What’s in a Name?

Posted

During a recent conversation with some of our more prolific eRA Commons users, they mentioned some frustrations when dealing with the termination of fellows through the xTrain module. The discussion revealed some potential error generating scenarios. Mostly these seem to revolve around the difference in the name of the sponsor on the Personal Profile in xTrain and the name of the sponsor on the fellowship application, and the need for the sponsor to have the sponsor role in xTrain.

As a result, we can make the following recommendations:

  1. Make sure the sponsor name in xTrain matches the sponsor name on the fellowship application. Failure to do so will result in errors when processing termination notices. If a sponsor changes after a fellowship has been awarded, work with the awarding NIH institute or center to document the approval of the change in sponsorship. This process requires NIH prior approval. This will ensure the sponsor name is updated in our system.
  2. Make sure the sponsor has been assigned the sponsor role within Commons so termination notices can be properly processed.
  3. If you have issues with termination notices, please be sure to contact the eRA Help Desk and open a ticket. This allows us to track the issues and get a better idea of where problems may exist.

By following these recommendations, you will reduce your chance of frustration while helping us improve the process.