The NIH Electronic Grant Submission Process

1
The NIH Electronic Grant Submission Process

• Step by Step

2
Basic Requirements

• Every Principal Investigator will need an eRA
  Commons Account
• Access an eRA Commons account request form from
  the MCW Grants Contracts intranet web site (via
  Infoscope).
• The web address is
• http//infoscope.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?doci
  d12940
• Return completed form the Grants and Contracts
  staff member assigned to your department (fax
  414-456-6552)

3
Basic Requirements

• Individuals DO NOT need accounts to access the
  Grants.gov system.
• Individual institutions register with Grants.gov
  (MCW is registered with Grants.gov.)

4
Basic Requirements

• Internet Access
• Grants.gov is a web-based system. In order to
  use this program, individuals will need access to
  the world wide web/internet.

5
Basic Requirements

• PDF File Generator
• The NIH requires that each attachment in the
  Grants.gov application be submitted as a PDF
  file.
• Every PI will need access to PDF generating
  software (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Professional).
• Make sure ALL attachments to an electronic
  application are in PDF format. An application
  will be rejected if any attachments are Word
  documents.

6
Getting Started

• Identify a Funding Opportunity Announcement
  (FOA).
• Electronic grant applications must be submitted
  in response to a Funding Opportunity
  Announcement. Investigator Initiated or
  Unsolicited applications will now be submitted
  via Grants.gov in response to Parent
  Announcements that are mechanism (e.g. R01, R21,
  P01, etc.) specific.
• Applicants can look for an appropriate Parent
  opportunity on the NIH Parent Announcements web
  page
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/parent_announce
  ments.htm

7
Getting Started

• For institute-specific opportunities in a
  particular area of science, search the NIH Guide
  for Grants and Contracts. There may be an FOA
  published by an NIH Institute or Center that is
  searching specifically for research that you are
  interested in pursuing.
• The NIH Guide can be found at
• http//grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html

8
Getting Started

• As soon as a Funding Opportunity has been
  identified and specific instructions related to
  the FOA have been reviewed, preparation of the
  application can begin.
• Note Many of the traditional application due
  dates have been modified to accommodate the
  electronic application process. To confirm the
  date of a specific NIH Funding Opportunity, check
  the NIH web site listed below.
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionsch
  edule.htm

9
Application Preparation

• Open your web browser and go to www.grants.gov
• Click on Apply for Grants
• If you have not already done so, install the Pure
  Edge Viewer software. (This is the software that
  runs the Grants.gov forms. It is provided at no
  charge by Grants.gov.)

10
Application Preparation

• Click on Apply Step 1 Download a Grant
  Application Package and Application
  Instructions.
• Save the application and instructions to your
  desktop.
• These instructions relate specifically to the
  preparation of the Grants.gov forms.

11
Application Preparation

• Video
• For specific instructions regarding the
  preparation of a Grants.gov application, view the
  15 minute video which can be accessed through the
  following link
• http//www.grants.gov/images/Application_Package.s
  wf

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MCW Administrative Process

• Two weeks (10 business days) prior to the date
  the application is due to the funding agency,
  submit the following documents to Grants
  Contracts for internal review
• A complete MCW Registration Form,
  (http//infoscope.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?docid
  12940) Financial Disclosure forms for all Key
  Personnel Cost Sharing forms if applicable
• SF424(RR) form
• Abstract
• Proposal budget (on RR or Modular budget forms),
  detail budget and budget justification
• RR Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) for PI
  RR Other Project Information PHS 398 Cover Page
  Supplement PHS 398 Checklist

13
MCW Administrative Process

• The Office of Grants Contracts will
• Review fiscal components of the application
• Review the status of all associated protocols
  (human, animal and/or biohazard)
• Obtain institutional signature on required
  documentation

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MCW Administrative Process

• After the institutional review has been completed
  and the authorized institutional official has
  signed the Registration form, a copy of the
  Registration form and the original grant pages
  will be returned to the Principal Investigator or
  his/her designee.

15
The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• One week (five business days) prior to the date
  the application is due to the funding agency, a
  complete Grants.gov application should be emailed
  to grants_at_mcw.edu or delivered in electronic
  format (flash drive or CD) to the Grants
  Contracts office.
• If the application is emailed, please call or
  e-mail the Grants Contracts staff member
  assigned to your department to confirm receipt of
  application
• The Grants Contracts staff member that supports
  your department will perform a final review of
  all forms in the application and submit the
  application on behalf of MCW to Grants.gov.

