The Commons Working Group (CWG) will be the first grantees to pilot the new electronic submission of Streamlined Non-competing Award Process (SNAP) T-5 progress reports through a new Commons Web interface application called e-SNAP. Initial pilot testing is anticipated to begin in late 2002, with the expectation that all grantees will have the opportunity to submit their SNAP progress reports electronically through this Web interface sometime in calendar year (CY) 2003. Currently, almost 50 percent of NIH awards (over 24,000 annually) are eligible for SNAP.

Although basic reporting requirements will be the same as paper SNAP progress reports, some incentives will be introduced to encourage electronic submission. These changes will be evaluated and may result in new business practices for all SNAP and/or all non-competing progress reports.

• e-SNAPs will be due 45 days before budget start date (instead of 60 days for paper).

• Research accomplishments/significant changes also can be submitted throughout the year. 

• Links to citations will be accepted in lieu of hard copy.

• Some human and animal subjects assurances will be stored in the Commons Institutional Profile (IPF). The monitoring of Institutional Review Board/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IRB/IACUC) approval will be shifted to a monitoring of grantee systems. As a result, IRB/IACUC approval will not be required on a grant-by-grant basis. Grantees will continue to assure compliance before drawing down any funds. In addition, grantees participating in the pilot will agree to provide a retrospective list of these approvals to be used in monitoring compliance.

• Some assurance and certification information (including date assured) will be incorporated into the IPF. This eliminates the need to certify compliance with every submission. 

• Institutions may delegate submission authority to Principal Investigators (PIs). 

In preparation for e-SNAP, there will be several IMPAC II system changes to accommodate electronic progress reports. Online SNAP T-5s will be accessible via the “View e-APP” button on the Grants Management (GM) award screen or via the grant folder. The system automatically will populate the receipt date field on the T-5 GM receipt screen and will notify staff electronically when e-SNAP data becomes available. 

During the coming months, it is expected that ICs will begin evaluating their SNAP business practices to take advantage of electronic submissions. Some may consider scanning paper SNAPs so that all SNAP data can be housed in the IMPAC II system (see article in this issue). Program Officials are encouraged to use the Institute and Center Operations (ICO) module for reviewing electronically submitted SNAPs and for documenting all their T-5 progress reports. Last winter, ICO was revised to incorporate the eight mandatory NIH questions that policy requires for project monitoring (see NIH Manual Chapter 4444).