FAQ: Regarding Research at MCO

No. A personal account in Grants.Gov is NOT needed. The institution is fully registered in Grant.Gov and it is this account that is used for application submission.

2) What time is the RECEIPT deadline for NIH applications submitted via Grants.Gov?

On March 16, 2005 the NIH issued a Notice stating the following: "...applications must be RECEIVED [emphasis added] no later than 5:00 p.m. local time (of the applicant institution/organization)..." This guidance makes it clear that it refers to the time the application is "...successfully received by Grants.Gov..." The full text of this NIH Notice is available at <http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-050.html>.

3) How Do I Submit a Corrected Application? [via NIAID Funding News]

Let's say your application had errors and did not make it through either Grants.gov <http://grants.gov/> or NIH Commons <https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/> validation. At that point, you have to resubmit a corrected application through Grants.gov. Below are the steps you will take.

Be sure to resubmit the whole application -- NIH does not retain any part of an application you previously submitted.

Changed/Corrected. On the first page of the SF 424, select "Changed/Corrected Application" in the Type of Submission field, box 1.

Federal Identifier field. Once the box described above is checked, Grants.gov will require data in the Federal Identifier field, box 4

-- For a new application, including a corrected new application, enter "N/A."

-- For a renewal <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/glossary/default6.htm#renew> of an existing grant or a grant revision <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/glossary/default6.htm#revision> (competing supplement), enter the previous NIH award number, e.g., 1 R01 AI 123456-01, if that field is blank.

Cover letter. Describe how you fixed the problems in the Cover Letter File, found under Optional Documents. If the submission deadline has passed, your cover letter must also explain why your application is late. Include all relevant information from your previous cover letter since it no longer exists.

Always send the application back through Grants.gov even if the failure point was in the NIH Commons

4) What's the Deal with Deadlines in Grant.Gov and NIH eRA Commons?

Your business official for Grants.gov <http://grants.gov/>, called the authorized organizational representative <http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/glossary/default.htm#aor>, MUST submit your application to Grants.gov one or before the deadline date. It must be received by Grants.gov on the deadline date by 5 p.m. in your time zone.

The PI or business official can log in to the eRA Commons and view the status of the application after NIH has received it. When planning your submission, allow at least two weeks to ensure sufficient time to resolve any errors that may be detected by Grants.Gov or NIH eRA Commons (in the case of a NIH application).

5) What is a TIMELY NIH Proposal?

Since submission of NIH proposals via Grants.Gov is a 2-step process, i.e., the proposal is submitted to Grants.Gov, which then "hands off" the proposal to NIH eRA Commons, what constitutes "meeting the deadline?" The short answer is that the "Receipt Time" for the application is assigned by Grants.Gov when it receives the proposal....BUT, if flaws in the application are detected during the "NIH Business Rules Review" in NIH eRA Commons, and the application must be corrected or revised, a NEW "Receipt Time" is assigned upon submission of the corrected/revised proposal. In short, the "Receipt Time" associated with the FIRST ERROR-FREE version of the proposal.

So you ask "If my initial submission to Grants.Gov is at 4PM on the deadline date, but it takes NIH eRA Commons a day or two to notify me about errors, would my proposal still be considered "Timely" if the correction and resubmission were made two days AFTER the deadline?" NIH is very clear on this issue: If errors found during the Commons validation process are addressed AFTER the deadline, the changed or corrected application would be considered LATE.

Some flexibility may be allowed during the first couple of deadlines, but even then, there must be a compelling reason why NIH should accept the application late.

6) How Much Time Do I Get to Submit a Corrected Application? [via NIAID Funding News]

For Grants.gov, your application must be there before the deadline; it does not have to make it through the validation by that time. It's fairly simple to get through Grants.gov validation.

If your changes address errors from the more complex NIH Commons validation, for now you can submit a corrected application to Grants.gov during the week following the submission deadline.

That leniency will change after we all get more comfortable with electronic application, though we don't know when. Read more in "How Do I Submit a Corrected Application?"

7) What Are the Two Most Common Errors in NIH Electronic Submissions via Grants.Gov?

A) Missing Commons User ID in the Credential Field

The application did not Include the PI’s Commons User ID in the field called
“Credential, e.g. agency login.”

This field is not marked as required on the government-wide form but is required by NIH, as noted in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.

The field is located in the first section called “Profile – Project Director/Principal Investigator” on the Senior/Key Person Profile(s) component of the SF424 (R&R) form.

B) PDF issues

NIH only accepts attachments in PureEdge or PDF format. Do not submit attachments in other formats such as Microsoft Word, Word Perfect, etc.

Do not put special characters in file names.

Disable all security features in the PDF document.

Do not send PDF documents with editable fields (fields that can be changed).

8) How Long Does It Take Grants.Gov to Process an Application?

Electronic Submission Alert From NIH (4/4/2006): We have noticed that Grants.gov is taking a little longer than usual to process some applications. Remember that it may take up to 2 business days to process a grant submission at Grants.gov. If you have not received e-mail notifications from Grants.gov within 2 business days, please contact the Grants.gov Customer Support (800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov) to document the issue. Please refrain from additional submissions of the same application while you await the notifications. Applicants will not be penalized for eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issues.

NIH eRA COMMONS ANSWERS:

1) Do I need my own account in NIH eRA Commons?

Yes. Each applicant needs his or her own personal account in Commons. You cannot establishyour own account, but after it is established you are responsible for completing and maintaining the information in your Personal Profile (see question 2 below). If you do not have an account, or are not sure whether you have one, contact Carol Reichenbach in RGA.

2) How do I set up my Personal Profile in NIH eRA Commons?

After logging into Commons, go to "Personal Profile" and fill out all sections: (even for those who already have a username) See Screen sample below.

Print out these sections........when you submit a proposal/application through Grants.Gov your information on the application must match exactly what you have entered in eRA Commons. i.e: your name on the application must be exactly the same as eRA, i.e., of your name is John J. Jingleheimer in commons it must be that way on all applications, it CANNOT be John Jingleheimer or J.J Jingleheimer on any NIH application.

3) How Do I Find Out About Commons Validation Comments?

NIH revised its 55-page eXchange Services Notes, Tips, and Validations , which describes the errors NIH eRa Commons sends you when it validates your application.

The treatise tells you both what Commons is looking for and what each error message means. This is useful for figuring out what the problem is and what to do about it. The error table starts on page 5.

To help you know what to expect, read NIH's Generic Validations Summary or Avoiding Common Causes For Rejected Applications and other Tips and Tools for Navigating Electronic Submission before you apply.

If you still need help, ask the Commons Help Desk; Finding Help has full contact information.

4) How Do I Submit My Non-Competing Renewal via e-SNAP?

First you need to be sure that your grant is eligible for SNAP. Your Notice of Grant Award will give you this information. After that, follow the e-SNAP directions available at <http://era.nih.gov/Docs/eSNAP_UG_v.2.8.1.1.pdf>. Should you have any questions, contact RGA.

5) Is it Possible to Retract A NIH Application Submitted via Grants.Gov?

After submission, you have a two business day period for checking the assembled application in eRA
Commons, after which the submission process will be complete and the application will automatically move forward to the Division of Receipt and Referral, Center for Scientific Review. Within the two day period, the Institutional Signing Official will have the ability to "Reject" the application and stop further processing. PD/PIs must work through the Institutional Signing Official to "Reject" an application. This process will require that applicants reject their application in order to address any warnings. Additional details can be found in an April 7, 2006, NIH Guide Notice <http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-055.html> .

Page Updated: 4/13/2006

Problems with or questions concerning this page should be reported to MUOT Research & Grants Administration
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