Grants'gov Bootcamp

1

• Grants.gov Bootcamp
• NCURA PRA II Los Angeles, CA
• Thursday July 12, 2007
• 100pm 430pm
• Workshop Faculty
• Janet Simons (University of Maryland,
  Baltimore)
• jsimons_at_umaryland.edu
• John S. Massa (University of Iowa)
• john-massa_at_uiowa.edu
• You can find a Powerpoint file of this
  presentation at
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_PR
  AII-GG_BOOTCAMP-7-12-07.ppt

2
Grants.gov Boot Camp

• Basic training in
• how to get started with Grants.gov and
• how to prepare, submit and troubleshoot
  applications

July 12, 2007 NCURA PRA
3
Who we are

• Janet B. Simons
• Director, Research Administration and
  Development, University of Maryland, Baltimore
• John S. Massa, Ph.D.
• Associate Director, Division of Sponsored
  Programs, University of Iowa

4
Getting started

• Overview
• Funding Opportunity Announcements
• Software requirements

5
What is Grants.gov?

• Grants.gov
• Created pursuant to a Federal mandate to
  streamline and make consistent the process of
  applying for grants from Federal agencies
• Is being used by 26 Federal grant-making agencies
• Is a web-based portal that facilitates finding
  grant opportunities and applying for funding

6
Institution Responsibilities

• Register the Institution with Grants.gov and the
  Central Contractor Registration (CCR)
• http//www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.js
  p
• HINT If your institution receives Federal
  grants, you may already be registered in CCR
  which facilitates electronic funds transfer
• For NIH submissions, register the Institution
  with NIH eRA Commons
• https//commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
• Other Federal agencies may have electronic
  systems in which you will need to register -
  check their instructions

7
Institution Responsibilities

• Authorize and register appropriate staff in
  Grants.gov and agency-specific systems to submit
  proposals on behalf of the institution
• Grants.gov Authorized Organizational Official
  (AOR)
• NIH eRA Commons Signing Official (SO)

8
PIs NIH eRA Commons Account

• In order to submit NIH grant applications through
  Grants.gov, the Principal Investigator must have
  an NIH eRA Commons account with a PI role
  affiliated with the applicant institution
• If the PI has an account as an NIH reviewer, or
  an account with a former institution, the account
  must be updated

9
Software

• Download PureEdge Viewer - free via the
  Grants.gov website
• Grants.gov Grant Application Packages can only be
  viewed and completed with PureEdge Viewer
• Mac/Non-Windows users will also need to purchase
  Windows emulation software or check the NIH and
  Grants.gov site for other options
• http//era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/files/mac_opt
  ions.htm
• Ensure that you have software to create PDF files
  from Word or other word processing applications
• http//www.grants.gov/resources/download_software.
  jsp

10
The future of PureEdge

• Grants.gov has now contracted with General
  Dynamics for system integration services to
  support Grants.gov, including a transition from
  PureEdge forms to Adobe forms, which are platform
  independent
• Grants.gov is beginning a phased deployment
  starting this month to move to Adobe forms
• NIH will move from PureEdge grant application
  packets to Adobe forms - no timetable yet -
  definitely after July.

11
Find Funding Opportunities

• You must find a funding opportunity announcement
  and download the application package from that
  announcement, whether your project is
  investigator-initiated or directed to a specific
  initiative
• The Grants.gov search engine looks for funding
  opportunities available from the 26 participating
  Federal grant-making agencies
• http//www.grants.gov/applicants/find_grant_opport
  unities.jsp

12
NIH Funding Opportunities

• You must locate a Funding Opportunity
  Announcement for ANY and ALL NIH electronic
  submissions
• The Grant Application Package is specific to the
  NIH mechanism (R01, R21, etc) even if you are
  submitting a new general, investigator-initiated
  application or a Renewal application,
  Resubmission (formerly known as revised or
  amended) application
• Program Announcements (PA) and Requests for
  Applications (RFA) still exist - and you must
  download the specific Grant Application Package
  for each PA or RFA

13
Where to look

• Find out what NIH mechanisms have transitioned to
  electronic submission http//era.nih.gov/Electroni
  cReceipt/strategy_timeline.htm
• Search for NIH grant opportunities via the NIH
  Guide for Grants and Contracts
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html
  
• The NIH now refers to the general,
  investigator-initiated (unsolicited) program
  opportunity as the PARENT - eg Parent R01
  http//grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/parent_ann
  ouncements.htm

