Successful Submissions
Prepare–Complete-Submit-Track-View
Created by:
Geeta Chhabra
Electronic Submission of NIH
Grant Applications
Find and download announcement
and application package
OSP officer will review the draft
application and send his/her
reviews to the PI and contact
person listed on the UAB
extramural checklist via email
Prepares the application per
institution and NIH guidelines
Drop the draft application seven (7)
business days prior to the deadline to
the OSP drop-box. Submit the UAB
extramural checklist, and RPL form to
the OSP office at (AB 1170)
Once the suggested changes are made please drop the final application
in the OSP drop-box three (3) business days prior to the deadline
Submission Topics
Prepare:
Registration
Software
Submission Plan
Find Opportunity
Download Application Package
Complete Application:
SF424 Application Package
Submit:
Submit Application via Grants.gov
Submission Topics (contd.)
Track:
Track Application
Correct Errors
View:
View Application on eRA Commons
Finding Help:
Resources
Service Desk
Prepare
By failing to prepare, you are
preparing to fail
-Benjamin Franklin
Two Separate, but linked Systems
Grants.gov
Federal-wide portal to find and apply for Federal grant funding
• Used by all 26 Federal grant-making agencies
eRA Commons
Agency system that allows applicants, grantees and Federal
staff to share application/grant information
• Used by NIH and a few other HHS divisions
Registration
Grants.gov
•
•
•
UAB is already registered as an Organization.
OSP officers have the (AOR) Authorized Organization
Representative role providing authority to submit.
No registration is needed for the PI to find opportunities
or to download forms
eRA Commons
• UAB is registered as an Applicant Organization.
• OSP officers have the (SO) Signing Official role
• OSP assigns and affiliates roles for PD/PI, Postdoc's,
and Trainees
Registration
(contd.)
• PI’s get one eRA Commons account that follows them
throughout their careers
• If you are moving from one institution to another, you do not
need to establish a new eRA Commons account. Request the
Signing Official at your new University to use your existing
account and “affiliate” that with your new University
• If you realize you have more than one Commons account,
please contact the eRA Help Desk with a request to merge the
accounts into one
• PI’s should keep their Personal Profile updated in eRA
Commons prior to submitting (e.g., degree info used to
determine Early Stage Investigator eligibility)
Software
Adobe Reader
• Only Specific Adobe Reader versions are compatible
with Grants.gov forms.
• To verify if you have a compatible version of Adobe
Reader installed, click on the test application link below
Adobe Versioning Test Application Package
PDF conversion program
• Attachments must be converted to PDF
Grants.gov download software page
http://www.grants.gov/help/download_software.jsp
Adobe Reader
Applications can become corrupt if opened with an
incompatible version of Adobe Software
A cautionary pop-up message is presented when an
incompatible Adobe software is used
Submission Plan
Submission method:
•
•
Download forms from either Grants.gov or NIH sites
Follow NIH guidelines
OSP deadlines:
• Completed UAB extramural checklist and PPL form must
be submitted to the OSP office at AB 1170
• Draft applications must be dropped in the OSP
drop-box seven (7) business days prior to the deadline
• Final applications must be dropped in the OSP
drop-box three (3) business days prior to the
deadline
OSP officers, Administrators and
PIs work together as a team!
Find Opportunity
All applications must be submitted in response to a
specific Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)
• NIH simultaneously posts FOAs in:
• NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
• Grants.gov Find
• http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/
• Some FOAs focus on specific areas for research and
others provide instructions and forms for general grant
programs
• Use “Parent” FOAs for unsolicited applications
• http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/parent_announcements.htm
Parent Announcements
Research (R) and Research Training (T)
Activity
Codes
Title
Announcement
Number
PA-13-302
Expiration
Date
R01
Research Project Grant
09/08/2016
R03
NIH Small Research Grant Program
PA-13-304
09/08/2016
R13,
U13
NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific
Meetings
PA-13-347
09/08/2016
R15
Academic Research Enhancement Award
PA-13-313
01/08/2016
R21
NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant
Program
PA-13-303
09/08/2016
T32
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training
Grants
PA-14-015
01/08/2017
T35
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Award Short-Term Institutional Research Training
Grants
PA-14-016
01/08/2017
Parent Announcements (contd.)
