All IMPAC II users will soon have access to QVR, a web-based extension system to "Query, View and Report" on extramural grant information in the IMPAC II database. With deployment planned later this month, QVR represents a collaborative endeavor of the ECB-QVR Steering Committee, the Center for Information Technology (CIT) and the NIH Office of Extramural Research (OER). Improved query and reporting rank at the top of eRA's list of priorities for this fiscal year.

Originally conceived as a reporting tool for the Electronic Council Book (ECB), QVR was quickly recognized to have great potential for the entire community. Planning and development have been spearheaded by the ECB-QVR Steering Committee, led by Dr. Thorsten Fjellstedt and composed of representatives of most ICs. Questions and comments about this initial release should be directed to Dr. Fjellstedt.

Screen shot links restricted to NIH access only.

QVR Search Capability

The QVR Search screens present clear and easy-to-use interfaces for establishing selection criteria. Features include: 

• Direct navigation to each section of the search form   
• Drop-down lists (e.g., for fiscal years) to facilitate specification(s)   
• Partial specification of text (e.g., "Principal Investigator Starts With") and wild cards permitted   
• Boolean operators (AND, OR, AND NOT) supported   
• Save query functionality to repeat search.

Output Specification and Manipulation of Search Results

Once search criteria have been established, the user can navigate to the Sort section to order the resulting "hit" list. Multiple levels of sorting are possible. From the Output option section, users can choose from among several types of lists, or they can opt for a standard or customized report. For each hit, the basic list provides links to a QVR snapshot, the summary statement and the abstract. The ability to "tag" and "untag" items on the hit list allows users to further tailor the list for download or printing. QVR's custom download feature provides for the selection of IMPAC II data items from a "pick list". The resulting data elements are then displayed in tabular form in HTML or, alternatively in a format easily imported into Excel. The print facility supports four different means of retrieving one or more summary statements: 

• a single PDF file for download   
• a zip file for download   
• central printing at CIT   
• view in a web browser.