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eRA Commons – How To:
Basic Tasks Step by Step

1. To reset the password

Go to the eRA Commons homepage at https://commons.era.nih.gov/commons/ or https://public.era.nih.gov/commons
Select the "Forgot Password/Unlock Account?" link underneath the Log-in button
In the User ID field, type your eRA Commons user name
Enter your email Address (Please note, this email address needs to be the one currently in your eRA Commons Account)
A new temporary password will be sent to your email account
Once you are able to log in, you will be prompted to change your password
Enter the temporary password in the field titled ‘current password’

Note: We advise that you type in the password, as opposed to copying and pasting, as the latter may cause you to inadvertently copy extra spaces that may cause errors when trying to reset the password.

The new password must meet the following standards:

At least eight (8) non-blank characters in length
Passwords must contain a combination of at least three of the following types of characters:
- Capital letters
- Lower case letters
- Numeric characters
- Special characters: ! # $ % * - _ = + < >
- First and last characters cannot be numbers
Cannot contain username
Previous 24 passwords cannot be reused

2. To change the password

Log in to eRA Commons > Admin tab > Accounts tab > Change Password tab.
On the Change Password screen, enter your current password.
Enter the current password upon receiving a prompt.
Enter the new password.
Enter the new password again for confirmation.
Click Submit.

3. For the SO to affiliate the PI

Log in to eRA Commons > Admin tab > Accounts tab > Manage Accounts tab
The Search Accounts screen is displayed.
Enter the last and first name of the individual.
Uncheck the ‘Search outside your institution’ checkbox.
Click Search.
If the individual's name is found, click on the “Create Affiliation” button in the Action column.
The Modify Account screen is displayed. To affiliate an account, add the Role and the Organization (affiliation).
Under the Roles header, add the appropriate role by clicking on the magnifying glass icon next to the Role field. The Select Role screen appears, with a list of roles that can be granted to the person for whom the account is being created.
Select the relevant role. A role is not officially added to the account until the magnifying glass icon next to the role that is added is gone. Therefore, the user needs to select the Add link in the action column to add a blank role row. The new role row will not display the magnifying glass icon.
Click the Save button to complete the process. The appropriate roles are added to the user’s account.
To add the Institution/Organization, click the magnifying glass icon next to the Organization field. The Search Organization screen appears. Type in the name or ID of the organization and search.
When the search results are displayed, select the appropriate Organization name.
Click save to complete the affiliation process.
The system displays a confirmation message that the account has been successfully updated.
In addition, the system sends an email notification to the user whose account has been affiliated to an institution.

4. For the SO, AO, or AA to create a new account for someone in his/her organization

Log in to eRA Commons > Admin tab > Accounts tab > Manage Accounts tab.
The Search Accounts screen is displayed.
Enter the last and first name of the individual.
When conducting a search, you can search for existing accounts outside your institution by checking the ‘Search outside your Institution’ checkbox.
Click Search.
If the individual's name is found, click the “Create Affiliation” button in the Action column. If not, click the Create Account button on the lower left corner of the screen.

The Create Account screen is displayed with two sections: Personal Information and Roles. Fill in all required fields indicated by an asterisk for the individual. Choose User Type as indicated in the table below.

How to Determine User Type/Organization

Account Needed	Choose User Type (from drop-down)	Select Organization
NIH account	NIH	Institutes/Centers (ICs)
Non-NIH OpDiv or Agency (e.g. Veterans Administration, AHRQ)	Agency	ICs
Federated (all Institutes participating in Federated Authentication)	Federated	external organizations
Institution	Commons (default for all extramural accounts)	Cannot select; the organization field is prepopulated, based on Administrator’s institution

