Life Sciences’ Manfred Auer and group

Gain the tools to get started, apply, and submit proposals through Grants. Gov.

Learn to successfully submit Grants.gov proposals and the pitfalls to avoid.

Co-Sponsored by the Sponsored Projects Office & the Berkeley Lab Institute

Are You Ready for Grants.gov

Life Sciences’ Manfred Auer and group

Are You Ready for Grants.gov

Presenters:

Jeff Weiner, SPO MangerPhyllis Gale, Contracts ManagerSponsored Projects Office

OverviewWhat is Grants.gov?• A Federal portal that allows users to electronically

find, apply for, and manage Federal Grant Opportunities – a common Store Front

• Grants.gov is THE single access point for over 1000 grant programs offered by 26 Federal Granting Agencies.

• It is part of the President’s Management Agenda and E-Government Initiatives.– Further mandates are found in P.L. 106-107

• Grants.gov can be accessed via www.grants.gov

Overview

When do I have to use Grants.gov?• Depends on the agency and program

requirements.– Some sponsors have already moved to

grants.gov (e.g. NEH);– Some are currently in transition (e.g. NIH); and– Some have not yet to begin the transition (e.g.

NSF)

• All agencies must transition by 10/1/2007

Overview

What does Grants.gov mean to LBNL?

• Primary area is NIH Grants (approximately 100 proposals each year)

• Grants.gov does not replace the Federal Procurement Actions such as Broad Agency Announcements, etc.

• SPO uncertain about overall impact with Federal Interagency Agreements (IAG)

Overview

What does Grants.gov mean to the LBNL PI?

• New forms and process for proposal development and submission.

– All proposals must be in response to a specific Grant Opportunity.

– All Application Packages must be downloaded through the Grant Opportunity. (No reuse of forms!)

– All proposals must be developed in the Grants.gov Application Package in PureEdge Viewer.

– SPO submits the completed proposal through Grants.gov

Overview

• What does Grants.gov mean to the LBNL PI? (cont.)

– All proposals will be validated by Grants.gov prior to being accepted as submitted.

– Proposals will not be considered submitted until all the validation errors are fixed and an error-free proposal is accepted by Grants.gov prior to the published deadline of the Opportunity.

Start Early

• LBNL is registered in Grants.gov. No further registration is required

• Software Requirements– Web Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 and above

is recommended– Grants.gov Application Form Packages can

only be viewed by the PureEdge Viewer software downloaded from Grants.gov

• It is Windows based with a MAC solution

Start Early

• Software Requirements (cont.)– LBNL has a solution for PC emulation for

PureEdge on MACs• Call the LBNL HELP DESK (x4357) and ask for Nat

Stoddard or Bill Ou

– PDF generation software• Many Agencies require attachments be in PDF format

(e.g. NIH)

• Grants.gov Training Resources

Start Early• One time setup of the PureEdge Viewer software

– Download PureEdge Viewer from Grants.gov

Click here for the PureEdge Viewer Download page.

Start Early

• Download PureEdge Viewer following the step by step instructions on Grants.gov.

If you have problems with the Download, please contact the Grants.gov Help Desk:

http://www.grants.gov/Contactus/contactus.jsp

FIND• What is a Grant Opportunity?

– A publicly available document by which a Federal agency makes known its intentions to award discretionary grants or cooperative agreements.

• Grant Opportunity announcements may be known as program announcements, notices of funding availability, solicitations, or other names depending on the agency and type of program.

– All Federal Agency solicitations, are required to be on Grants.gov and available through the Find functionality as Grant Opportunities.

FIND

• You may search for Opportunities several ways– Basic, Category, Agency, and Advance– You can also sign up for Email Alerts

On the left, click on “For Applicants” and then on “Find Grants Opportunities:

FIND

• The “Basic” Find functionality uses Keyword, Grant Opportunity Number, or CDFA Number.

When you search on Keyword, you may be brought to a list of Opportunities. A Grant Opportunity number will take you directly to the Opportunity.

FIND• For Example, we searched on Grant Opportunity

No., PA-06-282• From Search Results you click on the Opportunity

to access the Grant Opportunity Application Page

Click on the Opportunity Title and the Grant Opportunity Application Page will appear with the Synopsis, Announcement, and How to Apply

FIND

• Grant Opportunity Application Page provides a summary of the Application Package

FIND

• On the Application Page you can access the Application Package by clicking on How to Apply

FIND

• Download the Application Instructions and Application by clicking on “download”.

FIND• Double check if you have the correct Opportunity• It is highly recommended that you enter your Email address

in the “yellow” field so you can subscribe to the updates.• Download the Instructions and Save to your hard drive• Download the Application Package and Save it to your hard

drive

Enter Email address here

Download Application Instructions and Package from here

APPLY

• Getting Ready– Before beginning the Application Package, Read

the Application Instructions very carefully and follow them.

• If you have programmatic questions about the instructions, please contact the Federal Agency Program Manager identified in the OPPORTUNITY.

• If you have questions regarding “how” to complete a form or policy questions, contact your Proposal Analyst.

– You Proposal Analyst and contact the SPO Contracts Officer for guidance.

