Grant.gov-info Archived Message

From: Bob Beattie
October 25, 2007

Issues with Grants.gov submissions and an Adobe update

As we are between two big NIH deadlines and in the middle of those for other sponsors, I wanted to communicate some information about creating error free Grants.gov applications. Also at the end I give some information about the new Adobe Forms Applications.

Between September 17 and October 15, UM submitted 210 NIH applications. Some 63 of those had errors so needed a resubmission. This does not include about another 20 that had to be rejected because of things the PI did not like. In that same time period we submitted 65 applications to other agencies. That is almost 300 applications in 21 days.

The good news is that most of these arrived on or before our 4 day limit. DRDA staff did not miss one deadline. This does not mean to say there were not some close "shaves." Moreover, there was often much stress to the staff.

I would like to share some ideas on how to make this process easier for all of us. Even though there will be a new Adobe Forms based Grants.gov system, that will not be fully activated until the middle of 2008. By then, eResearch 2 might well be available to manage the Grants.gov submissions. In the meantime, we must continue to use the PureEdge program for non-Macs and the IBM Workplace Forms viewer for the Mac. Below, in no specific order, are some suggestions and requests

1. For NSF applications

The Legal Name of the University is not the same as it is for all other sponsors. For NSF, use Legal Name: University of Michigan Ann Arbor also Research and Related Project/Performance Site Location (s) form. Performance Site Name should indicate University of Michigan Ann Arbor

2. Grants.gov auto-fill fields "glitch"

On the face page of the SF424 R&R, in section 5 there is a space for the University of Michigan DUNS number (073133571) and in section 13 there is space for the project start date. Both of these fields auto-fill into the Research and Related Budget form. Once the data are entered into the face page, the budget page fields CANNOT be changed. You cannot get the system to re-auto-fill nor can you change the fields on the budget page. You must start over with a completely new form!

I suggest you fill in DUNS number early in the process and double check that it is correct before you save the file but enter the project start date as one of the last tasks. Do this once you are _ positive_ of what the date will be. The problem does not arise with an NIH modular budget.

3. File names.

There are three places that file names are important: the Application Filing Name on the first page of the downloaded application; the actual Grants.gov file (the one that ends in .xfd that you save to, and then send to us); and the name you use for the files you upload to the application as attachments.

For the first two files, please help us keep track of them by using meaningful names. Note that it is "Application" in Application Filing Name -- do not use the Regents of the University of Michigan, it is not "Applicant " name. Please use the format that we suggest in our web site. http://www.research.umich.edu/era/grantsgov/forms/index.html

This name shows up on some of the emails we get back from Grants.gov so we need for it to give us meaningful information. 3-4 letter sponsor abbreviation (e.g., NIH, NASA)
3 initials of Project Representative (e.g., TGM, DMP)
last four digits of the DRDA Number, if known
PI's last name
So you might get:
NIH TGM 2348 Smith

Application filing names such as the following do not help us:
" BC075011" or "R01 resubmission"

Please use the same naming convention for the name of particular file that you are uploading to the DRDA Server. This makes managing these files much easier. Leave out the spaces: NIHTGM2348Smith.xfd

We get some names like the following that have little useful information. oppAFOSR-BAA-2007-1-cfda12_800-cidNA-1fin.xfd

If you are uploading a corrected application, just add 2 or 3 to the end of the name.

Some agencies are very particular about the names of files attached to the application. Please read their guidelines and follow them. NIH, for example, is very explicit about attachment naming. First, all attachments must be .pdf. Secondly, certain characters are not allowed in the names as noted here http://era.nih.gov/ElectronicReceipt/pdf_guidelines.htm

Use only A through Z, a through z, and 0 through 9, Hyphen (-), underscore ( _ )

I wonder why we get attachments that generate errors such as: Bibliography_&_References.pdf attachment contained formatting or features not currently supported by NIH. Error
Facilities&OtherResources.pdf attachment contained formatting or features not currently supported by NIH. Error
Women&Minorities.pdf attachment contained formatting or features not currently supported by NIH. Error

We are also still getting .doc files.

