Confirming May 25 Transition Plans

 The research community is reminded that the following grant programs will transition to electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) form through Grants.gov for applications intended for the May 25, 2007, submission date and beyond:

Notice Number: NOT-OD-07-033

For the past eighteen years Congress has legislatively mandated a limitation on direct salary for individuals under NIH grant, cooperative agreement and contract awards (referred to here as a grant). The mandate appears in the annual appropriation act that provides authority for the NIH to incur obligations for a given Fiscal Year (FY). At this time NIH has not received a FY 2007 appropriation, and is operating under a Continuing Resolution that applies the terms of the FY 2006 Appropriation Act.

The FY 2006 Appropriation Act (P.L. 109-149) restricts the amount of direct salary to Executive Level I of the Federal Executive Pay scale. The Office of Personnel Management has recently released new salary levels for the Executive Pay scale. Effective January 1, 2007, the salary limitation for Executive Level 1 is $186,600. For a historical record of the salary cap, including effective dates see: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/salcap_summary.htm

Once the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriation for FY 2007 is enacted, NIH will publish the annual Notice of legislative mandates to provide information on any statutory provisions that limit the use of NIH grant funds in FY 2007. Final guidance on the salary cap will be provided at that time.

Inquiries Questions concerning this notice or other policies relating to grants or contracts should be directed to the grants management or contract management office in the appropriate NIH Institute or Center. For more information on grants policy, please visit: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm

For more information on contracts policy, please visit: http://ocm.od.nih.gov/contracts/contract.htm

Notice from NIH: Standing Receipt Dates for NIH Grants to Change Beginning in January 2007

To facilitate a more efficient and effective transition to the fully electronic submission process, the NIH, Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are announcing changes to receipt dates for which very large numbers of applications are submitted. To avoid bottlenecks in grants processing, receipt dates are being spread across a broader range of dates to provide for a more steady flow of applications commencing in January 2007. Because the heaviest receipt dates have traditionally been the first of the month, the fifteenth of the month, the first Friday, and the last day of the month, the new dates are intentionally offset from those dates. For the standard research project grant application (R01), receipt dates for new applications will be February 5, June 5, and October 5. For renewal, resubmitted or revised R01 applications, the new dates will be March 5, July 5, and November 5. All P series grants (program projects, center grants) will have January 25, May 25, and September 25 receipt dates. New receipt dates for other mechanisms are described in a table included in the official notice at  http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-001.html.
 

Non-Competing Grant Awards Under the Current Continuing Resolution

Non-Competing Grant Awards Under the Current Continuing Resolution
(NOT-OD-07-004)
National Institutes of Health
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-004.html
 

Subject: Information regarding the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research grants

For Your Information:

The New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research wants to make you aware of an important recent revision to the grant application guidelines.

Effective immediately, any grant application submitted to the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research must be submitted in Times New Roman,
Font Size 12. Grant applications that do not follow adhere to the Times
New Roman, Font Size 12 requirement will be summarily rejected.

Thank you,
Mary Ray
NJ Commission on Spinal Cord Research
P.O. Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360
609-943-5405
609-943-4213 (Fax)
 

Important Notice:  USDA Grant applications go electronic on 10/01/06           

Complete Information available at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/fy07changes.html

FY 2007 Grant Application Changes

Beginning with the FY 2007 (October 1, 2006-September 30, 2007) grants cycle, CSREES will:

• require that all grant applicants use new application forms;
• accept only electronic applications for some programs (see table below); and,
• accept either electronic or paper (to be determined, TBD) applications for all other programs (see table below).

The following resources can assist in the FY 2007 grant application process:

• Resources for Applying Electronically
• Resources for Applying by Paper
• CSREES eGrants Planning

Applicants are encouraged to:

• consider applying electronically via Grants.gov to utilize the full functionality of the new application forms
• return periodically to this page for updated information on the CSREES grant application process.

Key Dates
Release Date: August 11, 2006

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), (http://www.nih.gov/)

This notice provides an update and further clarification of the policy published on January 27, 2005 (Notice OD-05-030). The new dates for AREA applications are included as is information about the New Investigator Pilot.  Further details about the process of accepting late submissions are provided.

