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.
Track Your Applications
Only Authorized Organization Representatives (AOR) can submit grant applications
to Grants.gov. Therefore, only the AOR can track the status of an application
within Grants.gov. However, 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.
Email can be unreliable. If you are listed as the Project Director (PD)/PI
on a grant application it is wise to proactively track your application within
eRA Commons. 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/> .
Remember, an application submission is not complete until the application
is error-free. It is important to work with your AOR to ensure successful
submission.
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, work with your SO to "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