To add the appropriate role, click the magnifying glass icon next to the Role field. The Select Role screen appears, with a list of roles that can be granted to the person for whom the account is being created.
Select the relevant role. A role is not officially added to the account until the magnifying glass icon next to the role that is added is gone. Therefore, the user needs to select the Add link in the action column to add the selected role to the account. The new role row will not display the magnifying glass icon. The user then clicks the Save button to complete the process. The appropriate roles are added to the user’s account. To add another role, click the Add hyperlink in the Action column.
For Commons Administrators, the Institution/Organization will always default to the Administrator’s Institution/Organization. Click ‘save’ to complete the account creation.
The system runs validation checks and displays a confirmation screen.
When the account is created, the individual will receive two emails. One email confirms the account has been created and User ID. The second email provides a temporary password log in to eRA Commons.
See the Account Management System User Guide (PDF 1 MB) for screenshots and details on how to create an account for an existing profile, create new administrative accounts and to create accounts for reviewers or trainees.

5. For editing a Commons account

Log in to eRA Commons
Select the Admin tab
Select Accounts tab
Select Manage Accounts tab
Enter the last and first name of the individual
Click Search
Locate the desired individual in the search results and click Edit below the Action column of the account you wish to edit
After the edits are performed, click Submit at the bottom of the screen
Message will appear in red at the top of the screen "The account (account name) has been successfully updated."
A notification email will be sent to the user informing him/her that the account has been edited

6. To search for a user to view his or her delegations

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

The My Delegates screen opens. If applicable, the My Current Delegations area of the screen displays a table of your existing delegations. If you have no current delegations, the table will indicate ‘No records were returned.’

Select the ‘Search or Add Delegate’ link. Search parameters will display on the screen; enter the appropriate search criteria, using the percent (%) sign if you need to as a wildcard. Hold down the CTRL key when selecting Roles from the dropdown menu to select more than one role at a time
Select the ‘Search’ button
Search results will display in the Search Results area, including the user’s Name, Role(s), Commons ID, and currently delegated authorities (indicated by marked checkboxes next to the listed authorities)
If the search results span several pages, use the next and previous page arrows to move forward or back one page or the first page and last page arrows to navigate to the beginning or end of the list

7. To edit the delegations already assigned to users for your own account

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

The My Delegates screen opens. The My Current Delegations area of the screen displays a table of your existing delegations.

Locate the user whose delegations you wish to edit and click the ‘Select’ link associated with that user

The Delegate Authority (Authorities) screen will display the selected user and the authorities available to delegate to that user
Mark or unmark the checkbox(es) of the authority or the authorities you wish to delegate to or revoke from the user and click the ‘Save’ button to complete the process

8. For the SO (or other administrative user) to delegate authority to a user on behalf of someone else

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

Select the desired link: Delegate Progress Report, Delegate Sponsor, Institution Delegation, or Search or Add Delegate
A search screen will open with the criteria necessary to locate and select a specific user on whose behalf the desired authority is being granted
Enter the appropriate search criteria, using the wild card symbol (%) if necessary
The search results will appear in the Search Results table. Click the Select link to indicate the user on whose behalf you are granting authority
A message will appear that you have selected to delegate authority on behalf of the user. Search options will also appear for you to search for someone to whom to delegate authority
Enter the search criteria necessary for locating the user to whom to grant authority and click the Search button
The search results will appear in the Search Results table. Click the Select link to indicate the user to whom you are granting authority
A new screen will appear. The screen will include the name of the user you are delegating authority on behalf of, and the name, Commons ID, and role of the user to whom you are granting authority. Click the checkbox next to the delegation type (e.g. Progress Report) and click Save to complete the process. Choose Cancel to cancel the action without delegating any authority to the user

9. To Update your Email Address

Log in to eRA Commons
Select the Personal Profile tab
Select the Personal Information sub-tab
Enter the email address in the field labeled eRA Email and click Submit button when complete.

