Dr. Bishop is the Hematology Program Director at the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases.
Dr. Tang is a Scientific Review Administrator for the Erythrocyte and Leukocyte Biology Study Section at the Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health.
NIH will soon require that all competing grant applications be submitted electronically through Grants.gov, using the SF424[R&R] form. NIH recommends that applicants be prepared and start early by finding out when their grant mechanism will require electronic submission. Transition dates differ for R01s, U45, etc., so check the timeline online at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/files/Electronic_receipt_timeline_Ext.pdf. Applicants should not try to send a paper application after the transition date. Once a grant mechanism "goes electronic," no paper applications will be accepted. Another important step is to register with eRA Commons. Your organization also must be registered with eRA Commons and Grants.gov. Organizations can register at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/preparing.htm.How to Apply for a Grant: Step 1: You search for a grant opportunity in NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts or on Grants.gov. Step 2: You download the grant application package (SF424[R&R]). Step 3: You complete your application and save a copy on your computer. Step 4: The Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) submits the application to Grants.gov, either directly using PureEdge Viewer or system-to-system data streaming (XML), or indirectly through a service provider. All required registrations must be completed before submission. Step 5: Grants.gov performs basic form validation and virus check on submitted application. Step 6: You can track the status of the submitted application at Grants.gov until you are notified via e-mail that NIH has received it. Step 7: eRA software performs NIH business rules validation on submitted application. Step 8: NIH asks both Principal Investigator (PI) and AOR by e-mail to check the eRA Commons for results of NIH validations check. All errors must be corrected and the entire corrected application submitted back through Grants.gov before a grant image will be assembled by eRA Commons. You should carefully review warning messages, but you are not required to"fix" warnings prior to moving to the next step. Please remember that some warnings may not be applicable or may need to be addressed after application submission. Step 9: Once the application image is assembled in the eRA Commons, the PI and AOR have two business days to view the application image. If everything is acceptable, no further action is necessary. The AOR will have the option to "Reject" the application if, due to an eRA Commons or Grants.gov system issue, the application does not correctly reflect the submitted application package. Step 10: After two business days, the eRA Commons saves the data and grant image, and NIH begins processing the application. Step 11: Applicants can track the progress of their application in eRA Commons. Special Notes: Mac users need to use PC emulation software or download free CITRIX client application (www.grants.gov/MacSupport).
Each Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will provide a link to the application form and instructions. The two most frequently occurring errors are missing commons user ID in the credential field and PDF issues. Detailed information on these problems is available at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/files/Top_Two_Errors_in_Electronic_Submission.htm. For more information on electronic submission, view the frequently updated FAQ, Tips and Tools, and Training pages, as well as other important details at http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt. Additional input provided by Megan Columbus, NIH Office of Extramural Research.
