I S. Megan Columbus, Sheri Cummins and Pete Morton FDP January 2013

Transcription

1 S S I S T Megan Columbus, Sheri Cummins and Pete Morton FDP January

2 Why a new system? 2

3 Multi-project apps are the last remaining paper submissions These can be very complex! Often large programs or centers Umbrella application describing overall effort Equivalent of full application for each subproject Vary in size (from components) Multi-tiered budgets (overall, subproject, consortia) Can have large number of key personnel May require form pages for different types of components in single application Research, training, career development, etc.

4 Dealing with paper-based, multi-project applications can be an overwhelming task * 4

5 Current process Application is developed electronically Printed Mailed to NIH Data is manually input to set record in era Paper app gets scanned and put in grant folder 5

6 Once paper complex app is received by NIH Review staff manually search for subprojects and personnel NIH staff have to set subproject records in era Reviewers see black and white low resolution graphics Inconsistent formatting of applications NIH staff must manually extract abstract, etc Unable to collect and leverage data provided in application 6

7 It s time for electronic submission! 7

8 Unfortunately The structure of NIH s multi-project applications cannot be accommodated by Grants.gov s downloadable forms. 8

9 Our approach 9

10 Partnership We partnered with the Grants.gov team so NIH could develop ASSIST, a web-based submission system to accept NIH s multiproject applications that works in conjunction with Grants.gov. 10

11 LOTS of communication and cooperation ASSIST uses Grants.gov AOR authentication for submission Grants.gov made accommodations in data collection for multi-project application support PerformanceSite_2_0 Allows up to 300 performance sites (primary + 299) RR_KeyPersonExpanded_2_0 Allows up to 100 Sr/key entries (PD/PI + 99) RR_SF424_Multi_Project_Cover_1_0 All fields optional in schema Requirements controlled through agency validations The partnership RR_MP_Budget-V1.0 & RR_MP_SubawardBudget-V1.0 Allows up to 100 Sr/Key entries in Section A Allows up to 100 Equipment items in Section C 11

12 What did that partnership look like? Grants.gov accommodated our need to: Develop new multi-project opportunity schema Add an additional layer to the single-project XML to support the concept of nested, repeatable sub-packages Make changes to the grantor interface to support creation/posting multi-project opportunities Conversations with Grants.gov continue as we look towards the future of ASSIST 12

13 The result Essentially, ASSIST works as an alternate web front end to Grants.gov s Apply for NIH s multiproject applications, much like a system-to-system service provider might. This approach allows system-to-system submitters to continue to send their submission through Grants.gov 13

14 Whether submission is through Behind the scenes or the application is routed through to get to 14

15 Why route through Grants.gov? 1. Desire to be a good federal partner 2. Commitment to concept of central submission portal 3. Interest in developing something that Grants.gov may be able to use as they move to an on-line submission environment. 15

16 System features 16

17 Features Allows applicants to define number and types of components (within confines of FOA) Provides access controls By individual components To people from multiple institutions At the level of: View/edit Budget/non-budget Supports multiple people working concurrently on-line to develop an application 17

18 System features ASSIST addresses longstanding needs identified by FDP Checks both Grants.gov and agency validations before submission Accommodates view/print/save assembled image before submission Pre-populates from era Commons Allows for tracking application through Grants.gov and ASSIST Supports working concurrently on application 18

19 System features ASSIST addresses reviewer and staff needs High resolution color images Standard application structure Automated summaries of subprojects, personnel, budgets and more Customizable validations for page limits, #s of each type of subproject, etc. by FOA Immediate availability of subproject data 19

20 System Architecture Although ASSIST was built for use by NIH, we intentionally designed it to be separate from the era Commons - Avoiding tying the system to NIH Reaches out to NIH s era system to apply NIH-specific business rules, which provides flexibility for the potential of other agency use in the future Agency business rule validations Image generation rules Pre-population from agency databases Status checks 20

21 A look at an electronic multi-project application 21

22 Moving to electronic submission means moving from the paper PHS 398 to the SF 424 (R&R) forms. 22

23 Complex application structure Overall* System-generated Summaries Admin Core* Career Development Overall Component describes the entire application. Overall will always be displayed first in the application image. Summaries of component data will be included in the application image with the Overall component. Construction Core* Project* Training The additional component types allowed for an application will vary by FOA. Admin Core, Core, Project & FOA-specific components will have data collection similar to a single-project research application. FOA-specific*, <specify> * Part of initial Pilot 23