NIH expects that grant applications will be submitted on time. Standing dates are listed at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm.

• For applications that are required to use paper format these are submission or postmark dates; applications are on time if they are sent on these dates.

• For applications that are required to use electronic submission this requires successful submission to Grants.gov by 5 p.m. local time on the date indicated.

• For both paper and electronic submissions, when these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, they are extended to the next business day. However, Requests for Applications (RFAs) and Program Announcements with Special Referral Considerations (PARs) with special receipt dates always must be received (by Grants.gov for electronic applications and the Center for Scientific Review for paper applications) on the dates designated in the announcement to be on time. This is clearly noted in the website above and in the text of each RFA/PAR.

The long standing NIH policy on late applications is stated in the application instructions. Late applications are generally not accepted. Permission for a late submission is not granted in advance. In rare cases, late applications will be accepted but only when accompanied by a cover letter that details compelling reasons for the delay. While the reasons are sometimes personal in nature, an objective evaluation of their merit requires that some details be provided. It is not sufficient, for example, to state simply that there has been an unforeseen circumstance that delayed submission. Specific information about the timing and nature of the cause of the delay is necessary so that a decision can be made. Only the explanatory letter is needed; no other documentation is expected.

NIH will consider accepting late applications based on the acceptability of the explanation and the processing time required for two different kinds of submission dates:

• Regular Standing Submission Dates: January 10,  February 1, February 25, March 1, May 10,  June 1,  June 25, July 1, September 10,  October 1, October 25, November 1. Applications must be received at the NIH within two weeks of the standing submission date.

• Expedited Standing Submission Dates: April 1, April 5, April 15, May 1, August 1, August 5, August 15, September 1, December 1, December 5, December 15, and January 2. Applications must be received at the NIH within one week of the standing submission date.

The windows of time for consideration of late applications have been carefully chosen so that the late applications can be processed with the cohort of on-time applications. In all cases, when the regular standing submission date or expedited submission date falls on a weekend or federal holiday and is extended to the next business day, the window of consideration for late applications will be calculated from that business day.   Note that the late window always ends in a receipt (not submission) date for both paper and electronic applications.    

NIH will not consider accepting late applications for the Special Receipt Dates for RFAs and PARs.   This includes the special receipt dates (March 20, July 20, and November 20) for resubmission/amended applications that are part of the New Investigator Pilot (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-060.html).

NIH will consider all late applications received within the window of time specified above but will not automatically accept all of them. The reasons for the delay will be carefully considered by the Division of Receipt and Referral at the Center for Scientific Review and a decision made.  In unusual cases the reasons provided will be considered by senior staff of CSR; Institutes/Centers will be consulted for applications that are their review responsibility.  Applications submitted within the window with reasons that are not found to be acceptable will be returned without review. NIH does not expect to accept any applications received beyond the window of consideration.

In the past, late applications have been accepted for reasons such as: death of an immediate family member of the Principal Investigator, sudden acute severe illness of the Principal Investigator or immediate family member, or large scale natural disasters. Recent service by the Principal Investigator only (this does not include other participants in the application) on an NIH extramural review group that could reasonably be expected to require a time commitment that could have been used to prepare an application is also an allowable reason. Note this applies only to NIH extramural review activities, not those of other Federal agencies or private organizations.  Examples of reasons that have not led to the acceptance of a late application are: heavy teaching or administrative responsibilities, relocation of laboratory, health problems, personal events, or review service for participants other than the principal investigator, attendance at scientific meetings, or having a very busy schedule.

It is important to emphasize that these various examples are just that, examples. No NIH staff member whether in the Center for Scientific Review or any of the other Institutes/Centers has the authority to give permission in advance for a late application. Contacting the Division of Receipt and Referral or any other component of the NIH will not lead to either permission to submit late or an evaluation of the acceptability of the reasons for a delay.

Item of Interest – July 13, 2006

There are exceptions to every rule… (see Item of Interest – July 12, 2006 - below)

Yesterday, we provided an update on our Version 2 forms implementation. As we’ve all figured out by now, updating forms in this brave new electronic world is messy business. We did our best to introduce the Version 2 forms to existing Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) at a time that would be the least disruptive to applications in progress for standard submission dates. There just isn’t any time, however, that misses ALL submission dates. So we have identified about a dozen FOAs that are exceptions to the general update rules.