Career Development (K)
Activity
Codes
Title
Announcement
Number
Expiration Date
K01
Mentored Research Scientist
Development Award
PA-14-044
K02
Independent Scientist Award
PA-14-045
01/08/2017
K07
Academic Career Award
PA-11-192
09/08/2014
K08
Mentored Clinical Scientist Research
Career Development Award
PA-14-046
01/08/2017
K23
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award
PA-14-049
09/08/2014
K24
Midcareer Investigator Award in PatientOriented Research
PA-14-047
01/08/2017
K25
Mentored Quantitative Research
Development Award
PA-14-048
01/08/2017
K99/R00
NIH Pathway to Independence Award
PA-14-042
01/08/2017
01/08/2017
Parent Announcements (contd.)
Fellowship (F)
Activity
Codes
Title
Announcement
Number
Expiration
Date
F30
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD and Other
Dual Doctoral Degree Fellows
F31
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellows
PA-14-147
01/08/2017
F31
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to
Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
PA-14-148
01/08/2017
F32
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards (NRSA) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows
PA-14-149
01/08/2017
F33
Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service
Awards (NRSA) for Individual Senior Fellows
PA-14-151
01/08/2017
PA-14-150
01/08/2017
Finding FOAs for Investigator-Initiated Research
NIH Office of Extramural Research
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
Parent Announcements for Unsolicited Applications
Finding FOAs matching your criteria and find
FOA of interest
Click Announcement Number link to access FOA Information
Announcement Guidelines
Carefully read the entire announcement!!
Key Dates:
– Release/Posted Date: package and instructions available for
download
– Application Submission/Receipt/Due Date: applications must be
submitted by 5:00 p.m. local time
– Opening Date: systems begin accepting applications
– Expiration Date: announcement closed
Key Dates
Release/Posted Date: July 22, 2011
Open Date: August 12, 2011
Letter of Intent Receipt Date: Not Applicable
NOTE: On-time submission requires that applications be successfully submitted to Grants.gov no later that
5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization)
Application Due Date (s): Standard dates apply
Peer Review Date(s): Standard dates apply
Council Review Date (s): Standard dates apply
Earliest Anticipated Start Date (s): Standard dates apply
Expiration Date: September 8, 2014
Announcement Guidelines (contd.)
Follow specific announcement
instructions
• Pay special attention to
Section IV. Application and
Submission Information
• Includes FOAs-specific
submission instructions
• Instructions in FOA trump
instructions in the application
guide
Announcement
FOAs in the NIH Guide include button to download
application from Grants.gov
CFDA Opportunity
Number
PA-13-302
Competition
ID
ADOBE
FORMS-C
Competition
Title
ADOBE
FORMS-C
Agency
National Institute of
Health
Instructions
and
Application
Download
Download Application Package
DOWNLOAD OPPORTUNITY INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION
You have chosen to download the application for the following opportunity:
Opportunity Number: PA-13-302: Research Project Grant (Parent R01)
Competition ID: ADOBE-FORMS-C
Agency: National Institutions of Health
Opening Date: 08/07/2013
Closing Date: 09/07/2016
To download an application, you will need to submit an email address so that you can be notified of any changes to the application
before the closing date. Your e-mail address will allow us to e-mail you in the event this opportunity is changed and republished on
Grants.gov before its closing date.
Email: ________________________
Confirm Email:_____________________
___No, I do not wish to provide my email address [T
submit
Download Application Package (contd.)
DOWNLOAD OPPORTUNITY INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION
You have chosen to download the application for the following opportunity:
Opportunity Number: PA-11-260: Research Project Grant (Parent R01)
Competition ID: FORMS-C
Competition Title: Forms-C
Agency: National Institution of Health
Opening Date: 08/07/2013
Closing Date: 09/07/2016
Download the instructions and application by selecting the download links below. While the instructions or application files
may open directly, you may save the files to your computer for future reference and use. You do not need access to read the
instructions or the application once you save them on your computer.
1.Download Application Instructions
2.Download Application Package
Download forms
Complete
Application
SF 424
Grant Application Package
Save the Package locally
Make sure you have
the correct application
package.
FOA information is
automatically populated
and not editable.
