Notice Number: NOT-OD-08-018
Key Dates
Release Date: November 30, 2007
Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov)
NIH will reduce the “error correction window” (i.e. the time allowed after
the submission deadline to address NIH system identified errors/warnings) from
five (5) business days to two (2) business days for all electronically
submitted grant applications with submission deadlines on or after January 8,
2008.
This change will mean that electronic applications will be considered
“on-time” if all of the following criteria are met:
- All required registrations must be complete prior to the initial
submission.
- Initial successful submission to Grants.gov must have a timestamp on/before
5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant organization on the receipt date.
- Applicants must correct errors and/or warnings within the two
business days following the receipt date (referred to as the “error
correction window”).
- All application corrections must be in response to a system-identified
error/warning (application submissions with additional changes may be
refused).
- If final submission is sent after the receipt date, a cover letter
attachment must be included identifying the
system-identified errors/warnings that have been corrected.
The two business days provided to view the assembled application image in
eRA Commons will remain unchanged.
It is NIH’s ultimate goal to define “on-time” submission as having an
error-free application (i.e., passes Grants.gov and eRA Commons system-enforced
business rules without errors) with a Grants.gov timestamp on/before 5:00 p.m.
local time of the applicant organization on the receipt date. NIH temporarily
relaxed the definition of “on-time” submission by allowing a five business day
“error correction window” for the first six electronic application receipt
cycles following the initial transitions to electronic applications. The “error
correction window” allowed applicants to adjust to the system-enforced business
rules and ensured that Grants.gov and NIH system processing times did not
interfere with successful submission. Progress on both fronts allows us to
close this window which helps speed up the process of getting the applications
in to review and ultimately award.
Since beginning the NIH Electronic Submission of Grant Applications Program
in December 2005, both NIH and the applicant community have gained valuable
experience with the electronic process and forms. NIH now receives 80% of its
applications electronically through Grants.gov using the SF424 (R&R) form
set. Experience and system improvements have led to a significant rise in the
number of applicants that successfully complete the submission process within
two attempts. Over 93% of applicants submitting to the November 5, 2007 R01
receipt date successfully completed the process within two submission attempts.
We also have measured dramatic improvements in Grants.gov and NIH response
times so applicants can now quickly turn around any needed error corrections.
The November 5 applicants experienced an average response time (from submission
to Grants.gov to receiving a response from NIH) of 33 minutes and a median
response time of 10.42 minutes.
NIH remains committed to ensuring applicants are not penalized for
Grants.gov or NIH system issues that are beyond their control and has
contingency plans in place to handle those situations. The “error correction
window” is a separate concept and has no effect on the contingency
policies.
Summary of electronic application process:
- Find funding opportunity announcement of interest and download application
package
- Prepare application
- Submit application to Grants.gov
- Wait for NIH to retrieve application
- Check submission status in eRA Commons
- Correct all errors and, at applicant's discretion, any warnings and
resubmit through Grants.gov
Note: If corrections are made after the receipt date, the "Error correction
window" applies
- Check assembled application image in eRA Commons within the two business
day "application viewing window"
- Submission complete
Inquiries
Inquiries regarding this Notice should be directed to:
Grants Info
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
Phone: 301-435-0714
TTY: 301-451-0088
Email: grantsinfo@nih.gov
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