Preparing Your Electronic Application

Caution: this page may contain outdated information while we update based on the changes we summarized in "The Art of Application."

As you gain experience with the new applications, please send your lessons learned and any other suggestions to deaweb@niaid.nih.gov. We'll use your feedback to improve our material.

Questions and Answers Table of Contents

What are the basic steps in preparing an electronic application?

Always apply in response to a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) by downloading and filling out the application package associated with it. Follow these steps:

• Find a FOA in Grants.gov or on the NIH Funding Opportunities Relevant to NIAID. For help, see What's the best way to find NIH funding opportunities?
• Download the announcement-specific application package from Grants.gov (or use your organization's own system) by selecting the "Apply for Grant Electronically" button at the bottom of the FOA page.
• If your institution does not have its own electronic application system and you are applying directly through Grants.gov, please see your business office regarding the best approach.
• Read the NIH Guide announcement associated with the FOA for opportunity-specific instructions, and the Application Guide for general instructions. Find a sample Grant Application Guide.
• Begin preparing your application:
  • You can start even before Grants.gov and eRA Commons registrations are in place and before the FOA open date -- see How should I begin preparing for electronic application?
• Fill out the forms, and create PDF attachments for the cover letter, biosketches, and bibliography -- find out how at Converting Documents to PDF.
• Once you've downloaded a grant's application package, you can complete it on your computer -- no need to be logged in at Grants.gov.
• For general guidance on writing an application go to Writing a Great Grant Application questions and answers and read our All About Grants Tutorials.
• Undergo any internal reviews required by your organization.
• Have your authorized organizational representative (AOR) submit your completed application to Grants.gov before 5:00 p.m. your institution's local time on the due date.
• Correct any errors from the Grants.gov validation and ask your AOR to submit it to Grants.gov again.
• Once your application passes Grants.gov validation, it moves automatically to the Commons.
• Correct any errors from the Commons validation and ask your AOR to submit it to Grants.gov again.
• Once your application passes Commons validation, you and your Commons signing official will review the image.
• Your Commons signing official has two days to reject the application image before it moves to NIH review.

When do I use an NIH parent versus an NIAID announcement?

See When do I use an NIH parent versus an NIAID announcement? in the Funding Opportunity Announcements questions and answers.

Why should I read the statement of interest for a parent PA?

See Why should I read the statement of interest for a parent PA? in the Funding Opportunity Announcements questions and answers.

How do I download an application package?

Here's the process in Grants.gov:

• After selecting a funding opportunity announcement, click the "How to Apply" button at the top right of the page.
• Click the "Download" link in the "Instructions and Application" column.
• Click "Download Application Instructions" for the instructions or "Download Application Package" for the forms.

For technical information, see How do I know if my computer is compatible?

Some forms are mandatory and some optional -- how do I know which to use?

When you access a funding opportunity announcement in Grants.gov, you'll see a screen with boxes containing mandatory and optional forms, called components.

You must complete all mandatory components, and you may have to complete some of the optional ones. "Optional" does not always mean you can opt out. Read the NIH Guide announcement to see which forms are required.

Grants.gov will not check that you have the correct optional budget form -- be sure to pick the right one. Get more information in Part 6. Other Application Sections in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Why are some forms called SF 424 and others PHS 398?

When you view a funding opportunity announcement, you'll see Grants.gov SF 424 forms, which are used by many federal agencies, and others that add information NIH needs.

When it adapted to the Grants.gov system, NIH retained the name PHS 398 for these electronic forms, which include the Modular Budget, Research Plan, and Cover Letter File.

Find related information in General Application Information and Why doesn't the grant application package always match NIH's requirements? below.

Where can I get help filling out forms?

You can get different forms of help:

• Read the instructions in the NIH Guide announcement and Grant Application Package.
• Field-Level Help button in the form's toolbar tells you about each field.
• To find more sources, go to Where can I find resources to explain electronic application?

Why doesn't the SF 424 always match NIH's requirements?

The SF 424 and the associated Research and Related forms are government-wide. Many agencies use them, so they don't necessarily correspond to NIH's needs.

For example, the Research and Related Senior/Key Person Profile lets you attach a "Current and Pending Support" file, but NIH does not want you to submit that attachment.

There are only a few cases of mismatch -- see What are the most common errors people make when filling out the forms? below.

The CFDA number in the FOA looks wrong, what should I do?

If you see an inaccurate Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance number in the funding opportunity announcement, just ignore it. NIH will change it later.

Are there restrictions on file name formats?

Yes. You can use letters of either case, numbers, hyphens, and underscores. We don't recommend using other characters or spaces in file names; most are not allowed.

Do PDFs have special formatting requirements?

Yes. Here they are:

• Do not use editable fields.
• When using Adobe Acrobat, turn signature off when creating originals.
• Do not submit protected documents; do not select any security settings.

Can I submit my budget as a PDF attachment?

No. You must use one of the "optional" budget form components.

How should I create my Research Plan?

There's a knack to creating the attachments for the Research Plan. See our Part 5. Research Plan in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

How will I sign my application?

See How will I sign my application? in General Application Information.

What publications or manuscripts are appropriate to send in my appendix?

Find that information on If You Need an Appendix in the NIH Grant Cycle: Application to Renewal.

Why can't I enter the entire federalwide assurance in the human assurances number field?

Enter only the numeric part, e.g., 00012345, which fits the 10-character field in the Other Project Information form.

What are the most common errors people make when filling out the forms?

Go to NIH's Avoiding Common Errors.

What are the final steps before submission?

Here are the last steps you need to complete before your Grants.gov authorized organizational representative (AOR) can submit your Grant Application Package for you.

• Make sure all required forms are complete and in the submission box.
• Test your application package by clicking the "Check for Errors" button, and fix any errors.
• After you have done this, the submit button becomes active (though you can't submit yourself). Save a backup copy of the application to your local drive.
• Be sure you file a signature assurance with your organization each time you apply.
• Contact your AOR -- see How do I submit my application to Grants.gov? -- to continue applying.

Where can I find more questions and answers about grant applications?

See Submitting and Validating Your Electronic Application for the next set of questions and answers on electronic grant applications. Also go to Applying for a Grant, Writing a Great Grant Application, and other Application questions and answers.

What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?

Email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with this link and your question or suggestion. We answer questions by email and post them here. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.