10. For the SO (or other administrative user) to revoke authority from a user on behalf of someone else

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

Select the desired link: Delegate Progress Report to revoke Progress Report authority or Delegate Sponsor to revoke Sponsor authority
A search screen will open with the criteria necessary to locate and select a specific user on whose behalf you wish to revoke authority from someone else
Enter the appropriate search criteria, using the wild card symbol (%) if necessary
The search results will appear in the Search Results table. Click the Select link to indicate the user on whose behalf you are revoking authority
Search options will also appear for you to search for someone to revoke authority from
Enter the search criteria necessary for locating the user to revoke authority from and click the Search button
The search results will appear in the Search Results table. Click the Select link to indicate the user to revoke authority from
A new screen will appear. The screen will include the name of the user you are revoking authority on behalf of, and the name, Commons ID, and role of the user from whom you are revoking authority. Unmark the checkbox next to the delegation type (e.g. Progress Report) and click Save to complete the process. Choose Cancel to cancel the action without revoking any authority from the user

11. To delegate authority to another user (for your own account)

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

The delegations you are able to perform are based on your Commons role(s). The screen lists the available authorities you are able to delegate
Click the ‘Search or Add Delegate’ link. Search parameters will display on the screen; enter the appropriate search criteria, using the percent (%) sign if you need to as a wildcard
Select the ‘Search’ button
Search results will display in the Search Results area, including the user’s Name, Role(s), Commons ID, and currently delegated authorities (indicated by marked checkboxes next to the listed authorities)
If the search results span several pages, use the next and previous page arrows to move forward or back one page or the first page and last page arrows to navigate to the beginning or end of the list
Once you have located the user to whom you wish to delegate authority, click the ‘Select’ link for that user
The Delegate Authority (Authorities) screen will display, including the available authorities (with checkboxes) and a confirmation message
Mark the checkbox(es) of the authority or the authorities you wish to delegate and click the ‘Save’ button to complete the process

12. To revoke authority from another user (for your own account)

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

The My Delegates screen opens. The My Current Delegations area of the screen displays a table of your existing delegations.

Locate the user you wish to revoke authority from and click the ‘Select’ link associated with that userThe Delegate Authority (Authorities) screen will display the selected user
Unmark the checkbox(es) of the authority or the authorities you wish to revoke from the user and click the ‘Save’ button to complete the process
If you have revoked all authorities from the user, the user will no longer appear in your My Current Delegates list

13. For an SO to delegate authority to the PI to submit the Progress Report

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

Select the link called Institution Delegation
The Institution Delegations screen will open, displaying Current Submit Progress Report Delegations in a table at the top and Candidates for Submit Progress Report Delegation in a table at the bottom
The Candidates for Submit Progress Report Delegation table displays all users in your institution who are eligible to be granted Submit Progress Report authority
In the Candidates for Submit Progress Report Delegation table, mark the Submit Progress Report checkboxes next to the users to whom you wish to grant Submit Progress Report authority
Verify that you have selected the appropriate users and select the ‘Grant Delegation(s)’ button
The Institution Delegations screen will update to display a certification and acceptance agreement
Read the statement and verify that you are granting the delegate(s) the ability to answer the same statement on behalf of your institution by clicking the ‘I Agree’ button to confirm the delegation(s)

14. For an SO to revoke from the PI the authority to submit the Progress Report

Login to eRA Commons
Select the Admin menu tab from the Commons navigational bar
Select the Delegations option from the Admin menu

Select the link called Institution Delegation
The Institution Delegations screen will open, displaying Current Submit Progress Report Delegations in a table at the top and Candidates for Submit Progress Report Delegation in a table at the bottom
The Current Submit Progress Report Delegations table displays all users who currently possess the Submit Progress Report authority
In the Current Submit Progress Report Delegations table, unmark the Submit Progress Report checkboxes next to the users from whom you wish to revoke the authority to submit progress reports
Verify that you have selected the correct users and select the ‘Revoke Delegation(s)’ button
The Institutions Delegations screen will update to display a confirmation message. Select the ‘I Agree’ button to confirm the information and complete the revoking process

15. For populating Congressional District numbers if in a foreign country

Log into eRA Commons
Select the eSNAP tab
Click on the Grant Number for the desired application
Select Edit Business tab
Select the Project/Performance sub-tab
Select Edit
Select the appropriate country from the drop down menu
If you have more than one project performance site, select a foreign country other than the one that is currently selected
The Congressional District will populate properly with all zeroes (00-000). Do not save the form at this time.
Use the dropdown menu again to select the correct country. The Congressional District will still be populated properly with all zeroes.
Click Save & New.