Mandatory Grants.gov fields are highlighted yellow with red box
Completing the Application
General Tips:
• Follow FOA-specific guidelines
• Complete the SF424 (R&R) form first – info from this form
populates some fields in other forms within the package
• Do not cut & paste from Word documents into form fields
• Use PDF formatted files for all attachments
• Do not use Portfolio or similar features to bundle multiple files
into a single PDF
• Disable security features like password protection
• Keep file names to 50 characters or less and use only
letters, numbers, hyphen(-), period (.) and underscore (_)
• Do not include headers or footers
• Follow guidelines for fonts and margins
Table of Page Limits
Fellowship (F)
Section of Application
Page Limits
(if different from FOA,
FOA supersedes)
Introduction to Resubmission or Revision Application
(when applicable)
1
Specific Aims
1
Research Strategy
6
Respective Contributions
1
Selection of Sponsor and Institution
1
Responsible Conduct of Research
1
Applications for Concurrent Support (when applicable)
1
Goals for Fellowship Training and Career
1
Activities Planned Under This Award
1
Doctoral Dissertation and Other Research Experience
2
Sponsor (s) and Co-Sponsor (s)
6
Biographical Sketch
4
Table of Page Limits (contd.)
Career Development (K)
Section of Application
Page Limits
(if different from FOA,
FOA supersedes)
Introduction to Resubmission or Revision Application
(when applicable)
1
Specific Aims
1
First three items of Candidate Information (Candidate's Background,
Career Goals and Objectives, and Career Development/Training
Activities During Award Period and Research Strategy
12 pages (for all
sections combined)
Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research
1
Mentoring Plan (Include only when required by the specific FOA,
e.g., K24 and K05)
6
Statements by Mentor, Co-Mentors, Consultants, Contributors
6
Description of Institutional Environment
1
Institutional Commitment to Candidate’s Research Career
Development
1
Biographical Sketch
4
Table of Page Limits (contd.)
For institutional Training (T), International Training (D43, D71), Institutional Career
Development (K12, KM1), and Research Education (R25) Applications
Section of Application
Page Limits
(if different from FOA,
FOA supersedes)
Introduction to Resubmission Application (when applicable)
3
Introduction to Revision Application (when applicable)
1
Specific Aims (when applicable)
1
Research Education Program Plan (uploaded via the Research
Strategy) for Research Education Grant Application (R25) only
25
Background, Program Plan, and Recruitment and Retention Plan to
Enhance Diversity (Attachments 2-4 of Research Training Program
Plan Attachments) for D43,D71, and all Training (T) only - for May
25, 2011 due dates and later
For K12, K30, and KM1 only- for June 12, 2011 due dates and later
25 pages
(for all sections
combined)
Plan for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research
(Attachment 5 of Research Training Program Plan Attachments)
For D43, D71, K12, KM1 and all Training (T) only - for May 25, 2011
due dates and later
3
Biographical Sketch
4
Table of Page Limits (contd.)
For R01, R03, R21 and all other Applications
Activity Codes
Page Limits
(if different from
FOA, FOA
supersedes)
Introduction to Resubmission
and Revision Applications
(when applicable)
For all Activity Codes, and for each
project and core of multi-component
applications
1
Specific Aims
For all Activity Codes
1
Research Strategy
For Activity Code DP1
5
For Activity Codes R03, R13, U13,
R13/U13, R21, R36, R41, R43,
6
For Activity Code DP2
10
For Activity Codes R01, U10, R15,
U18, R21/R33, R24, U01, DP3, G08
12
Section of Application
For UM1 Applications
For all other Activity Codes
Biographical Sketch
For all Activity codes except DP2
6,12 or 30 pages
Follow FOA
instructions
4
Avoiding Common Errors
Ten Checks to Help Avoid Common Errors
– Did you select the correct Type of Submission (box 1), Federal
Identifier (box 4), and Type of Application (box 8) information on the
SF424 (R&R) cover form?
– Does the DUNS number on the SF 424 match the DUNS number used
for Grants.gov and eRA Commons registration?
– Did you include the eRA Commons ID in the Credentials field of the
R&R Senior Key Person Profile for all PD/PIs?
– If Submitting a Multiple-PD/PI application, did you give all the PIs the
PD/PI role on the Senior Key Person Profile form?
– Did you include the Organization Name for all Senior Key listed on the
R & R Senior Key Personnel Profile form?
– Did you follow the page limits specified in the FOA and application
guide?
Avoiding Common Errors (contd.)
– Did you include all the required attachments?
• Answering “Yes” to the Human Subjects question on the R&R Other
Project Information form makes the attachments in the Human Subjects
section of the PHS 398 Research Plan required. Similarly, if you answer
“Yes” to the Vertebrate Animals question, then the Vertebrate Animals
attachment is required.
• If you have more than one entry on the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile
form with the role of “PD/PI,” then the Multiple PD/PI Leadership Plan
attachment on the PHS 398 Research Plan form is required.