14
The Grant Application Package

• When you identify the right Program Opportunity
  Announcement, click on the Apply for Grant
  Electronically button within the program
  announcement to download the PureEdge Grant
  Application Package for that announcement.
• You must download the Grant Application Package
  for each specific Funding Opportunity
  Announcement (FOA)
• For example, the Grant Application Package
  downloaded from an R03 FOA may not be used for an
  R01 application
• Always check for an updated version, i.e., do not
  use an older R21 Grant Application Package that
  was downloaded for a prior deadline

15
Finding the application package

• For NIH Resubmissions (amended/revised
  applications) of an application submitted in
  response to a specific Program Announcement -
  check to determine whether the PA is still
  active. When in doubt, contact the Program
  Officer.
• Download the Grant Application Package from the
  current PA, or download the Grant Application
  Package from the Parent announcement for that
  mechanism and refer to the prior PA in a cover
  letter.

16
PureEdge Files and File Sharing

• PureEdge Grant Application Packages are like
  Word documents -
• The Grant Application Package document must be
  saved on a local hard drive, server, etc - it is
  NOT a web-based system
• Only one person can work on the document at a
  time
• Adding information or editing must be done
  sequentially in the same document
• PIs and their administrators need to discuss how
  the Grant Application Package will be shared for
  completion and review, and who will complete the
  fields in the forms, upload attachments, etc.

17
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18
Saving and sharing the file

• Save the downloaded Grant Application Package on
  your computer for completion
• The Grant Application Package needs to be saved
  on your local hard drive, server, USB drive, etc.
• You will get a warning message when you first
  save the package from the FO because no data have
  been entered yet
• You will continue to get this message each time
  you save until all required data are entered
• OK to ignore message until ready to submit
• Re-save as you add information (similar to
  working with a Word document - save early and
  often!)
• When you Save, be careful with the file name and
  location (avoid creating multiple versions in
  various places).
• PureEdge files have an .xfd extension

19
Instructions!

• When you download the Grant Application Package,
  download any accompanying Instructions.
• Keep your Funding Opportunity Announcement
  (program announcement or request for
  applications) handy for reference - this document
  normally includes information about required
  forms and attachments as well as page limitations
• Follow any links within these documents for
  additional information (for example, information
  specific to an NIH institute)
• The NIHs Grants.gov Application Guide SF424
  (RR) is invaluable and may be downloaded from
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm

20
Next Steps

• Timelines
• Before the forms

21
Validations and Grants.gov

• A key to successful submission is meeting the
  validation standards set by Grants.gov and NIH
  eRA Commons
• Computer programs check for completion of
  mandatory fields and inclusion of mandatory
  attachments, including page limits

22
Errors and Warnings

• A validation Error means that the submission is
  not successful and the application will not go
  forward in the review process
• A validation Warning means that the computer
  found some inconsistency that you should check,
  but the application will move forward for further
  review

23
Its about time!

• Allow time for internal review, to minimize
  validation errors and warnings
• Allow time for final project plan to be uploaded
  prior to submission of the application by the
  institutions authorized official
• Allow time for busy, slow servers as the deadline
  approaches
• Allow time for the possibility of resubmission if
  the validation processes identify an error

24
No more chasing down the FedEx truck at the last
minute!
25
Grants.gov Submission and Retrieval
Your Grant Application
Grants.gov
Federal Agency
Submitted by Institution via web interface
Application retrieved from Grants.gov by Agency
26
Submission Timeline (Ideal)
FINAL PureEdge file to AOR
3 to 5 days
Review
Receipt Validation Retrieval Errors/Warnings? Resu
bmission
Deadline
Proposal submission
27
Before you get to the form...

• Collect institutional data (mostly matches what
  is required for the PHS398 form)
• Collect PI and Key Person contact information and
  biosketches
• Prepare the budget on a spreadsheet
• Prepare attachments

28
Attachments

• Most of the application text - research plan,
  biosketches, resources, etc. - must be uploaded
  as attachments to the Grant Application Package.
  NIH requires pdf attachments.
• PDF attachments are recommended regardless of
  agency requirements, as they are more stable for
  electronic transmission than attachments created
  in other applications
• Create each attachment in Word (or similar
  applications). Once it is final, convert the
  document to pdf format
• The only documents that should be scanned rather
  than converted are letters of support and, when
  necessary, appendix documents
• Dont add any headers or footers
• NIH provides format for some attachments
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm

29
Attachment tips

• Use short file names for your pdf attachments
  that are relevant to the application section, eg,
  ProjectSummary.pdf.
• Once you have added an attachment, your pdf file
  name will appear in the field and the Delete
  Attachment and View Attachment buttons will be
  activated. You should then be able to open and
  view your pdf file, or delete it and upload a
  corrected or updated pdf file.
• Avoid special characters in the file name - see
  guidelines at http//era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceip
  t/pdf_guidelines.htm
• Be sure to save the Grant Application Package
  as you add attachments.

