Successful Submissions Created by: Geeta Chhabra Prepare–Complete-Submit-Track-View

Electronic Submission of NIH Grant Applications Prepares the application per institution and NIH guidelines Once the suggested changes are made please drop the final application in the OSP drop-box three (3) business days prior to the deadline Find and download announcement and application package 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) 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

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

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 Some FOAs focus on specific areas for research and others provide instructions and forms for general grant programs Use “Parent” FOAs for unsolicited applications

Parent Announcements Research (R) and Research Training (T) Activity Codes TitleAnnouncement Number Expiration Date R01Research Project Grant PA /08/2016 R03NIH Small Research Grant ProgramPA /08/2016 R13, U13 NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings PA /08/2016 R15Academic Research Enhancement AwardPA /08/2016 R21 NIH Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Program PA /08/2016 T32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grants PA /08/2017 T35 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants PA /08/2017

Parent Announcements (contd.) Career Development (K) Activity Codes TitleAnnouncement Number Expiration Date K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award PA /08/2017 K02Independent Scientist AwardPA /08/2017 K07Academic Career AwardPA /08/2014 K08 Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award PA /08/2017 K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award PA /08/2014 K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient- Oriented Research PA /08/2017 K25 Mentored Quantitative Research Development Award PA /08/2017 K99/R00NIH Pathway to Independence AwardPA /08/2017

Parent Announcements (contd.) Fellowship (F) Activity Codes TitleAnnouncement Number Expiration Date F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral MD/PhD and Other Dual Doctoral Degree Fellows PA /08/2017 F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellows PA /08/2017 F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards for Individual Predoctoral Fellowships to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research PA /08/2017 F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows PA /08/2017 F33 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) for Individual Senior Fellows PA /08/2017

Finding FOAs for Investigator-Initiated Research NIH Office of Extramural Research 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 applyStandard dates Peer Review Date(s): Standard dates applyStandard dates Council Review Date (s): Standard dates applyStandard dates Earliest Anticipated Start Date (s): Standard dates applyStandard dates 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 CFDAOpportunity Number Competition ID Competition Title Agency Instructions and Application PA ADOBE FORMS-C National Institute of Health Download

Download Application Package DOWNLOAD OPPORTUNITY INSTRUCTIONS AND APPLICATION You have chosen to download the application for the following opportunity: Opportunity Number: PA : 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 address so that you can be notified of any changes to the application before the closing date. Your address will allow us to you in the event this opportunity is changed and republished on Grants.gov before its closing date. ________________________ Confirm _____________________ ___No, I do not wish to provide my 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 : 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 InstructionsDownload Application Instructions 2.Download Application PackageDownload 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 Aims1 Research Strategy6 Respective Contributions1 Selection of Sponsor and Institution1 Responsible Conduct of Research1 Applications for Concurrent Support (when applicable)1 Goals for Fellowship Training and Career1 Activities Planned Under This Award1 Doctoral Dissertation and Other Research Experience2 Sponsor (s) and Co-Sponsor (s)6 Biographical Sketch4

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 Aims1 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 Research1 Mentoring Plan (Include only when required by the specific FOA, e.g., K24 and K05) 6 Statements by Mentor, Co-Mentors, Consultants, Contributors6 Description of Institutional Environment1 Institutional Commitment to Candidate’s Research Career Development 1 Biographical Sketch4

Table of Page Limits (contd.) For institutional Training (T), International Training (D43, D71), Institutional Career Development (K12, KM1), and Research Education (R25) ApplicationsTraining (T)D43D71K12KM1R25 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 Sketch4

Table of Page Limits (contd.) For R01, R03, R21 and all other Applications Section of ApplicationActivity 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 AimsFor all Activity Codes1 Research Strategy For Activity Code DP15 For Activity Codes R03, R13, U13, R13/U13, R21, R36, R41, R43, 6 For Activity Code DP210 For Activity Codes R01, U10, R15, U18, R21/R33, R24, U01, DP3, G08 12 For UM1 Applications6,12 or 30 pages For all other Activity Codes Follow FOA instructions Biographical SketchFor all Activity codes except DP24

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 s from eRA commons are sent to the SO, PI and the contact person listed on the SF 424 (R&R) form Examples of s 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:(205) Fax:(205)

Finding Help Web Sites (NIH and OSP), eRA Commons Help Desk

Resources Links of Interest −Electronic Research Administration: −eRA Commons: −Applying Electronically: −NIH Grants Information Page (Office of Extramural Research): −NIH Grants Policy Statement: aring −Information about NIH Career Development (K) Awards:

Resources (contd.) −Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP): −OSP Drop-box: −OSP Drop-box Instructions: −Responsible Personnel List (RPL): −UAB Extramural Checklist: −UAB Extramural Checklist Instructions and Glossary:

Service Desk eRA Commons Help Desk: Hours: Mon-Fri 7a.m. – 8 p.m. Eastern Web: Toll-free: Phone: (301) TTY: (301) Don’t forget to get a help desk ticket number if your issue isn’t immediately resolved.

Thank you !! Questions?