Here is the general rule so you can have this all in one place:
 

The following group of eleven FOAs will be held for reposting of the Version 2 forms until 9/15/2006, since the next submission dates for these FOAs are too close to the update dates in the general rule.

Attention R21 and RO3 Applicants

All amended R21 and R03 applications (resubmissions) are limited to one-page Introductions. There may have been a three-page limit on the Introduction for some R21 resubmissions using the paper PHS 398 application. With the transition to electronic submission, R21 and R03 resubmissions are limited to a one-page Introduction. The system will generate an error if you submit a resubmission with more than one page. If you receive this error, the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) must submit a "changed/corrected" application through Grants.gov with the Introduction condensed to one page.

Remember that Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) may include instructions specific to the grant program or specific opportunity. Instructions in FOAs supersede instructions in the application guide. It is important to carefully read both documents when filling out a grant application.

Timing is everything!

The July 1 deadline for renewals, resubmissions and revisions for R03, R21, R33 and R34 applications is just around the corner. Since the July 1 receipt date falls on a Saturday this year, the new deadline is 5:00 p.m. (local time of the applicant organization) on Monday, July 3. OK, that’s pretty much what we all expected- NIH has always given applicants until the next business day when a receipt deadline falls on a weekend or holiday. So, what’s the big deal? Remember that two-weekday window to view your assembled application that we keep reminding you about? The viewing window includes holidays and the day after the new deadline just happens to be the 4th of July. So, applications submitted on the receipt date of Monday, July 3 will automatically move forward if no action is taken by 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, July 5. Please plan accordingly.

The signature of the Principal Investigator is no longer required as a part of a submitted application. Instead, a new compliance requirement is now implemented whereby the applicant organization agrees to secure and retain at the organization a written assurance from the Principal Investigator (PI) prior to submitting an application to the PHS.  While this assurance is no longer required as part of the submitted application, it remains a compliance requirement.  Therefore, organizations must retain a unique signature and date for each submitted application.  This assurance must be available to the sponsoring agency or other authorized HHS or Federal officials upon request. 

 ORSP has incorporated the PI certification into the certifications/assurances part of the endorsement form which has been updated as of May 8^th, 2006.  If you submit an application to the NIH after May 10, 2006 and do not use the revised endorsement, you must download the separate NIH certification page below, complete, sign and submit the form at the time of submission with your endorsement.  It may be sent to ORSP via fax, scanned copy or original hard copy.

NIH Certification Page - Word Doc
NIH Certification Page - Fillable pdf

 If you have any questions about this policy, please contact your Grant Specialist.

Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-060
Release Date: April 13, 2006

This notice clarifies Notice OD-06-013 (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-013.html), “Pilot Study to Shorten the Review Cycle for New Investigator R01 Applications. “ The special receipt date in the pilot for any given amended R01* application (an R01 application from an individual that meets the NIH definition of a new investigator) is a one time opportunity to submit on the 20th of March, July, or November. If a new investigator in the pilot decides not to submit for the very next cycle, the investigator may submit an amended application on the standard dates for amended applications (March 1, July 1, or November 1). Should a second amendment be submitted that too would be eligible for a one time window of opportunity to be submitted for the very next cycle.

Complete announcement - http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-06-060.html

Notice Number: NOT-OD-06-054
Release Date: April 7, 2006

The purpose of this Notice is to inform the grantee community of a change regarding the signature of the Principal Investigator (PI) as a part of applications, post-submission information, progress reports, and post-award prior approval requests and the corresponding implementation of a new Institutional compliance requirement to secure and retain the PI signature as part of the institutional review/approval process.

The signature of the Principal Investigator is no longer required as a part of a submitted application. Instead, a new compliance requirement is now implemented whereby the applicant organization agrees to secure and retain at the organization a written assurance from the Principal Investigator (PI) prior to submitting an application to the PHS. 

This change is effective with competing applications submitted for submission/receipt dates May 10, 2006 and thereafter.

4/7/06
NIH/AHRQ Announce Change in Business Process Concerning eRA Commons Verifications of Electronically Submitted Applications