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The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• Upon submission to Grants.gov, a series of emails
  will be generated by Grants.gov. to the MCW
  Grants Contracts office.
• These emails will be forwarded by MCW Grants
  Contracts to the Principal Investigator and
  his/her department administrator.
• It is the responsibility of the Principal
  Investigator and his/her department administrator
  to disseminate the emails as they deem
  appropriate.

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The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• As soon as the application has reached its final
  electronic destination (for NIH applications,
  this would be the eRA Commons), a list of
  warnings and/or errors will be generated in the
  destination system.
• It is the Principal Investigators responsibility
  to correct any/all errors and/or warnings.
• Errors must be corrected. Warnings may be
  corrected at the Principal Investigators
  discretion.
• A corrected application must be resent to MCW
  Grants Contracts for resubmission through
  Grants.gov.

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The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• Error-free applications are due to the granting
  agency by 5 p.m. local time on the posted due
  date, or at 5 p.m. on the next business day if
  the due date falls on a weekend or holiday.
• Corrected applications resubmitted after the
  deadline must include a cover letter including
  the Grants.gov tracking number for the original
  submission and an explanation for why the
  corrected application is required.
• The cover letter should be attached to the PHS
  398 Cover Letter form component found with the
  optional documents in the application package.

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The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• After an error-free application has been
  submitted, the Principal Investigator has two
  business days to view the image of the
  application in eRA Commons.
• After two business days have elapsed, the
  application will proceed through the NIH business
  cycle.
• Applicants may track the progress of their
  applications in eRA Commons.

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The Electronic Grant Submission Process

• All applications to federal agencies go through
  the Grants.gov electronic application system.
  This presentation focuses on applications to the
  NIH. If you have an application to another
  federal agency, such as the DOD, USArmy, HRSA,
  etc., the application goes from Grants.gov
  directly to the granting agency. No status is
  reported in eRA Commons, and no follow-up e-mails
  are sent after agency retrieval. Our office
  generally only gets contacted if there is an
  issue with the application or more information is
  requested in these situations, no news is good
  news.

21
Summary of E-Submission Process
22
Supplemental Information

• MCW-specific information to be included on the
  Grants.gov application
• forms
• SF424 Item 5. Applicant Information
• Organizational DUNS 937639060
• Legal Name Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.
• 8701 Watertown Plank Road
• Milwaukee WI 53226 (Milwaukee county)
• Person to be contacted on matters involving this
  application
• April A. Haverty, JD
• Director, Office of Grants and Contracts
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email grants_at_mcw.edu

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Supplemental Information

• Item 6. Employer Identification (EIN) or
  (TIN) 1390806261A3
• Item 7. Type of Applicant O. Private
  Institution of Higher Education
• Item 14. Congressional District of Applicant
  WI-005
• Item 19. Authorized Representative
• David D. Gutterman, MD
• Sr. Assoc. Dean for Research
• Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Office of Research
• 8701 Watertown Plank Road
• Milwaukee, WI 53226 (Milwaukee county)
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email aor_at_mcw.edu

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Supplemental Information

• RR Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) page
• Identify department and division, if applicable
• Credential, e.g. agency login this is the
• eRA Commons User ID of the PI
• (e.g. Dr. John Smith might be JSMITH)
• Project Role PI must be PD/PI any other Key
  Personnel should not be listed as Co-PI unless
  a specific plan is included for a Dual-PI role
  (should be labeled Other and Co-investigator
  instead)

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Supplemental Information

• RR Other Project Information page
• Human Subject Assurance Number 00000820
• Animal Welfare Assurance Number A3102-01
• PHS 398 Cover Page Supplement page
• Person to be contacted on matters involving this
  application
• April A. Haverty, JD
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email grants_at_mcw.edu
• Director, Grants and Contracts
• 8701 Watertown Plank Road
• Milwaukee, WI 53226 (Milwaukee county)

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Supplemental Information

• From the budget pages
• Item B. Indirect Costs
• Indirect Cost Type Modified Total Direct Cost or
  MTDC
• Indirect Cost Rate () 51.5
• Cognizant Agency DHHS
• Indirect Cost Rate Agreement Date 7/3/2008

27
Additional Resources

• MCW Grants and Contracts website
• http//infoscope.mcw.edu/display/router.asp?docid
  8608
• NIH
• http//era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/training.htm
• Grants.gov
• http//www.grants.gov/resources/resources.jsp

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MCW Grants Contracts Office

• April A. Haverty, J.D., Director
• 456-4844
• Wendy S. Brockman
• 456-8759
• Rodney W. Kison
• 456-8507
• Email grants_at_mcw.edu
• Fax [phone]

• Stacie Mattson
• 456-4452
• Michelle Vidergar
• 456-4761
• Cheryl Frank
• 456-8563

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Thank you!
Please contact your Grants and Contracts staff
member if you have any questions.