University Research
Council
Grants.Gov
March 8, 2006
Grants.Gov
Grants.Gov: THE GOOD
Grants.Gov Brief History
• President’s Management Agenda
Applicants for federal grants apply for and
manage grant funds through a common
site, to simplify grant management and
eliminate redundancy.
4
Grants.Gov Brief History
•
One of 24 federal e-Government
initiatives designed to improve
access to government services via the
Internet
5
Grants.Gov Brief History
The Case for Grants.gov:
• Cross-agency initiative
• 1000+ programs
• 26 agencies + others
• >$400B annually awarded
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Grants.Gov Brief History
A simple, unified “storefront” for all
customers of federal grants to
electronically:
• Find grant opportunities
• Apply electronically for grants
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Old Inefficiencies
Applicant 1
Agency 1
Applicant
Applicant22
Agency 2
Applicant
Applicant3 3
Agency 3
.….
Applicant N
N
Applicant
.….
Agency N
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Old Inefficiencies
Applicant 1
Agency 1
Applicant
Applicant22
Agency 2
Applicant
Applicant3 3
Agency 3
.….
Applicant N
N
Applicant
.….
Agency N
Eliminated through “Trusted Broker”
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Benefits in Streamlining
Reduces time & cost to find & apply for
grants
• No need to learn multiple systems
• Eliminate costs associated with
copying and mailing
• Single registration
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Benefits in Streamlining
Increased efficiency
• Limits need to interface w/multiple
agencies
• Limits development and
maintenance
• Reduces redundant info/data
requests
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Why Submit Electronically?
• Eliminates the burden of paper-based
data collection, improves data quality
• Reduces scanning, printing & data entry
costs
• May allow agencies to shorten the cycle
from application receipt to award
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Another Way To Look At It
What if each agency had its own mail
service?
• They’d all need buildings & fleets
• And a unique ZIP code system
• What would postage cost?
• What about package tracking?
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What About Curb Appeal?
HUD
USAID
Treas
DOEd
VA
DoD
SBA
NASA
DOC
DOI
DOT
EPA
NSF
DOJ
NARA
CNCS
DOL
DOE
USDA
State
HHS
NEH
IMLS
NEA
SSA
DHS
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Why transition to SF424
(R&R)?
• SF424 (R&R) is the government-wide
data set for research grant
applications
• Applicants can use standard forms
regardless of the program or agency
to which they are applying
• Reduces administrative burden on the
Federal grants community
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Grants.Gov: THE BAD
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Why Bad?
• Additional hardware and software
requirements.
• Additional software requirements for nonwindows (Mac) users.
• Separate PI and Institution registration.
• Another new federal system to learn.
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System Requirements:
Hardware/Software
•
•
•
•
•
Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, XP
500 Mhz Processor
128 MB of RAM
40 MB Disk Space
Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher, Netscape
Communicator 4.5 – 4.8, Netscape 6.1,
6.2 or 7
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System Requirements:
Software
• PureEdge viewer downloaded (free) from Grants.gov
site at http://www.grants.gov/DownloadViewer
Note: You must have administrative rights to your
computer in order to download this software!!
A step by step tutorial for properly downloading
PureEdge Viewer will be available on the Office of
Research website.
• PDF generation software
– Grants.gov lists some available tools and software
http://www.grants.gov/assets/PDFConversion.pdf.
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System Requirements: Software
for Non-Windows Users
• Grants.gov partnered with NIH to provide a Citrix
Server for Non-Windows to view application
packages
• Go to http://www.grants.gov/MacSupport to locate
the instructions for accessing the Citrix Server
• A non-windows version of PureEdge should be
available November 2006
• A Windows emulation program can also be used.
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Registration Requirements –
Grants.Gov
• Applicant organizations must complete onetime only registration. Pitt is registered!!
• Good for electronic submission to all Federal
agencies
• Principal Investigators do NOT need to register
with Grants.gov
• Registration not required to find funding
opportunity or download application package,
only to submit completed application
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Registration Requirements –
eRA Commons
• Applicant institutions must complete one-time only
registration. Pitt is registered!!
