1.27 MB) is a detailed resource for avoiding
or correcting errors and warnings. The Generic
Validations Summary (validations that apply to all applications)
and Limited
Set of Application Rules (grant program specific validations that ICs
may override within FOA instructions) are higher level documents. They
are worth a quick read. For example, you may not be aware that the introduction
for R03 and R21applications is limited to a single page.
NIH continues to review and refine specific validations – relaxing those
that aren’t critical to NIH business processes and making sure that
error and warning messages are understandable with a clear indication of what
is needed to correct them.
Clearing Up the Confusion about the Usage of Person Months
What is the definition of person months? How do you calculate person months? What is the impact of this policy change on my application? The NIH Office of Extramural Research has created a Person Months FAQ page to answer these questions and more. Included in the FAQs is a handy interactive Excel Conversion Table (Excel - 20 KB) to assist in calculating person months. Please distribute these links to your staff. Additional questions/concerns may be addressed to George Gardner (GrantsPolicy@od.nih.gov).
It’s Been A Long Time Coming - Multiple PI Pilot Opportunities Published
NIH will recognize multiple Principal Investigators on a selected set of grant programs beginning in September 2006 (see NOT-OD-06-069). Included in the pilot set of FOAs is PAR-06-389, Basic and Translational Research Opportunities in the Social Neuroscience of Mental Health (R01) [SF424 (R&R)], which will pilot electronic submission for R01s using the SF424 (R&R). Please read the FOA carefully for special application instructions. The list of FOAs participating in the pilot may be expanded and that information will be posted on the Multiple PI website.
Visit the Multiple PI website at http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/multi_pi/index.htm for more information on this exciting initiative.
Avoid the Rush – Submit Early
Early submitters have quicker response to their application submissions, greater
access to support staff, and more time to make any needed corrections to their
applications to address errors. Like any new process, there is a learning
curve with eSubmission. Waiting until the last minute to submit your application
is risky business – submit early!
NIH Electronic Submission Team