– Are all your attachments in PDF format?
• File names should not exceed 50 characters
• File names with no special characters:
-, &, *, /, =, \, (), underscore _ is OK
– Did you include effort > 0 for all Personnel listed on R&R
Detailed Budget
Avoiding Common Warnings
Role of Co-PD/PI not used by NIH
• The role of 'Co-PD/PI', indicated for Senior/Key Person on the
Senior/Key Person page, is not used by NIH. For multiple
Principal Investigators, use the PD/PI role. Otherwise, select
another role.
No degrees submitted for PD/PI
• No degrees have been submitted for the PD/PI. If you want the
degrees to be displayed on the face page of the application
image, you should include them on the SF 424 (R&R)
Senior/Key Person Profile form.
Bibliography and Reference Cited Attachment Should be
included
Submit
Submit early!!
Leave a cushion for unforeseen issues
On-time Submission
•
Draft applications must be uploaded in the OSP drop-box
seven (7) business days prior to the sponsor deadline
•
Final applications must be uploaded in the OSP drop-box
three (3) business days prior to the sponsor deadline
• Submission must be accepted by Grants.gov with a time
stamp on or before 5:00 p.m. local time on submission
deadline date
• Errors/Warnings must also be corrected
prior to the submission deadline date
and time
Track
Signing Officials (SO’s), Principal Investigators
(PIs) and Assistants (ASSTs) can track
application status in eRA Commons
Track Status – eRA Commons
• Applications are picked up by eRA Commons and checked against
application and opportunity instructions
• Emails from eRA commons are sent to the SO, PI and the contact
person listed on the SF 424 (R&R) form
• Examples of emails are as follows:
– Validation complete, check assembled application
– Validation complete, check assembled application – Warnings
only
– Action required – Errors and/or Warnings
– Action required – Missing or invalid eRA Commons Username
(sent to the SO)
– Action required – System Error (sent to the SO)
Track Status – eRA Commons
Errors/Warnings
Errors do stop the processing of the application
and must be corrected
Warnings do not stop the processing of the
application and are corrected at the discretion
of the applicant
View
Please verify your assembled
application in eRA Commons
View Application Image
Once an error-free application is received, the eRA
system will:
–
–
–
–
–
Assemble the grant application image
Insert headers & footers
Bookmark important sections
Generate Table of Contents
Post the assembled application image in the PD/PI’s
eRA Commons account
Carefully review the entire application.
This is your chance to view/print the same application
image that will be used by Reviewers!
A Rule of Thumb
All correspondence to NIH must be routed through
the Authorized Official
Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)
Phone Number:
Fax:
Email:
Questions:
(205)-934-5266
(205)-975-5977
osp@uab.edu
askosp@uab.edu
Finding Help
Web Sites (NIH and OSP),
eRA Commons Help Desk
Resources
Links of Interest
− Electronic Research Administration:
http://era.nih.gov/
− eRA Commons:
https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
− Applying Electronically:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/ElectronicReceipt/
− NIH Grants Information Page (Office of Extramural Research):
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/oer.htm
− NIH Grants Policy Statement:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/nihgps_2010/nihgps_ch1.htm#costsh
aring
− Information about NIH Career Development (K) Awards:
http://grants.nih.gov/training/careerdevelopmentawards.htm
Resources (contd.)
− Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP):
http://www.uab.edu/osp/
− OSP Drop-box:
https://itisapps.ad.uab.edu/Research/FileUpload/Pages/Login.aspx
− OSP Drop-box Instructions:
http://www.uab.edu/uabra/ogca/ogcapdf/OGCA%20Submitter%20Guide.pdf
− Responsible Personnel List (RPL):
http://www.uab.edu/uabra/ogca/ogcapdf/Project_Personnel_List.pdf
− UAB Extramural Checklist:
http://www.uab.edu/uabra/ogca/ogcapdf/Extramural_Checklist.pdf
− UAB Extramural Checklist Instructions and Glossary:
http://www.uab.edu/uabra/ogca/ogcapdf/Checklist_Glossary.pdf
Service Desk
eRA Commons Help Desk:
Hours: Mon-Fri 7a.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern
Web:
http://itservicedesk.nih.gov/era
Toll-free: 1-866-504-9552
Phone: (301) 402-7469
TTY:
(301) 451- 5939
Don’t forget to get a help desk ticket number if your issue
isn’t immediately resolved.
Questions?
Thank you !!