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Applicants (Pre Award)-How To:
Basic Tasks Step by Step in eRA Commons

1. To register the applicant institution in eRA Commons

2. To create new user accounts

3. To Edit Personal Profile Information

a. Add/Edit Race/Ethnicity Information
  • Select the Personal Profile tab
  • Select the Race/Ethnicity tab
  • User must select an ethnicity and a race; note that all fields followed by an asterisk (*) are required
  • Click Submit to update all the changes
  • The following messages will appear in red at the top the Race/Ethnicity screen, "The racial/ethnicity information has been updated
  • Click Cancel to return to the Personal Profile screen
b. Employment
  • Select the Personal Profile tab
  • Select the Employments tab.
  • Click the Add New Employment button on the Employment List screen
  • Click Find to bring up the user's current affiliated Institution search screen. Enter address information
  • Enter Institution name
  • Click Search
  • Institution hit list will appear at the bottom of the Institution Selection screen
  • Click Select in the Action column next to the desired Institution
  • Enter all required fields (note required fields are marked with a red asterisk)
  • Click Submit to update all the changes
  • The Employment list and the following message appear in red, "A new employment has been added successfully"
  • You can also edit or delete an employment record by selecting links in the action column
  • Note - You will not be able to delete employment if it is your primary one (Checkbox to indicate primary employment is displayed on the screen)
  • Click Close to return to the Personal Profile screen, or
  • Click Add New Employment to add additional employment history
  • Select Cancel to return to the Personal Profile screen
c. Reviewer Specific
  • Select the Personal Profile tab
  • Select the Reviewer-Specific tab
  • Reviewer Address window appears
  • Complete the fields. Note that all fields followed by a red asterisk(*) are required
  • Click Submit to save all changes
  • The following message will appear at the top of the Reviewer-Specific screen, "Reviewer address successfully updated"
  • Select Cancel to return to the Personal Profile screen
d. Continuous Submission (Visible only to user with IAR role)
  • If Principal Investigators are eligible for continuous submission, their eligibility will be displayed on the Reviewer Specific section of the Personal Profile
  • Select Personal Profile tab
  • Select Reviewer-Specific tab
  • At the bottom of the screen the Reviewer Service History & Continuous Submission Eligibility menu can be viewed. The Continuous Submission Eligibility Status field will indicate 'Eligible' or 'Not Eligible'

    Note: Signing Officials will be able to view the PI's continuous submission eligibility on the Admin>Accounts>Account List screen in eRA Commons
e. Confirmation of Email Address
  • In updating the employment, reviewer or residential address screens, if you enter an email that is different from the one that you entered when creating your eRA Commons account, a new screen will pop up (Confirm eRA Email screen) asking if you want to change your original email to the one you just entered
  • Click 'Yes' to update your original email (i.e. eRA email address), or
  • Click 'No' to keep your original email address the same
f. Residential Address
  • Select the Personal Profile tab, then Residential Address tab
  • Complete the fields. Note that all fields followed by an asterisk (*) are required
  • Click Submit to save all changes
  • The following message will appear at the top of the Residential Address screen, "Residential Address successfully updated"
  • Click Cancel to return to the Personal Profile screen
g. Degrees/Residency
  • Select the Personal Profile tab, then Degrees/Residency tab
  • To add a degree, click the Add New Degree button
  • Complete the fields. Note that all fields followed by an asterisk (*) are required
  • Across from the Degree Name, select the degree type from the drop down list
  • Click Submit to save all changes
  • The following message will appear at the top of the List of Degrees screen, "A degree has been added successfully"
  • To add information on a medical residency, click on the Add Medical Residency button at the bottom of the List of Degrees screen
  • Complete the fields and click Submit. Note that all fields followed by an asterisk (*) are required
  • The following message will appear under Medical Residency, "A Medical Residency has been added successfully"
  • You are able to edit and or delete existing residency and degree records.
  • You are not able to delete a degree record that is designated as Terminal research degree.
  • Click Close return to the Personal Profile screen
  • *Note - If you delete medical residency, NI/ESI status will be affected
h. Early Stage Investigator
  • Once users have added their degrees and/or residency information, New Investigator/Early Stage Investigator status can be determined based on the information provided. On the List of Degrees screen, the Early Stage Investigator Status box is displayed -- indicating if the PI is 'Eligible" or 'Not Eligible" and showing the 'End of Eligibility Date'
i. To Add a Publication
  • Please see the "Manage Your Professional Bibliography (My NCBI)" information under Basic Tasks, as well as the My NCBI animated online tutorials under Training Materials, in order to add a publication to your Personal Profile.
j. Trainee-Specific
  • Select the Personal Profile tab, then the Trainee-Specific tab
  • Complete the required fields (indicated by an asterisk*) and click Submit
  • The following message will appear in red at the top of the Trainee-Specific screen, "Trainee-Specific information successfully updated"
k. Reference Letter

4. To manage the Institutional Profile

a. View Institutional Profile
  • Select the Institution Profile, then the Basic tab The View Institution Profile is a read-only page for all roles except the Signing Official role. The screen lists the institution's name and primary contact as well as provides basic institution information
b. Edit Institutional Profile Information
  • To edit the Institutional Profile, the SO should select the Institutional Profile tab
  • Select Basic tab
  • Click the Edit button on the top right of the screen
  • Edit the institution's information as necessary, noting that all fields followed by an asterisk (*) are required. A DUNS number and an e-mail address to which the Notice of Award can be sent must be entered.
  • Click Submit to update all the changes
  • The following message will appear in red at the top of the View Institution Profile screen, "Basic IPF has been updated"
  • Select any tab to navigate away from this screen
c. View IPF Assurances and Certifications
i. Edit IPF Assurances and Certification
  • Select the Institutional Profile tab, then the Assurances and Certifications tab
  • A read-only page, IPF Assurances and Certification (for all roles except the SO role), is displayed. The page provides a checklist of assurances and certifications for grantee institutions to verify compliance
  • Click the Edit button on the top right of the screen
  • Select the checkbox for the assurance that you wish to edit
  • Enter an explanation of the certification in the adjacent text box
  • Click Submit to update all changes

d. View Institution Usage

Displays a summary of the institution users. Extramural Administrators may view the read-only page for total number of accounts and total number of overall logins for the institution.

  • Select the Institutional Profile tab
  • Select the Institution Usage tab
  • The Institution Usage screen appears and the Institution Usage Detail hit list is displayed

5. Submitting an application

6. To track status of application and view application errors/warnings

7. To view Summary Statements

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

  • Log in to eRA Commons

  • Click on Status tab from the menu bar

  • Click on List of Applications/Grants link

  • Click on the Application ID shown on this page (grant #). Look under Other Relevant Documents. The Summary Statement will appear under Other Relevant Documents after it has been released by the Scientific Review Officer (SRO) following the review meeting

8. To submit Just in Time information



This page last reviewed: July 17, 2012