APPLYThe first step in the Apply process is to open your

Internet Explorer and then the Application Package

1. Open IE

2. Open Application Package

APPLY

• Completing the Application Package in PureEdge Viewer– START EARLY – especially if this is the first time– As you complete each form or upload

attachments into the PureEdge Viewer software, SAVE the Package.

– You cannot re-use the Application Package for a different submission.

APPLY• Application Package Header Page is the first page

viewed each time the file is opened. • It is the point from which you will navigate

through to complete all forms

APPLY• Top Section – Opportunity Identifying Information

is pre-filled. DO NOT CHANGE

Opportunity Identifying Information:

Opportunity Title Offering Agency CFDA Number CFDA DescriptionOpportunity NumberCompetition ID Opportunity Open DateOpportunity Close Date Agency Contact

APPLY• Section 2 - Proposal Information: This section

includes the Application Filing Name and the Proposal Forms

APPLY• Navigating the Documents:

– Open each form using the “OPEN FORM” button– As you complete each form, move Documents from the Left

Side to the Completed Documents on the Right Side– You can check for errors and make corrections to Documents

on either side.– Remember to SAVE after any changes!

APPLY• Saving the Application Package in PureEdge

Viewer– On the Applicant Package Cover Page Click on the

“Save Button” to open the Save Document window.– Overwrite existing file with updated version OR you will

have TWO Versions of the Application Package to track.

APPLY

What forms will be used in Grants.gov?• The SF424 Form Sets have been adopted• At LBNL expects to use the SF424 (R&R)

the most since it is designated to be used by agencies with research activities

• Complete the SF424 Cover Component first because it automatically pre-fills a number of other forms.

Apply

• SF424 (R&R) Cover Component (2 pages)– Follow the instructions in the

Application Instructions.• Depending on the Sponsor,

non-conformance with instructions could mean the proposal may not be reviewed.

– The Applicant is LBNL, not the Principal Investigator.

– Principal Investigators are now referred to as PD/PI

• PD=Project Director

APPLY

• SF424 (R&R) Page 2– PIs no longer sign

cover/face pages• Approval captured on

Sponsored Projects Proposal Form (SPPF)

– The SPO Contracts Officer is the Authorized Representative.

– SPO will have examples on their website for reference in the next month.

APPLY• Uploading Attachments in the Application Packages

– Based on Application Instructions, specific documents (e.g.) budget justifications, biosketches, etc. may be uploaded as a PDF.

• Documents are completed outside of PureEdge Viewer software

APPLY• Checking for Errors

– Don’t check for errors until the Application Package is complete (otherwise incomplete forms show as errors)

– At the top of the Application Package Screen, click on “Check Package for Errors” Button

– The error description will be displayed one at a time• You must correct each error before you can see the next one.

APPLY

• When there are no errors, the Submit Button will be Active

APPLY• Printing a hardcopy proposal from the Application

Package– It is recommended that each form is printed at the form level

– Do not use the “Print Button” at the Application Header level.• The resultant printout has some format, but there are blank pages• Uploaded documents do not print out.

– Using Internet Explorer, Print each form after the Application Package has been completely error checked and the “Submit Button” is activated.

SUBMIT

• Submitting your proposal package with an Application Package to SPO– Submit your proposal package including the

Grants.gov Application Package 10 business days prior to the Sponsor’s deadline

• The Application Package can be submitted by:– Use SPO Grants.gov E-Room - preferred by SPO– Email to SPO Contracts Officer– Deliver CD to SPO Contracts Office

– All the same LBNL Proposal policies are in place

SUBMIT

• Once the SPO review is completed and the Application Package is correct and error free, the SPO Contracts Officer will submit the proposal through Grants.gov by clicking on the “Submit” button.

SUBMIT

• After the Submit button is clicked, the SPO CO will be taken to a Login Screen.

• When the Login is complete, the Application Package is submitted to Grants.gov.

Only SPO COs can submit proposals through Grants.gov

SUBMIT GRANT.GOV• A Confirmation will appear on the computer screen

indicating that the Application Package has been received by the server but the validation process has not yet begun.

• The PSO CO “print screen” the Confirmation for the SPO file.

GRANTS.GOV

Grants.gov will send 4 Email notifications for

Successfully validated proposals to the SPO

Contracts Office

How do I know my application has been

received by Grants.gov?• The first two Emails record the Grants.gov

– Received – indicates Grants.gov has received– Validated – indicates Grants.gov has validated

GRANTS.GOV

How do I know if the agency has

retrieved my application?

The SPO Contracts Officer will receive two

more Emails:– Received by Agency – indicates that the

agency has confirmed receipt– Agency Tracking Number – indicates the

agency has assigned a tracking number.• Last action in Grants.gov• Now all tracking done with Agency

GRANTS.GOVWhat happens if my Application Package isnot validated by Grants.gov?• The SPO CO will receive a second

message:– Rejected with Errors – indicates Grants has not

accepted Application and there are validation errors in the Application Package.

– Each validation error will be sent to SPO CO serially.

– To have a submitted proposal, all errors must be corrected prior to the Sponsor’s published deadline.

GRANTS.GOV

• The Email for the Agency Tracking Number is the last action in Grants.gov

• Now all tracking done with Agency

Questions?