Research Reporter :: April 2008
Research Information from the University of Michigan

New wrinkles in the federal grants application system

Bob Beattie, DRDA

A January Reporter article presented some changes coming for Grants.gov. This update covers a change in the timeline and Adobe programs available for Adobe forms version of the Grants.gov application.

Some Grants.gov applications now may be filled out using Adobe software. However, UM researchers need to be aware of some caveats.

Both Adobe Professional 8.1.2 and Reader 8.1.2 are now certified for filling out the application. The programs can be used in combination and on any platform.

Grants.gov applications have required PureEdge (for PCs) and IBM Workforms (for Macs) software for viewing and filling out forms. These applications have an .xfd extension. The Adobe extension is .pdf.

For the next several months, applications may come in one form or the other. Applicants do not have a choice of which to use.

Many UM research teams will be using PureEdge/IBM Workforms software for their applications for the rest of 2008.

After June 1, 2008, agencies may not post new applications that require PureEdge, and after September 30, 2008, no more PureEdge applications will be accepted.

Agencies unable to comply with these deadlines will have until December 31, 2008 to meet them. This will include the Department of Health and Human Services (including NIH), National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy.

An additional complication is that PureEdge/Workforms program does not work with the Vista or Leopard operating systems.

Be sure you are using the correct version of an application:

As of January 2008, some agencies are releasing funding opportunity applications in the Adobe form; some are doing both Adobe and Forms Viewer, and some are still doing only Forms Viewer. Note that a specific funding opportunity application can be only one or the other. The user does not have a choice between the two.

Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.2.1 and Adobe Professional 8.2.1 correctly handle the Grants.gov applications in Adobe form. Any other version corrupts the Grants.gov files.

During this transition, it is important that users keep track of what version of an application is current.

Do not download applications far in advance of deadlines.
Watch for agency announcements of when forms will be available. Some older versions of an funding application stored on individual computers may have since been replaced by the Adobe version. Once the Adobe version is available, the PureEdge/IBM Forms Viewer version cannot be submitted.

Grants.gov software

Grants.gov download site, http://www.grants.gov/help/download_software.jsp

If you have Vista or Leopard you cannot now work on any NIH applications without working through CITRIX.

DRDA Help for the Transition

Workshops:

To help the campus grants community with the transition, I will hold workshops at Wolverine Tower and the Med School over the next two months. Each two-hour session will deal with the differences between the Workplace Forms Viewers and Adobe Reader 8.1.1. Luckily, the differences are small. The biggest challenge for users will be to get and use the correct Adobe Reader program. These sessions are posted on the UM Research website (See: "Training" )

Assistance:

Please address your Information Techology questions or problems to Dan Stanish, stanyon@umich.edu

Do not hesitate to call or email me with any questions you may have on any of this: 936-1283 or beattie@umich.edu

Bob Beattie
University of Michigan Grants.gov Liaison
Managing Project Representative for Electronic Research Administration

For background information, see the January 2008 Research Reporter

April 2008

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Research Reporter :: April 2008 Research Information from the University of Michigan