30
Validation in Grants.gov and NIH

31
Check package for errors

• Once you have completed all the forms and
  uploaded all the attachments, save the PureEdge
  file.
• Use the Check Package for Errors button (circled
  on the next slide) in the PureEdge Grant
  Application Package to check for Grants.gov
  errors.
• The Check Package for Errors process ONLY
  checks for Grants.gov errors - errors common to
  all 26 Federal agencies using the system.
• We must Submit the application for it to go
  through the NIH validation process. NIH errors
  will be shown in the eRA Commons.

32
This button only catches Grants.gov errors - not
NIH validation errors
33
Submission and Validation

• AOR submits the application through Grants.gov
• A confirmation page is provided on the website,
  then at least four email messages begin to
  arrive.
• Grants.gov receipt
• Grants.gov validation
• Agency retrieval
• Agency tracking number assigned
• NIH Commons emails regarding submission status
  are sent to the PI and AOR. These messages
  advise of the result of the NIH validation
  process and whether the application has been
  assembled for viewing in NIH Commons.
• These notifications have taken anywhere from
  minutes to days

34
Errors, Warnings and Corrections

• An application with an ERROR will not go forward
  for review (and will not be available to view in
  NIH Commons)
• Applications with Errors should be corrected and
  resubmitted via Grants.gov prior to the agency
  deadline
• Review and correct Warnings as required.
  Applications with Warnings will go forward for
  review. Corrected/changed applications should be
  resubmitted via Grants.gov prior to the agency
  deadline.
• Most Warnings have been minor and have not
  required correction/resubmission.
• Avoid some Warnings by ensuring that PIs and Key
  Persons have updated their data in the eRA
  Commons Personal Profile

35
What will a completed NIH application look like?

• After successful submission with no NIH
  validation Errors, the eRA system will
• Assemble the grant image (pdf document)
• Generate a Table of Contents
• Insert headers (PI name) footers (page numbers)
  on all pages
• Cover letter and Appendices are separated from
  the rest of the application, and no headers or
  footers are inserted on those documents.
• AOR and PI can review and verify the grant image
  in the eRA Commons

36
Review in Commons

• NIH allows 2 business days for the PI and Signing
  Official (SO) to review the application in eRA
  Commons, during which time the SO may reject the
  application.
• This option may be used if the PI or SO
  determines that warnings should be addressed, but
  should be avoided if possible
• If the application is rejected, a
  changed/corrected application must be submitted
  within the two day viewing window.
• If no action is taken within the 2-day period,
  the application will automatically move forward
  in the NIH review process.

37
Corrected Applications

• Prior to the submission deadline, the AOR/SO can
  reject the application and submit a
  changed/corrected application to Grants.gov
  before the submission deadline. No cover letter
  is needed.

38
Corrected Applications

• If the AOR/SO rejects the application after the
  submission deadline to address warnings, the
  AOR/SO can submit a changed/corrected application
  within the one week correction window NIH is
  allowing during the transition. A cover letter
  must be attached to the application package,
  explaining the reason for the delay.
• If the AOR/SO rejects the application after the
  submission deadline for some reason other than
  system issues or warnings, a changed/corrected
  application can be submitted to Grants.gov. But
  applicants need to be cautioned that these
  applications will be subject to the NIH late
  policy and may not be accepted. A cover letter
  must be attached to the application package,
  explaining the reason why the application is
  late.

39
Resources

• NIH application instruction guide(s)
• http//grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm
  
• NIH Grants Info
• Phone [phone] (TTY)
• Email GrantsInfo_at_nih.gov
• http//era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt
• NIH - Avoiding Common Errors
• http//era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/avoiding_erro
  rs.htm

40
Questions?
41
Contacts

• John Massa john-massa_at_uiowa.edu
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/index.php?gete
  lectronicsubmissionnihgrants.html
• Janet Simons jsimons_at_umaryland.edu
• http//www.ord.umaryland.edu/electronic_submission
  s/electronic_submissions.html

42

• APPENDIX
• New Limits on Appendix Materials for all NIH
• Grants.gov Final Check (NIH Applications) -
  Checklist
• Key Personnel Other Significant Contnributors -
  Definitions
• NIH Multiple Principal Investigators
• Page Limitations Content Requirements (NIH
• The above handouts can be found at the URL below.
  They are included in your NCURA PRA-II packet
  for this workshop, but are not included in this
  PowerPoint slideshow.
• These handouts can be found at
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_PR
  AII-Handouts-Simons.pdf

