Notice Number: NOT-OD-09-087

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

• May 1, 2009 - See Notice NOT-OD-09-091 Extended Error Correction Window for Electronic Submission of NIH Challenge Grants and Funding Opportunities with Submission Deadlines From April 27 Through May 1, 2009.

Key Dates
Release Date: April 24, 2009

Issued by
National Institutes of Health (NIH), http://www.nih.gov
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), http://www.ahrq.gov/
Center for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, (CDC/NIOSH) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), http://www.fda.gov

This notice supersedes NOT-OD-08-018.

NIH/AHRQ/CDC (NIOSH)/ and FDA will extend the electronic application error correction window (the time allowed after the submission deadline to correct errors/warnings identified by the eRA system) to five days for those opportunities with submission dates from April 21, 2009 through May 1, 2009. Although Grants.gov has not exceeded their 48 hour processing target for the vast majority of application submissions, we understand that many applicants will not have an opportunity to see the results of their submission in eRA Commons before the normal two-day error correction window elapses. This extension should allow applicants sufficient time to correct system identified errors or warnings following on-time submission.

• Applicants that submit on-time (i.e., by 5:00 p.m. local time on application due date) and receive a Grants.gov tracking number can correct their system identified errors and warnings in the 5 business days following the submission deadline. Applicants must complete the submission process within this window for further consideration.
• The AOR/institution is expected to enforce that application changes made within the window are restricted to those necessary to address system-identified errors/warnings. NIH may reject any application that includes additional changes.
• Proof of on time submission (e.g., Grants.gov timestamp & tracking number OR help desk ticket number with information verifying system issue outside your control) and description of all changes made within the window must be documented in PHS 398 Cover Letter component of the application

Grants.gov does not guarantee that applications will be processed and made available to agencies in the order that they are submitted. Please allow in-progress submissions to complete prior to making further submissions to address eRA-identified errors/warnings to ensure your most recent submission is reflected in eRA Commons.

Remember: If you experience problems with Grants.gov that threaten the timely submission of your grant application or the ability to obtain the tracking number and timestamp necessary to verify on-time submission:

• On or before the submission deadline, contact the Grants.gov Contact Center to document and help resolve the submission issues
• On or before the submission deadline, document the issue with the eRA Help Desk and be sure to include your Grants.gov support ticket number
• Continue to work diligently and promptly to resolve your submission issues within the error correction window and document your corrective actions including support ticket numbers in the application cover letter.
  Note: Documentation is important. If the eRA Help Desk is able to verify a system issue beyond your control, you will be placed on a Systems Issues list that is shared with NIH’s Division of Receipt and Referral and your application will not be considered late as long as the submission process is completed within the 5 day error correction window. If the eRA Help Desk is unable to confirm that you encountered a system issue, the normal late policy will apply and application acceptance will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• You may want to take advantage of electronic channels to report/document submission issues (e.g., email or Web support). See Finding Help for details on support options. However, since email can be unreliable, please be aware that it is the responsibility of the applicant to check periodically on their application status in the Commons.

Please note that the five day correction window is temporary we will return to the normal two-day window on Monday, May 4, 2009. Grants.gov is working on performance enhancing changes that should improve their system’s ability to process applications in a timely, efficient manner. We will continue to closely monitor the situation at Grants.gov and will make further adjustments as necessary to protect our applicants ability to submit on-time.

Inquiries

Questions about this Notice should be directed to:

Grants Information
Office of Extramural Research
National Institutes of Health
Phone: 301-945-7573
TTY: 301-451-5936
Email: [email protected]