16. For the SO to add the Financial Status Report Role to a profile

Log in to eRA Commons
Select the Admin tab followed by the Accounts sub-tab
Select the Maintain Accounts sub-tab
Perform a search for the person who has an existing SO or AO account. Their account information should show up at the bottom.
Click on Edit in the action column next to the name (in the roles box, highlight all the roles you want this person to have. If their current role is an SO, then highlight SO and FSR)
Click on Submit.

17. For the PI and SO to locate the Grants Closeout link

Log in to eRA Commons
Select the Status tab

PI should select the List of Applications/Grants
SO should enter the grant number or clear the auto-filled dates under Budget Start and End Date and enter the PI name and click Search.

Click on the Requires Closeout link under the Action column that is associated with the desired grant to access the Grants Closeout

18. For the SO to request a no cost extension

Log in to eRA Commons
Select the Status tab
Enter the grant number or enter 'ALL' in the code field and 73386 in the Serial Number field and click Search
If there is an Extension link on the right side of the page, click the link to Apply for a No Cost Extension
If no such link appears, the user would need to contact their Grants Management Specialist for further assistance.
Note: There can only be one no cost extension through Commons per grant. If you have applied previously for an extension for this grant, an Extension link will not be available. Any future request needs to be directed to a Grants Management Specialist.
Note: that a user can select a no cost extension up to 45 days before the Project End period date.

19. For a reviewer to access the Secure Payee Registration System to receive honoraria for their service at a NIH review meeting

Log in to eRA Commons (the Reviewer account will display an IAR Authority)
Select the Personal Profile tab
Select the Residential Address sub-tab
Enter the information on the Residential Address screen. (ALL fields marked with an asterisk(*) are required.) It is also important that the address entered is the current residential address.
Foreign reviewers, this is the address where your check will be forwarded; US reviewers, this is the address where your tax documentation from the NIH will be sent.
Click the Submit button (once completed the SPRS link will become active).
Click on the Secure Payee Registration System link.
You will be taken to a second screen where you will again log in, using your eRA Commons user name and password.
In box 1, enter your Social Security Number (no dashes, just nine digits). If you do not have a Security Number, check the box that states 'I do not have a US SSN.'
Enter your US bank account, account number, routing number and account type.
Continue by entering the Bank information and click Submit.
Click on 'Log Out' next to your reviewer name near the top right of the screen.

20. For a PI to access his/her application's summary statement

Log in to eRA Commons
Click on Status tab
Click on List of Applications/Grant sub-tab
Locate the Grant Number under the Application ID Column and click on the Application ID
The Summary Statement will appear under Other Relevant Documents after it has been released by the Scientific Review Officer (SRO) following the review meeting.

21. SO to unaffiliate a PI

Log in to eRA Commons > Admin tab > Accounts tab > Manage Accounts tab
The Search Accounts screen is displayed.
Enter text in any of the following fields — role, user ID (log-in user name), last and first name, account status (active, pending, not affiliated) and institution search (within the user’s institution) — and click search.
All records that meet the search criteria can be found in the Search Results section of the screen.
On the Search Accounts screen, click the Unaffiliate hyperlink in the Action column for the relevant account.
The Unaffiliate Account screen is displayed.
Click the Unaffiliate button to unaffiliated the account from the organization (or click cancel to exit the screen).
The system displays a message that the account has been successfully updated and returns the user to the Search Accounts screen.

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This page last reviewed: March 21, 2012

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eRA Commons – How To:
Basic Tasks Step by Step

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eRA Commons – How To: Basic Tasks Step by Step

eRA Commons – How To:
Basic Tasks Step by Step