43

• Grants.gov Bootcamp
• NCURA PRA II Los Angeles, CA
• Thursday July 12, 2007
• 100pm 430pm
• Workshop Faculty
• Janet Simons (University of Maryland,
  Baltimore)
• jsimons_at_umaryland.edu
• John S. Massa (University of Iowa)
• john-massa_at_uiowa.edu
• You can find a Powerpoint file of this
  presentation at
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_PR
  AII-GG_BOOTCAMP-7-12-07.ppt

44
Grants.gov Bootcamp

• Janet Simons (University of Maryland, Baltimore)
  has covered
• Basic Training
• Getting started with Grants.gov

45
Grants.gov Bootcamp

• John Massa (University of Iowa) will cover
• Filling out the PureEdge SF 424
• Specific Tips for the administrator
• If time permits Whats up with the new Adobe
  forms??

46
NIH Grants.gov Info Page

• Heres the University of Iowas WEB page
• for NIH Grants.gov details
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/index.php?gete
  lectronicsubmissionnihgrants.html

47
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

48
APPLICATION FILING NAME

• ISSUE
• What should be entered for the
• Application Filing Name ?
• TIP
• PIs LAST NAME - short TITLE
• SMITH You Gotta Have Heart

49
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50
APPLICATION FILING NAME

• The Application Filing Name
• SMITH You Gotta Have Heart
• Why this format? It makes tracking easier for
• Grants.gov status e-mails
• Grants.gov Applicant Status List

51
-----Original Message----- From
support_at_grants.gov mailtosupport_at_grants.gov
Sent Monday, June 11, 2007 235 PM To
nih_at_uiowa.edu Subject Grants.gov Submission
Receipt GRANT00285095 Your application has been
received by Grants.gov and is currently being
validated. Your submission was received at
11-Jun-07 033518 PM EDT Type GRANT Grants.gov
Tracking NumberGRANT00285095 We will notify you
via email when your application has been
validated by Grants.gov and is ready for the
Grantor agency to retrieve and review. DUNS
Number 0627616710000 Application
Name Smith You Gotta Have Heart
Opportunity Number PA-06-180 Opportunity
Name NIH Small Research Grant Program (Parent
R03) AOR Name John Massa
52
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53
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

54
My PureEdge edits disappeared!

• ISSUE
• How to respond to a user who claims All
  of my edits on the PureEdge form have
  disappeared!!
• TIP
• Response No, the edits didnt disappear.
  They were saved by PureEdge to a different folder
  . You opened the old (pre-edits) version. Name
  your files consecutively so you can tell when one
  is missing.
• Smith-03.XFD
• Smith-04.XFD

55
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

56
E-Mail SUBJECT lines

• (minor) ISSUE
• Subject for your PI e-mail
• TIP
• SUBJECT line in your e-mails
• NIH Grants.gov R01 (PI SMITH) --

57
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

58
Labor-Intensive E-mails to the PI

• ISSUE
• Labor-intensive e-mails to the PI and
  helpers about Corrections needed prior to
  Grants.gov submission.
• TIP
• Use a canned e-mail response that includes
  common errors. Its much easier to DELETE than
  to COMPOSE.

59
Creating canned e-mails

• How do you create canned e-mail
• responses?
• One way
• Use the Signature feature in MS
• Outlook to create signatures that are
• actually your canned text.

60
E-mails to the PI for Corrections
Professor Smith I made some minor edits to the
application, renamed the file Smith-03.xfd and
uploaded the new version to the UIRIS Grants.gov
Uploads Page. IMPORTANT To prevent the loss
of my edits, please make your changes directly to
this file (Smith-03.xfd), the one that is on the
UIRIS Grants.gov Uploads page now
at http//uiris.research.uiowa.edu/ When you
have completed your edits (see below) save the
file to your local drive, rename
it Smith-04.xfd (or a higher number) and upload
it to UIRIS by clicking the "Edit" button to the
right of the record on the UIRIS Grants.gov
Uploads page. Then simply BROWSE to the new file
and replace the current one. DO NOT DELETE THE
ENTIRE RECORD AND THEN CREATE A NEW RECORD (that
is, do not start over by entering the title,
deadline date, etc. again). Here are the edits
that you need to complete. Please let me know
via e-mail when you are 100 finished.
61
E-mails to the PI for Corrections
--------------------------------------------------
--------- PHS 398 MODULAR BUDGET
COMPONENT Budget Justification/Personnel
Justification Note that there are new NIH
guidelines for expressing effort. You cannot use
the term "person months," as you have for all
personnel currently listed. " effort" must now
be expressed in "calendar months effort" (for
12-month UI appointments) or "Academic Months
Summer Months" (for 9-month appointments). The
term "person months" cannot be used because it
does not specify the type of appointment. For
example, for a 12-month appointment "50
effort" OLD WAY "6.0 calendar months effort"
NEW WAY For example, for a 9-month
appointment "50" effort" OLD WAY "4.5
Academic months 1.5 Summer months" NEW
WAY See the corresponding section on the help
page for additional details http//research.uiow
a.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_nih_help2A.pdf
62
E-mails to PI for Corrections Corrections
Needed e-mail response To see the full text,
open this presentation in MS PowerPoint
Copy/Paste the text below into an e-mail by
following these steps (1) Double-click on the
item below (2) Ctrl-A (3) Ctrl-C (4) Open a
text editor or e-mail message (5) Ctrl-V. Trust
me. Its all there!
63
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