• Principal Investigators (PIs) must work through their
institutions to register.
– The PI must hold a PI account and be affiliated with the
applicant organization.
– PIs currently registered only for Internet Assisted Review
(IAR) must work through their institutions for full eRA
Commons registration.
• Pitt Principal Investigators need to register through
the Office of Research website at:
http://www.pitt.edu/~offres/forms/ornihform.html.
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Submission Methods
Applicant organization can submit
applications to NIH through Grants.gov in
one of two ways:
 Direct submission - using PureEdge Viewer
 System-to-system – using (XML) data stream
to communicate with Grants.gov
Pitt currently uses a direct submission method. A system
to system method transition is planned.
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Getting Started
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Download PureEdge Viewer
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Download Application Package
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1. Search for Opportunity
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2. Enter CFDA or Opportunity Number
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3. Confirm and Click “Download”
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4. Enter E-Mail for Updates
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5. Download
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6. Save Application Package
• The PureEdge file is not web-based
– You must save the file to your local
drive or server as you make changes.
– Be sure to save latest version over
previous version after any changes.
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Application Package
Information in top section is
automatically filled based upon the
program selected.
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Application Package (cont.)
You must fill all highlighted
spaces in all required forms.
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1. Application Filing Name
OR will add tracking number.
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2. Mandatory Documents
Must be completed.
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2. Mandatory Documents (cont.)
Select form
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2. Mandatory Documents (cont.)
Click to open
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SF 424 (R&R)
Remember to complete all
highlighted areas on forms.
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3. Complete Package
Move completed
documents to the right.
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
To move, select
document…
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
…click arrow…
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
…document
moves to right.
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
Check Package
for Errors
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
If all forms are properly
completed, you will receive a
“No errors found” message.
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3. Complete Package (cont.)
If errors are found, correct
them before proceeding.
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4. Save Proposal
Save proposal
file and route as
appropriate.
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5. Route Proposal
• Create and save proposal file as shown.
• Route hard copy pages with form 136 as usual.
– In order to print forms and attachments, you must
open them individually.
– Save PureEdge proposal file to CD-ROM or
zipdisk and route with form 136.
– Also provide the Funding Opportunity
Announcement (FOA).
• This completes the PI/Department’s portion of the
proposal process.
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Grants.Gov: THE UGLY
Why Ugly?
• Aggressive transition timetables (NIH).
• System takes longer than current hard
copy system.
• Bugs in the system.
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NIH’s Electronic Receipt Goal
•
•
•
By the end of September 2007, NIH plans
to:
Require electronic submission through
Grants.Gov for all NIH grant applications.
Transition from the PHS 398 application
form to SF424 family of forms data set
Announced in the NIH Guide, Aug. 19, 2005:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-05-067.html
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NIH Planned Transition Dates of Mechanisms for Electronic Submission using the SF424 (R&R)
SBIR/STTR (Dec. 1, 2005)
R13/U13 (Dec. 15, 2005)
Resource (G), Career Development (K),
S11, S21, S22 (Jun. 1, 2007)
R36 (Feb. 17, 2006)
Fellowship (F) (Aug. 5, 2007)
R15 (Feb. 25, 2006)
R18/U18, R25,
C06/UC6
(Oct. 1, 2006)
S10 (Mar. 22, 2006)
X02 (April 18, 2006)
R03, R21/R33,
R34
(June 1, 2006)
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01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
Potential R01
Multi-PI Pilot
(Oct. 1, 2006)
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11
12
2006
01
Training (T&D), U45,
D71/U2R (Sep. 10, 2007)
DP1
(Jan. 22, 2007)
Project/Center (P),
M01, R10/U10, S06,
U01, U19, U54, U56,
R24/U24
(Oct. 1, 2007)
R01
(Feb. 1, 2007)
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
2007
 NIH will transition to the SF424 family of forms and electronic submission through Grants.gov by research program or funding mechanism.
