Changing the Status of a PD/PI: Reminder of the NIH Prior Approval Policy

Posted on May 29, 2018 by NIH Staff

Have you wondered what happens when a program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) is no longer available to serve on an NIH grant? Maybe they have accepted a position at another institution? Or perhaps they are unable to carry out their duties for some other reason?
NIH recently issued a Guide Notice (NOT-OD-18-172) to remind the community about the NIH’s prior approval policy requirements when an institution seeks to change the status of a PI or other senior/key personnel as designated in the Notice of Award. This Notice also helps clarify the situations in which NIH’s prior approval is required.
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Now Available: Delegate Tasks When Working on Interim or Final RPPRs

Posted on May 21, 2018 by NIH Staff

The interim Research Performance Progress Report (I-RPPR) and final RPPR (F-RPPR) are submitted online through eRA Commons in the same format as the annual RPPR. We’ve often been asked if working on I-RPPR and/or F-RPPR be delegated to an Assistant … Continue reading →

Looking for a NIH Program Official in Your Research Area?

Posted on April 16, 2018 by NIH Staff

For years researchers have used the Matchmaker feature in NIH RePORTER to identify NIH-funded projects similar to their supplied abstracts, research bios, or other scientific text. Matchmaker was recently enhanced to make it just as easy to identify NIH program officials whose portfolios include projects in your research area. Continue reading →

“Cover Letters and their Appropriate Use” Podcast Now Available

Posted on April 16, 2018 by NIH Staff

Ever wonder what you should and shouldn’t put in a grant application cover letter? Dr. Cathleen Cooper, director of the Division of Receipt and Referral in NIH’s Center for Scientific Review, explains just that in the latest addition to our “All About Grants” podcast series – “Cover Letters and Their Appropriate Use” (MP3, Transcript). Continue reading →

Principal Investigators, Delegate!

Posted on March 12, 2018 by NIH Staff

Did you know that the eRA Commons allows principal investigators the ability to grant permission to have others at their institution help with some grants administration tasks? You might want to consider whether delegating any or all of the following tasks is right for you… Continue reading →

After My Application is Submitted, Can I Include a Copy or Citation of a Preprint as Post-submission Materials?

Posted on March 2, 2018 by NIH Staff

No. Pre-prints are not included in the list of allowable post-submission materials, because they do not fall in the category of unanticipated events.

Post-submission materials are not intended to correct oversights or errors discovered after submission of the application, but rather …. Continue reading →

May I Submit Citations of Newly-received Issued Patents Relevant to My Application as Post-submission Materials?

Posted on March 2, 2018 by NIH Staff

Yes. Citations of newly-received issued patents are allowable post-submission materials, because issuance of the patent is not in the control of the investigator. A citation of a patent must include the names of the inventors, patent title, issued patent number (including … Continue reading →

xTRACT Anticipated to be Required in Fiscal Year 2020

Posted on February 22, 2018 by NIH Staff

In October 2015, eRA introduced xTRACT as an electronic system within eRA Commons for creating research training data tables and tracking trainee outcomes. xTRACT permits users to leverage data already in eRA Commons to pre-populate training tables with trainee names, institution information, award information, etc., which can be used both in new application submissions and for progress reports [the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)]. While use of xTRACT is not required currently, it is anticipated to be required as of FY 2020 for certain types of training grant applications. …. Continue reading →

How do you define a “study” for the purposes of providing information on the PHS Human Subject and Clinical Trial form and registering in ClinicalTrials.gov?

Posted on February 5, 2018 by NIH Staff

Our application instructions provide guidance to submit a study record for each protocol. When in doubt, NIH supports lumping several aims or hypotheses into a single study record, to the extent that makes sense for your research.

Have other questions related to the new PHS Human Subject and Clinical Trial form or NIH clinical trial policies? Find more FAQs and their answers at grants.nih.gov. Continue reading →

Where Can I Find the New PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form?