AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/ National Institutes of Health (NIH)

PROGRAM: Required Submission through Grants.gov for Research Project Grants (R01)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that all applications to the Research Project Grant (R01) funding mechanism must be submitted through Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov) for the February 2007 receipt date and beyond. Paper applications will no longer be accepted.

In order to apply, PIs should download the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) and corresponding application package for the specific program to which they are applying.  Only the application package directly attached to a specific FOA can be used. The application package will include all forms, required and optional. FOAs can be found in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/index.html) or on individual NIH Institute and Center websites (http://www.nih.gov/icd/). Application packages can be found on the Grants.gov website (https://apply.grants.gov/forms_apps_idx.html) by searching on the appropriate FOA number.
NIH still welcomes unsolicited, investigator-initiated applications and has issued a new “Parent R01” announcement (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-070.html). PIs planning to submit unsolicited applications under the R01 mechanism should apply using this announcement and the accompanying application package. Individual Institutes and Centers will also continue to issue separate FOAs soliciting R01 applications. PIs should confirm with the OSP AD assigned to their school or department that they have selected the appropriate FOA and corresponding application package.
Electronic proposal submission to NIH involves two distinct systems: Grants.gov and NIH’s own system, the eRA Commons (https://commons.era.nih.gov). When preparing an application, PIs should consult not only the appropriate FOA issued by NIH but also the new NIH SF 424 (R&R) Application Guide, available at http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/funding/424/index.htm. The SF424 (R&R) Application Guide contains detailed, NIH-specific instructions for completing the SF 424 (R&R) forms set and is critical to submitting a complete and accurate application to NIH. There are fields within the SF424 (R&R) application components that, although not marked as mandatory by Grants.gov, are required by NIH. Agency-specific instructions for such fields are clearly identified in the NIH SF424 (R&R) Application Guide.
PIs should note that NIH has changed its standing receipt dates. New R01 applications are now due by February 5, 2007. Renewals, resubmissions and revisions are due by March 5, 2007. Please see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-001.html for a list of new standing receipt dates for individual NIH funding mechanisms. An error-free version of the application must be accepted into the Commons by the deadline date in order to be considered an on-time submission. In order to allow time for correction and resubmission of your application, if needed, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) must receive both a completed electronic copy of your application (via the OSP server) and a circulated paper copy of your application at least five (5) business days before the NIH deadline, or Monday, January 29, 2007.  OSP ADs will handle the review and submission of electronic NIH proposals according to the order in which the proposals are received.

PIs planning to submit an electronic NIH application should take the following steps as soon as possible:

• Register as an eRA Commons user. All PIs and Senior/Key Persons must be registered in the Commons system.  Your Commons username and the usernames of individuals listed as Senior/Key persons must be included on your application. The registration process can take up to three business days.

• Update the information in your Commons personal profile.  The “Employments” section is particularly important – you must indicate Boston University as your primary place of employment.

• Download and install the PureEdge Viewer software (available at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp).  The PureEdge Viewer is currently compatible only with the Windows operating system.

• Confirm that a folder has been created for you on the OSP Server and that you are able to access your folder. 

For information about how you or your departmental research administrator can access your folder on the OSP server, to register as an eRA Commons user, or for general questions about electronic submission of NIH applications, please contact Kathleen Foster (kfoster@bu.edu) or Eleanor Greene (ergreene@bu.edu) in the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). The Electronic Research Administration section of the OSP website (http://www.bu.edu/osp/electronic/index.html) includes detailed instructions about the use of Grants.gov and the eRA Commons.