A third of the 63 errors we get were related to bad file names.

4. Our Service Policy

It remains the same due to some slowdowns with Grants.gov. We have, however, changed the list of items we require. We need the Administrative Shell -- IN PAPER -- no fewer than SEVEN (7) business days before the Sponsor's Grants.gov deadline time. After 2 years of receiving a limited amount of information in the Shell, DRDA staff have decided that they need to have ALL of the Grants.gov Application Forms for sufficient review. They need no attachments EXCEPT the budget justification and abstract. The Admin. Shell now consists of a PAPER copy of:

a fully signed PAF
ALL Grants.gov Forms, including the budget. All the forms in the Mandatory Section and all the forms used from the Optional Section.
ONLY THE FOLLOWING ATTACHMENTS
- * budget justification
- * abstract

Please do not fax the Admin Shell or up-load it to our server. The DRDA staff needs to have all of this in readable paper for proper review, seven (7) days prior to the deadline time. Otherwise there can be delays.

Please use the DRDA Grants.gov server only for final and complete Grants.gov applications.

Our timing policy for the full electronic file, including all the science and attachments remains the same. We need the complete FINAL version of the electronic application file uploaded to our server no fewer than FOUR (4) business days before the Grants.gov deadline. To maintain security, you will need to log in to the UM system to use this: https://packrat.research.umich.edu/upload/

This must be the final version of the file, as the DRDA staff have found that much confusion results if versions need to be eliminated and others exchanged. The first one that is uploaded will be sent, or if necessarily rarely replaced, the second version will go to the end of the queue for submission. Please take care to upload the appropriate version. Please do not up-load a file, with instructions such as, "do not send this" or "hold this until ... ."

Thanks for being a team player on all of these issues.

Looking ahead to January, 2008 and beyond. NIH STAFF SAY THEY WILL BE LESS LENIENT IN GIVING PEOPLE TIME TO SUBMIT IF THEY GET AN ERROR OR WANT TO REJECT AN APPLICATION.

New Adobe Forms Applications(AFA)

After October 1, 2007, Grants.gov began to allow agencies to use Adobe Forms Applications (AFA) instead of the PureEdge forms. This was supposed to happen in April, 2007, with all PureEdge forms phased out by October. The developer could not get everything to work on time, so the delay.

Some agencies are now using the AFA for some programs, but not for all programs. Moreover, not all agencies are using the new forms. Grants.gov expects all PureEdge forms to be discontinued by the summer of 2008. NSF and NIH will probably be using them until then.

Many of the problems and "glitches" in PureEdge are eliminated by the Adobe system. Of course, some new ones are added (but not as bad as PureEdge). The system works equally well with Macs and non-Macs.

***The AFA do need to use special versions of Adobe Reader: 7.0.9 or 8.1.1. Other Adobe products or versions are not acceptable. Get 8.1.1 from the Adobe site, free.

The Adobe Forms Applications can be identified because they download as .pdf files, not .xfd. You can identify the AFA because the file lists are in boxes still starting on the left, but they must be moved to the right hand boxes to be opened. There is a "Save and Submit" button in the upper left, replacing the "Submit" button.

If you get what you think is an AFA and have problems, do not hesitate to contact me. I will give a couple classes on how to use these in mid-November. These classes are for people who are NOT doing NIH or NSF applications. These agencies will not be using the AFA until second quarter next year, so no reason to learn about them now. Anyway, [the next part of eResearch, Proposal Management] will be in place by then.

This is a long, but, I hope, helpful message about Grants.gov issues. Email me or call anytime you have a question or problem. Don't start the conversation by saying you are sorry to call, I enjoy solving problems :) Like all DRDA staff, I am here to help folks get their applications submitted.

Bob

Robert Beattie
UMich Grants.gov Liaison
Managing Project Representative for Electronic Research Administration
Division of Research Development and Administration
University of Michigan
beattie@umich.edu (734) 936-1283
Learn more about Grants.gov @ UMICH
http://www.research.umich.edu/era/grants_gov/

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