eSubmission News and Updates
NIH eSubmission Items of Interest — May 2, 2006
eSubmission Website Gets New Look & Feel
The Electronic Submission website <http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/> has been updated with revised content, easy to navigate pages and a new design. The categories on the main page mimic the electronic application process in logical order, facilitating, we hope, a better understanding of the process.
Recent NIH Guide notices related to e-Submission
The Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) has a significant responsibility in the submission of grant applications. Not only is the AOR the only one that can submit a grant application, the AOR is the only one that can track the application through Grants.gov. AORs will receive a series of status emails from Grants.gov. Grants.gov application status also can be checked online at https://apply.grants.gov/ApplicantLoginGetID. It may take up to two days for Grants.gov to process an application (normally it is a matter of hours, but takes longer under peak loads). Questions/concerns regarding Grants.gov status should be directed to Grants.gov Customer Support <http://www.grants.gov/contactus/contactus.jsp>.
Once the application is picked up and processed by NIH, both the AOR/Signing Official (SO) and the Principal Investigator (PI) have visibility to application status and receive email status notifications. The Check Submission Status <http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/check_submission.htm> section of the new Electronic Submission website has detailed instructions for checking application status in eRA Commons. It may take up to two days for eRA Commons to process an application (normally it is a matter of hours, but takes longer under peak loads). Questions/concerns regarding eRA Commons status should be directed to eRA Commons Help Desk web support at http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/ <http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/eRA/> .
Email can be unreliable. Proactively track your applications. Remember, an application submission is not complete until the application is error-free.
Reject or Go Forward - View Your Grant Image
Reminder: Effective May 10, 2006, AORs and PIs no longer will need to complete the verification step to sign-off on an electronic grant application. However, it is still extremely important to check the assembled application in eRA Commons. The eRA Commons provides the only opportunity to see the grant application just as a reviewer will see it. Although rare, it is possible that the assembled application does not correctly reflect your submission due to a Grants.gov or eRA Commons system issue. Further, the SF424 (R&R) application requires numerous PDF attachments. It is not uncommon to mistakenly attach the wrong file. These issues are normally only caught once the application is assembled and the image viewed. Take advantage of the two day window to view and, if appropriate, "Reject" the application. Once the two day window has elapsed, any changes to the application must be made through and with the permission of the assigned Scientific Review Administrator and can potentially delay the processing of the application.
Protect Yourself - Take Advantage of Grants.gov Application Notification Option
The Grants.gov Download Opportunity Instructions and Applications page provides an option to sign-up to receive notifications of changes to the application package. We highly recommend that you take advantage of this option. Remember, only the current application package associated with an opportunity will be accepted by Grants.gov. You don't want to be caught unaware of package changes. In addition to the automatic notifications sent by Grants.gov when a package is changed, NIH may use this information to inform applicants of important information regarding a specific opportunity.
NIH Electronic Submission Team
