Additional interested grantees will have the opportunity later this summer to submit their Streamlined Non-competing Award Process (SNAP) Type 5 progress reports through eSNAP, a new NIH eRA Commons Web interface. Since pilot usage began last November, more than 118 electronic progress reports have been transmitted. Currently, almost 50 percent of NIH awards (over 24,000 annually) are eligible for SNAP.

ICs are encouraged to evaluate their business processes and incorporate the electronic receipt of eSNAPs into their policies and procedures. In particular, ICs should consider the following:

eSNAP progress reports differ from hard-copy SNAP progress reports.

Although basic reporting requirements are the same as paper SNAP progress reports, some incentives have been introduced to encourage electronic submission. For a complete list of differences, see the July 2002 issue of this newsletter. eSNAP is testing the feasibility of shifting the monitoring of Institutional Review Board/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IRB/IACUC) approval dates from grant-by-grant monitoring to systems monitoring; therefore, no IRB or IACUC approval dates are required with eSNAP submissions and ICs should not request this information. Since eSNAPs are due 45 days before budget start date (vs. 60 days for paper), ICs need to modify their business practices regarding “late T-5” letters.

The eSNAP is stored in the eRA database and can be viewed in the Grant Folder.

eSNAPS can be displayed in any eRA application that connects to the Grant Folder. From the Grant Folder, click on the E-Application button. There also is a direct link to the eSNAP from the Grants Management (GM) module. The “View E-App” button is on the bottom right of the Award screen.

The IC learns about the receipt of an eSNAP through its designated IC Inbox.

eRA now uses the IC Outlook Inbox, originally established to receive Summary Statement notifications, for eSNAP notifications. ICs should be sure to monitor this mailbox. Until eRA releases its planned e-Notification module, ICs are encouraged to set up Outlook auto-forward rules to ensure that appropriate staff is notified. It is the responsibility of each IC to forward notification to Program personnel.

There also are eSNAP indicators on several GM screens, including Search, Workload, T-5 Receipt, GM Worksheet, Workload Report and T-5 Receipt Report. When an eSNAP is received, the Receipt Date field automatically is populated.

Visit http://impacii.nih.gov/tools/grants/grants_esnap_list.cfm to access the “Pending eSNAP Report,” which displays eSNAPs that have been received but not yet awarded.

eRA discourages the printing of hard copies of eSNAPs for distribution.

The elimination of hard copy distribution is a primary objective of the eRA initiative. It still is necessary, however, to print a copy for the “official” file until the government agrees to designate the electronic file as the official file.

Send questions about NIH eSNAP policy to David Wright or Marcia Hahn. Contact the eRA Helpdesk for assistance in using the eRA system to process eSNAPs.