NIH General Instructions

NIH eRA COMMONS

The eRA COMMONS is an online interface where grant applicants, grantees and grantor agencies can access and share administrative information relating to research grants. The eRA system allows Principal Investigators to track their applications, view summary statements and score letters, view notice of awards, submit just in time information, eSNAP Progress Reports, Financial Status Report and final closeout reports, and no-cost extensions.

The OSP office provides access to eRA COMMONS registration, a condition that must be met before initiating a NIH proposal. To register for an eCOMMONS account you must complete the NIH eCOMMONS Account Request Form below. If you already have an ID and password, click on the link below to login to the eRA COMMONS.

NIH & Grants.gov

The University of Connecticut is already registered with Grants.gov. Investigators and departmental personnel need not register.

NIH provides guidance on submitting applications through Grants.gov at the following sites:

Additional information for NIH submission:

• OSP's Proposal Submission Checklist
• Guide to NIH Programs/Browse Funding Opportunities:
  • NIH Website
  • Grants.gov Website
• Program Deadlines
• Unsolicited Program Applications – Parent Announcements
• NIH Policies and Guidance
• News from NIH

Instructions for Routing NIH Proposals through Grants.Gov

Internal paperwork must be routed as usual.

1. The routing process should be initiated as early as possible before the deadline date. This allows OSP to review and approve the proposal prior to submission.
2. The proposal will not be submitted electronically to NIH until OSP receives the complete proposal package, and it has been reviewed and approved. The "complete proposal package" consists of:
   • Internal Proposal Review Form with signatures
   • Signed Significant Financial Interest Disclosure Forms for all key personnel
   • Budget and Budget Justification
   • Statement of work

The PI does not submit the proposal to NIH.

Only OSP has the authority to submit the proposal to NIH after receiving full access permission from the PI.

1. The PI will complete the electronic application and place the application in the OSP Drop Box.
2. OSP will download the application, review for compliance with application instructions and request additional information and/or corrections as necessary.
3. The PI will be notified when the application has been reviewed and approved.
4. The final version must be reviewed prior to submission.

The Principal Investigator may submit a draft application to OSP for review and approval.

The PI may submit draft attachments in the application for review and continue to update their science during the review process.

Do not wait until the last minute to deliver the final proposal package to the Drop Box.

The grants.gov server has been known to "bog down," particularly on deadline dates. This may result in missing the deadline.

Remember: Submission to Grants.gov and the NIH is a multi-step process. Grants.gov processes a series of validations prior to sending the application to the NIH. NIH, in turn, processes a series of business process validations prior to accepting the application.

A series of email messages will be sent to the PI and OSP when the proposal is submitted via Grants.gov. See Grants.gov submission info for further details.

Once an application completes validation by Grants.gov, it is sent to the NIH. In order for the application to be validated by the NIH, each PI must have an eRA account (Credential Log-In) in the NIH COMMONS system. Request an account from the OSP Website.

If the application meets NIH validation requirements, the application is posted in the PI’s eRA COMMONS account. The PI and OSP need to check the assembled application in the COMMONS to ensure the application is complete and is free of Errors/Warnings. NIH currently allows a 2-day window for corrections once the application has been accepted in the COMMONS. If corrections are required, a cover letter must be included in the resubmission. (This information is in addition to a Cover Letter that may already have been supplied by the PI.)