Electronic Research Administration (eRA)

Submitting Via Grants.gov & Electronic Research Administration (eRA)

Submit a question about the new business process
or the eRA system
- eRA FAQ

If you have questions about submitting via Grants.gov contact the Office of Research by e-mail at thall2@nd.edu.



What is Grants.gov?
Grants.gov simplifies the grants management process and creates a centralized, online process to find, and apply for,over 900 grant programs from the 26 Federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov streamlines the process of awarding over $360 billion annually to state and local governments, academia, not-for-profits and other organizations. This program is one of the 24 Federal cross-agency E-Government initiatives focused on improving access to services via the Internet. The vision for Grants.gov is to be a simple, unified source to electronically find, apply, and manage grantopportunities.

Why was Grants.gov developed?
Grants.gov was developed as part of the President’s Management Agenda and related E-Government Strategy, which charged Federal grant-making agencies with developing a single electronic system to find and apply for Federal grant opportunities.

GRANTS.GOV - How to get started:
1. Faculty members DO NOT have to register with this system. The Office of Research has done all the necessary registrations for proposal submission. The term 'applicant' here refers to the University, not the PI.

2. Open Grants.gov at http://www.grants.gov/ and click the Get Started tab at the top.

• PC Users Download/install the PureEdge Viewer. The PureEdge Viewer will allow you to view and assemble the application. When you find the opportunity of interest, note the CFDA or opportunity number. Go back to the Get Started Page and download the application" and instructions. Open the application package, confirm it is the one you wanted, and complete the proposal, forms, etc.
NOTE: This system is compatible with PCs only...Unix, and other non-PC users will need to use a PC.

• MAC Users Instructions for Mac Users
Download the Grants.gov 1.0.3.dmg file

The application can be completed offline. When the applications is complete, provide an electronic copy to the OR - either via email (researc2@nd.edu) or on CD (in addition to regular routing). The Office of Research will submit the proposal.

AS WITH PAPER VERSIONS, PROPOSALS BROUGHT TO THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH WITH LEAD TIME OF LESS THAN 3-DAYS RUN THE RISK OF MISSING THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE.

Questions?: Contact Terri Hall, Assoc Dir of Sponsored Prgms (eRA) at 1-7378 or thall2@nd.edu

3. REVIEW THE
        – Quick Reference Guide
        – SF424 R&R with sample data
        – Notre Dame's Grants.gov Guide
        – GrantsGov User Guide
        – Proposal Demonstration
        – FAQ

4. WARNINGS

PDF Issues:
• Using older versions of Acrobat is fine…as is using
   FastLane to convert your documents and then save
   them to your computer to attach in your Grants.gov
   application.
• DO NOT use PDFWriter – it causes problems and may
   lead to rejection of your proposal. We recommend using
   the FastLane Converter, or the FastLane Job Options
   (Instructions for using FastLane Job Options can be
   located on page 10 of the NSF Grants.gov guide.
• Acrobat 4+ includes Adobe Distiller Assistant which
   allows a document to be printed as a pdf file to your
   computer. But it must run continuously for it to be used.
   It should be installed into the Startup folder of your
   computer to enable it to start with Windows and run
   continuously in the background. Instructions are on p11
   of the NSF Grants.gov guide.
• note NIH approval of Adobe 4-5-6 but not yet 7

NSF Section...
• Programs with option to submit via Grants.gov    https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/pgmannounce.jsp
• Note that Collaborative proposals are to continue using
   FastLane. As of June 15, 2006 subawards can be
   submitted through Grants.gov.
• NSF guide to grants.gov submissions
   http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/docs/
   grantsgovguide.pdf
• NSF program CFDA numbers list at
   http://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/cfda.jsp

NIH Section...
• NIH Electronic Submission Tips for PIs PDF version or
   Word version
• Ensure that if you are using Version 2 forms that you are
   using the Version 2 SF424 (R&R) Application Guide
• NIH guide to sf424R&R at    http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/prepare_app.htm#1
• NIH requires the Principal Investigator to fill in his or her
   Commons User ID in the PD/PI section Credential log-in
   field on the Senior/Key Person Profile Component.
• For calendar month efforts that are less than 1 when the
   budget period calls for a listing of 1 to 12 months, round
   the number to 1 and leave the budget unchanged.
   Explain the actual effort/person months in the budget
   justification.
• Principal Investigators do NOT need to register in
   Grants.gov but MUST be registered in the NIH eRA
   Commons prior to electronic submission of an application.
   Contact Terri Hall at 631-7378 for assistance with this.
• NIH’s planned timeline for transitioning all competing
   grant mechanisms http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt
   /strategy timeline.htm
• NIH Training information and materials
   http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/training.htm

What is eRA?
Electronic Research Administration (eRA) is the paperless transfer of extramural research grant applications, reports, award documents, and administrative data.

More simply put: using your computer not paper!

Electronic systems are generally web-based and allow us to:
  - prepare, review and submit proposals
  - monitor their progress with the sponsor
  - administer their award funding
  - provide reports on project progress
  - request no-cost extensions, change PI, etc.
  - closeout awards

Why are so many sponsors requiring electronic submission of proposals, reports, etc.?
In 1999, the President signed the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act (Public Law 106-107) which mandated:
  - improve the effectiveness and performance of Federal
    grant programs,
  - simplify grant application and reporting requirements,
  - improve the delivery of services to the public, and
  - facilitate greater coordination among those responsible
    for delivering such services.

In essence, it requires federal agencies to migrate to electronic systems from their paper-based systems in order to lower the cost, reduce administrative effort, expedite the processing of extramural grants, and speed up announcements to the grantee community.