On March 30, eRA deployed an improved NIH eRA Commons 2 demonstration site that provides a much more realistic user experience. The demo is accessible from the NIH eRA Commons home page at http://commons.era.nih.gov.

After logging on, the user will create a unique training ID and password and select a role (PI or SO) to emulate. During account creation, data for the IPF, PPF, FSR and several grants will be populated with seed data stored in the system. At this point, the user can perform all actions permissible for the chosen role, such as creating other accounts, editing the IPF and PPF, and creating FSRs and eSNAPs. It will be possible to simulate the entire eSNAP process, from initiation through final submission by an SO (Signing Official).

The training account will remain active for 180 days, after which time it will be deleted. The demo system was specifically designed to accommodate hands-on training sessions. Each account is unique, but all accounts are populated with copies of the same data. As a result, if an instructor walks a class through a training exercise, each student should see the same data on his/her screen. The system also allows individuals to update the data without impacting other users or corrupting the seed data.