64
E-mail to the PI Warnings/Errors

• ISSUE
• E-mail to the PI and helpers about Warnings
  and/or Errors on the NIH Commons
• TIPUse a canned e-mail response that includes
  common errors. Its much easier to DELETE than
  to COMPOSE.

65
E-mail to the PI Warnings/Errors
Professor Smith Your NIH application was
accepted by the NIH eRA Commons with Warnings
only. I've attached a file showing the Warnings.
These are not substantive Warnings and do not
need to be addressed now (assuming that you have
complied with the specific NIH page limits for
the various sections of your application.).
The application will be finalized and accepted
by NIH without further action. You should,
however, log in to the NIH eRA Commons and take a
look at your assembled grant to make sure
everything looks OK. Very rarely, transmission
errors can occur, and these do NOT show up in the
list of formal Errors or Warnings, such as the
one attached to this e-mail. NIH eRA Commons
Login https//commons.era.nih.gov/commons/
66
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67
E-mail to the PI Warnings/Errors Warnings
Only e-mail response To see the full text,
open this presentation in MS PowerPoint
Copy/Paste the text below into an e-mail by
following these steps (1) Double-click on the
item below (2) Ctrl-A (3) Ctrl-C (4) Open a
text editor or e-mail message (5) Ctrl-V. Trust
me. Its all there!
68
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

69
What do I put in the boxes?!

• Filling out the NIH Grants.gov PureEdge Form
• Pop-Up Help
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_ni
  h_help2A.pdf
• Download an NIH R01 Grants.gov PureEdge package

70
Searching for forms on Grants.gov

• TIP All Grants.gov search pages are NOT EQUAL
• Grants.gov DOWNLOAD APPLICATION PACKAGE
• https//apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html
• vs.
• Grants.gov SEARCH GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
• http//www.grants.gov/search/basic.do
• EXAMPLE
• Find USGS non-competing PureEdge Package
  07CRPA0100
• DOWNLOAD APPLICATION PACKAGE FOUND IT!
• SEARCH GRANT OPPORTUNITIES NOT FOUND !!

71
MS Windows VISTA Grants.gov

• Whats up with
• Microsoft Windows VISTA operating system
• Adobe Viewer 7.0.9 (NOT 8.0!) is REQUIRED
• Grants.gov not supporting VISTA
• Adobe Viewer 7.0.9 not supporting VISTA
• QUESTION Has Grants.gov traded a
• MAC problem for a VISTA problem ?
• More on this during my Grants.gov session
• tomorrow (July 13 1030-noon eRA Track)

72

• Grants.gov Bootcamp
• NCURA PRA II Los Angeles, CA
• Thursday July 12, 2007
• 100pm 430pm
• Workshop Faculty
• Janet Simons (University of Maryland,
  Baltimore)
• jsimons_at_umaryland.edu
• John S. Massa (University of Iowa)
• john-massa_at_uiowa.edu
• You can find a Powerpoint file of this
  presentation at
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_PR
  AII-GG_BOOTCAMP-7-12-07.ppt

73

• APPENDIX
• Canned e-mails to send to PIs and helpers
• Corrections needed prior to submission to
  Grants.gov
• Warnings Only on the NIH Commons
• The text of these canned e-mails can be found
  in the URL below. They are included in your
  NCURA PRA-II packet for this workshop, but are
  not included in this PowerPoint slideshow.
• These handouts can be found at
• http//research.uiowa.edu/dsp/main/downloads/gg_PR
  AII-Handouts-Massa.pdf