NIH eRA Commons Whats in it for me

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NIH eRA CommonsWhats in it for me?

• Grants-for-Lunch
• November, 2005

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What is the eRA Commons?

• Electronic Research Administration (eRA) is the
  NIH infrastructure for conducting interactive
  electronic transactions for the
• Receipt
• Review
• Award
• Monitoring and
• Administration
• Of NIH grant awards to organizations and
  investigators

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What is the eRA Commons?

• NIH eRA Commons is the external face of eRA and
  the way NIH interacts electronically with the
  extramural research community
• The eRA Commons is divided into both unrestricted
  and restricted portions that provide for public
  and confidential information, respectively

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Who can access the Commons?

• Acess to the NIH Commons requires institutional
  and individual PI registration affiliated with
  the institution
• UTMB is a registered institutional user of the
  NIH Commons
• Many UTMB faculty also are registered users of
  the NIH Commons

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Why should PIs register for the Commons?

• Commons PI users are able to
• See the status of your grant
• See the reviewer summary statements (beginning
  10/1/2005, NIH will no longer mail paper copies
  of the summary statements)
• Submit Just-in-Time documents
• View latest NOGA
• AND IN THE FUTURE Submit applications
  electronically (PIs must register in the eRA
  Commons before submitting grant applications
  electronically.)

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How do I register?

• Contact your Research Services Office of
  Sponsored Programs Pre-Award Specialist via
  e-mail or call 266-9470
• He/she will create a Commons account for you

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What are the roles within the Commons?

• SO Role (Signing Official)
• Institutional authority to legally bind the
  institution in grants administration matters
• At UTMB, this is the Director of the Office of
  Sponsored Programs

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What are the roles within the Commons?

• AO Role (Administrative Official)
• Reviews grant applications for accuracy before
  the SO signs/submits the final application to NIH
• At UTMB, this is the Office of Sponsored Programs
  Pre-Award Specialists

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What are the roles within the Commons?

• PI Role (Principal Investigator)
• Directs the project or activity being supported
  by the grant
• Responsible and accountable for the proper
  conduct of the project or activity
• Completes the grant process either by completing
  the required forms via the Commons or by
  delegating this responsibility to another
  individual
• Can access information on only those grants for
  which he/she is the designated PI

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What are the roles within the Commons?

• ASST Role (Assistant)
• Designed to allow PIs to delegate certain
  responsibilities for data entry or grant
  information and upkeep of their personal profiles
• Has no other functions in the Commons system

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QUESTIONS?
Web sites

eRA Commons Homepage https//commons.era.nih.go
v/commons/ OSP Guide to eRA Commons
http//research.utmb.edu/osp/gd_era.shtm NIH
eRA Commons Support Page http//era.nih.gov/comm
ons/index.cfm
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What do faculty users have to say about the NIH
Commons?

• Dr. Cheryl Watson, Professor, HBCG to share her
  experiences
• How long have I been a Commons user?
• Why did I initially register?
• What follow-up communication did I receive from
  NIH?
• How does use of the Commons benefit me?
• How easy is it to use?
• What does the future hold?