24 New Application Format All electronic multi-project applications will include: A single Overall component Provides overview of entire application Some number of additional components Component types allowed will vary by opportunity Announcements will clearly indicate the types of components expected in a responsive application Automatically prepared data summaries Compiled from information included in components Helps reviewers and staff work with the applications 24

25 Sample Electronic Complex App Image System generates bookmarks, table of contents, headers, footers, etc 25

26 Automatic data summaries make application more easily digestible Performance sites Key personnel and biosketches Human subjects, animals, clinical trials, HESC Budgets 26

27 Quick look at the system S S I S T 27

28 Applicants find Multi-project FOAs in: 28

29 NIH Guide for Grants & Contracts Announcement text clearly indicates electronic submission is required. Apply for Grant Electronically button brings applicant to the ASSIST site. 29

30 Log In To ASSIST era Commons credentials required to work on an application in ASSIST. Grants.gov credentials also required to submit.

31 Building an application Applicants only presented with allowable component types as defined in the FOA. 31

32 Adding Components The required forms are presented for each component Budget forms roll up to create the overall budget. 32

33 Using ASSIST Question mark icon indicates availability of ASSIST help. Available actions vary based on application context and access. 33

34 Pre-population example Entering Commons username for PD/PI populates name from era Commons profile 34

35 Managing application access ASSIST automatically provides access to some individuals based on their Commons roles or role on the application All Signing Officials (SOs) and Administrative Officials (AOs) at the applicant institution have edit access for the entire application All PD/PIs listed on the Overall application have edit access for the entire application Project Leads have edit access for their components The person that initiates the application has edit access for the entire application 35

36 Managing access The Manage Access action can be used to modify access to users given access based on application role or to provide access to additional users 36

37 Managing Access Access can be given for individual components instead of the entire application. Different access levels can be selected for Budget and Non-budget data on a component. 37

38 Support for concurrent users Individual forms lock when editing Once component is marked Complete, system requires permission to be given to allow for additional editing 38

39 Validates against Grants.gov and NIH business rules Each Error or Warning includes the Component and Form where the problem was identified. 39

40 Preview application You can Preview the Application before submitting to verify that everything is just the way you want it to go to review. 40

41 Tracking Submission Status in ASSIST After submitting to Grants.gov, submission status can be tracked in ASSIST. 41

42 Tracking Submission Status in ASSIST ASSIST, Grants.gov and Agency submission status are available. 42

43 Status and Plans 43

44 Transition Timeline for esubmission of NIH Multi-Project Applications Currently in pilot phase! Due Date on or after January 18, 2013 Pilot FOAs* P42: RFA-ES P30: RFA-ES P50: RFA-NS U19: PAR UM1: PAR P50: NOT-AG Due Date on or after September 25, 2013 Requiring esubmission P01, P20, P50, R24, U19, U24 Due Date on or after January 25, 2014 Activity Codes Requiring esubmission G12, P30,P40, P41, P42, P51, P60, R28, S06, U10, U41, U42, U45, U54, U56, UC7, UM1 *Electronic submission required for pilot FOAs. See Guide Notice NOT-OD

45 Initial Success! Last week we received applications for the first pilot funding opportunity (hooray!) We are making some tweaks to the system based on feedback. We are delighted with how far we have come, and are excited about moving forward with some planned enhancements. Stay tuned 45

46 Feedback During the pilot phase, we welcome continued feedback to help with a smooth transition to e-applications. Unfortunately, we can t add as many bells and whistles as we might like, but we really want to know what is needed. Have suggestions? Let us know through the era Help Desk web ticketing system Choose Other for the I need help with question Start your Description with ASSIST Feedback 46

47 Thank you! We are VERY appreciative of all the help from our applicant community, NIH staff, Grants.gov, ACF and the era team in ASSIST development we could not have come this far without them! 47

48 ASSISTance 48

49 ASSIST: public.era.nih.gov/assist Online help: era.nih.gov/erahelp/assist/ Links & Resources: Applicants Applying Electronically Website for Multi-project Applications: grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/com_index.htm Webinar for Applicants: grants.nih.gov/grants/webinar_docs/webinar_ htm Annotated form set: grants.nih.gov/grants/electronicreceipt/files/annotated_multiproject.pdf 49

50 Help Desk era Commons Help Desk Web: Toll-free: Phone: TTY: Hours: Mon-Fri, 7a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time (Except for Federal holidays) Although we ve worked closely with Grants.gov, ASSIST is a system developed and managed by NIH. The era Commons Help Desk should be an applicant s first stop for support. 50

51 Dealing with System Issues There could be bumps with a new system. Applicants should follow NIH s standard system issue procedure if they run into problems beyond their control that threaten their on-time submission: 51

52 U E S T I O N S 52