Grants.gov and UT Southwestern

Grants.gov allows for the replacement of paper applications with electronic forms and requires electronic submission of all proposal applications. Grants.gov is the central portal that the federal government is implementing for grant announcements and submissions. There are two portions to Grants.gov:

• Find - The 'Find' portion of Grants.gov allows users to search for funding opportunities and their corresponding application packages (if available).
  
• Apply - The 'Apply' function allows users to directly download application packages to their individual computers. Once downloaded, the user must work on the application locally on his/her own machine, rather than online within Grants.gov.

  • Everything else on the federal Grants.gov site is designed to support these two features and your use of them. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the site. Get acquainted with new forms, technology and changes in the application process. Please note, Grants.gov Institution registration has been completed.

Please Note: Each of the 26 granting agencies will begin posting their funding opportunities, and requiring submission to Grants.gov according to their own timetable. Regularly visit agency web sites to keep abreast of their evolving migration to electronic posting and receipt of applications.  

Why transition now? 

The Grants.gov at UT Southwestern site was created to facilitate the transition to electronic grant application submission via Grants.gov.

• Administrators/PIs/Staff: do not create an account with Grants.gov. The only account holders are designated Institutional Representatives who submit applications via Grants.gov. While the Grants.gov helpdesk may tell you that you need an account, be assured, you do not need one

  - the Institution is the only account holder.

• UT Southwestern's DUNS number: UT Southwestern already has an assigned Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. UT Southwestern's DUNS number (required for every SF 424R&R) is:  800771545

  (Grants.gov will add 4 zeros)

• Central Contractor Registry (CCR):  UT Southwestern has been registered in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). Do not

  re-register the Institution!

• PureEdge ICS Viewer:  You must download and install the free PureEdge ICS Viewer in order to open and work on application packages. 

  http://www.grants.gov/resources/download_software.jsp#pureedge

• Mac Users - MAC users will need to upgrade to OS 10.4.6 or greater in order to complete an NIH electronic application package. 

  Note:  Mac users please be sure to save your application often.  Also, be sure to be aware of where you are saving the application on your system.

  http://www.grants.gov/resources/download_software.jsp#pureedgeviewer
  

   

• Use the specific application package and instructions linked to each FOA.
  DO NOT reuse grant application packages. Download a fresh copy each time you apply. Sample application packages cannot be used to apply to any funding opportunity announcements (FOA).

• Contact your Grants Specialist

  : as soon as you know you will be submitting through Grants.gov.  Your Grants Specialist is aware of issues impacting submission through Grants.gov, and can help you work through them.

• Once downloaded, an application is completed off line on a personal computer. The draft is forwarded via  email to your Grants Specialist.  The final 

  application is attached to the OGM1 and routed for Institutional approvals for electronic submission to Grants.gov.

• The AOR, Dr. Perrie M. Adams, or Institution delegate submits the final application:

  Administrators/PIs/Staff do not submit the application directly to Grants.gov. The completed application is routed via the OGM1. 

• Submit completed applications for Institutional approval at least 5 business days before the agency’s submission deadline!

  Verify departmental review requirements and add that time to the 5 business days needed for institutional review. 

• NIH eRA-Commons: If you intend to submit a grant proposal to the NIH, the PI must first register in the NIH eRA-Commons at least two weeks in advance.  Contact the Research Administration Helpdesk 214.648.5006 to register PIs and/or Administrators.   

• Cloning no longer available
• PD/PI and Fellow Info – Citizenship box
• Proposal Information
  • Changed Status boxes to be in line with NIH
  • Percent Effort (PI, Fellow and all responsibilities) & Dept. release time
  • Percent Effort Conversion Table
  • Budget/Project period dates and amounts
• Safety and Protection
  • Eliminated Not yet applied for
  • Added IRB Exemption date
• Eliminated attachment for the subcontract or cooperative agreement
• Added Scientific Overlap question (SRAs)
• Assurances
  • NIH Institutional Compliance requirement in lieu of PI signature on competing applications
  • PI no longer able to delegate

The simultaneous transition to electronic application submission and a new set of application forms is a huge initiative for NIH with an aggressive time table. Here is NIH’s planned timeline for transitioning all competing grant mechanisms, followed by a countdown chart:

NIH TIMELINE  (Effective January 2007 Timeline)

CHART (Chart)

Please contact your Grants Specialist in the Office of Grants Management for more information.

If you have any questions with regards to the ERGO system, please contact the Research Administration Helpdesk 214.648.5006.