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Inside eRA for Partners, a news update from
the NIH Office of Electronic Research and Reports Management
(OERRM), provides its partners in the grantee community with pertinent
information about the plans and progress of the NIH Electronic Research
Administration (eRA). Through developing enterprise–level services
for researchers and science managers, and through the support of
critical information services, OERRM provides the grants programs
of the NIH and the Department with technologies that reduce the
costs of grants administration, capture and analyze grant data,
and synthesize research information into knowledge that guides our
research portfolio towards improving the Nation’s health.
If you have technical questions about NIH eRA Commons software, email
the Helpdesk or call 301-402-7469
(toll-free 866-504-9552). Address other questions or concerns to members
of the NIH Commons Working
Group, who serve as liaisons to the grantee community.
eRA Public Briefing Details Partnership Opportunities
At a March 4 public briefing, more than 50 attendees and a webcast audience obtained details of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant funding opportunity. The Request for Applications (RFA RR-02-004) invites applications by April 17, 2002, from for‑profit organizations that are eligible for SBIR research and development grants. This grant opportunity involves research in the area of electronic grants administration, specifically the identification of user preferences for systems designed to support optimal integration between grantee institutions and government systems. The potential outcome of this research is the development of software applications and services that facilitate interaction between NIH and its grantee organizations. Six NIH Institutes and Centers are sponsoring this RFA. At the NIH briefing, experts from the Office of Extramural Research (OER) explained the research objectives, the overall approach NIH is taking to interface its electronic research administration (eRA) system to the extramural grantee community, and the data standards that will be employed to support electronic interaction with grantee institutions. The results of an hour‑long question and answer session are available online; see http://videocast.nih.gov to view the meeting via streaming video. Questions will be accepted at era-sbir@nih.gov until the application closing date.
eRA Seeks Feedback from X-Train Users
X-Train, the NIH Commons interface devoted to trainee appointments, was deployed as a pilot in October 2001. Currently, 12 institutions submit trainee appointments using X-Train. The 185 institutions that have previously registered to use the NIH Commons are encouraged to begin using X-Train. The eRA team asks institutions now using X-Train or those considering its use to share your experiences and recommendations as you become familiar with the system. Your input is vital as we develop a limited system enhancement scheduled for May 2002 release and a substantial revision slated for Fall 2002. X-Train enables grantee institutions to capture information about trainees who receive National Research Service Awards (NRSA) and improves upon its predecessors, the Trainee Statement of Appointment (PHS 2271) and its automated version, Electronic Form 2271 (e2271). Within a year, most appointment information about NRSA trainees will be entered through X‑Train. As new requirements are determined, X-Train will continue to evolve. In the March 22 release, a revised race/ethnicity collection format will accommodate changes mandated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). An enhancement in the May release will allow a delegate designated by a training program director to enter appointment information. Eventually, X-Train will support the collection of termination information for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees without a service obligation. Trainees who terminate with a service payback obligation still will be required to submit a paper termination form. To provide feedback, contact Commons User Support at commons@od.nih.gov or Dr. Walter Schaffer, eRA Advocate for Training Activities, at schaffew@od.nih. If your institution currently is registered in the NIH Commons and you would like to participate in X‑Train, contact Commons User Support. The Commons will reopen for institution registration in June.
Redesigned User Interface Highlights NIH Commons June Release
The June deployment of NIH Commons Version 2.0 will include a redesigned user interface with improved performance. In addition, registration will reopen to institutions not currently enrolled. To improve data quality, eRA encourages all institutions, whether they submit electronic or paper applications, to register on the Commons beginning in June. Analyses by the NIH eRA team indicate that full registration of all NIH grantee organizations will improve data quality as information on paper applications is synchronized with institutional and professional profiles in the Commons and in NIH’s enterprise grants administration system, IMPAC II. All profile and account information that was provided by grantee institutions for registration on Commons Version 1.0 will remain unchanged and will be migrated to the Version 2.0 system. Institutions that are registered in Version 1.0 may wish to verify that institutional and professional profiles are up-to-date. Version 2.0 will feature the following enhancements. Look for updates on the June release in future issues of Inside eRA for Partners.
Mailing of Preprinted PHS 2590 Face Pages to Cease in 2002
As part of the federally mandated transition to electronic forms and submission, NIH will discontinue mailing pre-printed Non-Competing Grant Progress Report (PHS 2590) Face Pages later this year. NIH will continue to provide pre‑printed Face Pages for awards with start dates through November 2002. Because NIH mails Face Pages four months in advance, the last mailing will occur in early August. This two-month extension from the original end date will provide grantees and NIH staff with additional time to transition to the new business practices. Notification of a Progress Report due date will become electronic. To prepare for this transition, institutions not currently registered on the NIH Commons are encouraged to register starting in June 2002. NIH Institute and Center (IC) staff will log applications as they are received. PHS 2590, which was revised in May 2001, is available for download and submission as “fillable” rich text format (RTF) and portable document format (PDF) files. Applications received must use the current version; applications using the previous version (revised 4/98) will be returned.
Full Application Scanning is Underway at NIH
eRA now digitally scans all NIH grant applications received by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR). This conversion of paper documents to electronic images is an interim step in eRA’s federally mandated goal of accepting electronic grant applications by FY2003. The scanning initiative has no impact on the number of paper copies an applicant submits; an original application and five copies are required. CD-ROMs are generated for reviewers, supporting easier aggregation of information across files. The primary reviewer also receives a paper version of each application. As demonstrated by pilot projects in which eRA collaborated during the past two years, scanning dramatically reduces the costs of reproduction, labor, mailing, and storage space. Dr. Steven J. Hausman, eRA Advocate for Paperless Business Practices, estimates that in FY2003, NIH can expect to scan 75 percent of all applications, with the remaining 25 percent received electronically via the NIH Commons. The experience gained by NIH staff in working with scanned images will ease the transition to electronic submission.
iEdison Enrolls Agricultural Research Service
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the most recent federal agency to select Interagency Edison (iEdison) as its invention reporting and tracking system. As the principal research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the ARS supports multi-disciplinary research and develops solutions to high-priority agricultural problems. Developed by the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER), iEdison currently enables 390 grantee/contractor organizations to electronically report inventions, patents, and licenses subsidized by any of 16 participating federal agencies. iEdison streamlines the invention reporting process and facilitates compliance with the provisions of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980, which encourages the transfer of technology from the research laboratory to the commercial and public sectors. In 2001, over 2,200 inventions were reported using iEdison. During a redesign currently underway, iEdison will migrate from a standalone, client/server system to a Web-enabled eRA application that conforms to current graphical-user interface (GUI) standards. Deployment of the redesigned iEdison is scheduled for late summer 2002. For additional information about iEdison, contact Dr. George Stone, Advocate for the eRA Interface to the Extramural Community, at 301-435-0679 or by email at george.stone@nih.gov.
Invention Reporting Workgroup Develops Data Dictionary
One objective of the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (P.L. 106–107) is the development of common processes for administering federal funding agreements. To support shared invention-reporting terminology across federal agencies, the Interagency Invention Reporting Subgroup (IIRS) has developed a data dictionary for the final invention report. Grantees or contractors must submit this summary report upon close‑out of any grant or contract award. After the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approves the proposed data dictionary, plans call for its inclusion in the Interagency Edison (iEdison) invention reporting system. NIH participates in the IIRS, which is affiliated with the Grants Management Committee Post-Award Workgroup of the Federal Chief Financial Officer’s Council. For additional information on the IIRS, contact Dr. George Stone, Advocate for the eRA Interface to the Extramural Community, at (301) 435-0679 or by email at george.stone@nih.gov.
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