 As mechanisms are transitioned, Funding Opportunity Announcements will be issued in the NIH Guide and posted in Grants.gov. NIH’s goal is to post an
opportunity a minimum of 60 days before the submission date.
 ALL applications in response to these announcements will require electronic submission through Grants.gov.
Mechanism Abbreviation Key:
C06/UC6
Research Facilities Construction Grants
DP1
NIH Director’s Pioneer Award Program
D71/U2R
International Training Cooperative Agreement/
Phase 2 of FIC mechanism D71
P
Research Program Projects and Centers
R01
Research Project Grant Program
R03
Small Grant Programs
R10/U10
Cooperative Clinical Research Grants
R13/U13
Support for Conferences & Scientific Meetings
R15
Academic Research Enhancement Awards (AREA)
R18/U18
Research Demonstration and Dissemination Projects
R21/R33
R24/U24
R25
R34
R36
SBIR
STTR
S06,S10,S11
S21,22
U
X02
Exploratory/Development Research
Resource Related Research Projects
Education Projects
Clinical Trial Planning Grant Program
Research Dissertation Grant Program
Small Business Innovation Research
Small Business Technology Transfer
Biomedical Research
Health Disparities Endowment Grants
Cooperative Agreement Awards
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Pre-application for Interdisciplinary Research Consortium
Updated February 6, 2006
SUBMITTING AN NIH PROPOSAL THROUGH
Principal Investigator navigates to the
www.grants.gov website
Applicant searches for program announcements
The Office of Research reviews and submits the
application
Office of Research receives submission
confirmation number from grants.gov This
is followed up by an e-mail from
grants.gov
Applicant finds a program
announcement, downloads
application package (PureEdge
Forms) and instructions
Applicant forwards completed application
package to the Office of Research in one
PureEdge file along with all standard proposal
paperwork
The proposal is picked-up by NIH and
transferred to the NIH Commons. Office of
Research and PI are notified via e-mail. NIH
Commons issues may be detected at this
time
Applicant completes the selected
application package
If NIH does not detect any issues that require a
resubmission through grants.gov the proposal is then
validated by both the PI and the Office of Research within
48 hours of acceptance by the NIH Commons
NSF Submissions
•
•
•
•
Applicant completes application
package
Authorized Representative (AR)
submits application to Grants.gov
Please note that the 5 p.m. local time
standard STILL APPLIES
Confirmations are sent by Grants.gov
to AR
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NSF Primary Goals
• NSF’s Grants.gov Proposal Integration
provides a seamless process which:
– Electronically downloads submitted
application packages to NSF from
Grants.gov; and
– Inserts the data into FastLane
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NSF Primary Goals
• Proposal submitted via Grants.gov will
look the same as a proposal submitted via
FastLane to programs and reviewers
• Confirmation e-mails back to the PI and
AO from FastLane.
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Other Agencies
Implementation of
Grants.gov
Please note the system
still has BUGS!!
Grants.Gov OR Follow-up
• Training:
– Broad Training through Research Admin Forums
already begun.
– Specific Training for faculty and staff being developed.
– Specific Training manual being developed.
• Central Server for document transmittal
developed- currently being tested.
• Help Desk for IT questions.
• Grants.Gov webpage on OR website.
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Grants.Gov Departing Notes
• Please notify us as soon as you know of a
grant submission that will require the use
of Grants.Gov.
• Please allow yourself enough time for
unforeseen problems- this is a new and
not yet perfected system.
• We value your feedback!!
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Office of Research Points of
Contact
• Office of Research Website:
– www.pitt.edu/~offres
• eRA Commons and processing questions:
– Jan Schaffner 624-7417, jks1@offres.pitt.edu
• Grants.Gov technical questions:
– Mike Ranieri 624-2950, mranieri@offres.pitt.edu
• Grants.Gov Application questions:
– Please refer to your department’s assigned grants
and contracts officer. This can be found at:
http://www.pitt.edu/~offres/const.html
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