InfoEd offers investigators and administrators easy access to a host of information regarding their sponsored projects. Key features include the ability to track project funding status, research compliance approval status and requested/awarded revenue. For more information about use of InfoEd at UConn and access to How To guides, visit the InfoEd page. To login to the system, visit https://www.infoed.uconn.edu using your UConn NetID username and password.

The eRA Commons system is an online interface where grant applicants, grantees, and grantor agencies can access and share administrative information relating to research grants as they are received by NIH via ASSIST or Grants.gov. The eRA system allows Principal Investigators to track their applications; view summary statements and score letters; view notice of awards; submit just in time information; access eSNAP Progress Reports, Financial Status Reports and final closeout reports; and no-cost extensions.

eRA Commons registration is required prior to initiating an NIH proposal. To register for an eCommons account, complete the NIH eCommons Account Registration Form below. If you already have an ID and password, click on the second link below to login to eRA Commons.

NIH & Grants.gov

The University of Connecticut is already registered with Grants.gov. Investigators and departmental personnel need not register. NIH provides guidance on submitting applications through Grants.gov at the following sites:

Instructions for Routing NIH Proposals via Grants.gov. Internal paperwork must be routed through SPS before it is submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

1. The routing process should be initiated 5 business days before the deadline date. This allows SPS to review and approve the proposal prior to submission.
2. The proposal will not be submitted electronically to NIH until SPS receives the complete proposal package, and it has been reviewed and approved. The “complete proposal package” consists of:
   • Internal Proposal Review Form with signatures
   • Budget and Budget Justification
   • Grants.gov application

The PI does not submit the proposal to NIH. Only SPS has the authority to submit the proposal to NIH after receiving full access permission from the PI.

1. The PI will complete the electronic application and email to preaward@uconn.edu.
2. SPS will print the application, review for compliance with application instructions and request additional information and/or corrections as necessary.
3. The PI will be notified when the application has been reviewed and approved.
4. The final version must be reviewed prior to submission.

The Principal Investigator may submit a draft application to SPS for review and approval. The PI may submit draft attachments in the application for review and continue to update their science during the review process.The final application should be submitted to SPS 2 business days before the deadline date.

Do not wait until the last minute to deliver the final proposal package.

The grants.gov server has been known to “bog down,” particularly on deadline dates. This may result in missing the deadline.

Remember: Submission to Grants.gov and the NIH is a multi-step process. Grants.gov processes a series of validations prior to sending the application to the NIH. NIH, in turn, processes a series of business process validations prior to accepting the application.

A series of email messages will be sent to the PI and SPS when the proposal is submitted via Grants.gov.

The PI must have an eRA Commons account in order for the application to be validated by NIH. Once an application completes validation by Grants.gov, it is sent to the NIH. In order for the application to be validated by the NIH, each PI must have an eCommons account (Credential Log-In) in the NIH eRA Commons system.

If the application meets NIH validation requirements, the application is posted in the PI’s eRA eCommons account. The PI and SPS need to check the assembled application in eCommons to ensure the application is complete and has no system conversion issues. If the application did not meet NIH validation requirements and errors were generated, a corrected application must be submitted prior to the submission deadline. If warnings were generated upon validation and the PI would like to address, the previous application must be rejected and a corrected application must be submitted prior to the submission deadline.

Additional information for NIH submission:

• NIH Website
• Program Deadlines
• Unsolicited Program Applications – Parent Announcements
• NIH Policies and Guidance
• News from NIH
• NIH Quick Guide

NSF FastLane

FastLane, NSF’s interactive real-time grant management system, is used to conduct NSF business over the internet. Research.gov registration is required prior to initiating an NSF proposal.   To register for an account, complete the  Account Registration Form below. Once completed, SPS will receive an email notification for Research.gov and approve the registration.  Step-by-step instructions can be found in the Account Registration Guide.   If you already have an ID and password, click on the second link below to login to Fastlane.

• Account Registration Form
• Login to FastLane
• Fastlane Proposal Preparation
• FAQs on Proposal Preparation
• FastLane Help

Instructions for Routing NSF Proposals via FastLane

Internal paperwork must be routed through SPS before the proposal is submitted electronically through NSF Fastlane.

1. The routing process should be initiated 5 business days before the deadline date. This allows SPS to review and approve the proposal prior to electronic submission through NSF FastLane.
2. The proposal will not be submitted electronically to NSF until SPS receives, reviews, and approves the “complete proposal package.”  The “complete proposal package” consists of:
   • Internal Proposal Review Form with signatures
   • Budget and Budget Justification
   • Access to Fastlane application

The PI does not submit the proposal to NSF. Only SPS has the authority to submit the proposal to NSF after receiving full access permission from the PI. The PI may only “Allow SRO [Sponsored Research Office, i.e. SPS] Access.”

• The PI will complete the electronic proposal in Fastlane and “Allow SRO Access”. SPS will print the proposal, review for compliance with proposal guidelines, and request additional information and/or corrections as necessary.
• The PI will be notified when the application has been reviewed and approved.
• The PI will notify SPS when the proposal is finalized and is ready for submission.
• The final version must be reviewed by SPS prior to submission.

Understand the different levels of allowing SRO Access.

Pressing the “Allow SRO Access” button within FastLane directs the PI to a screen entitled “SRO Access Control,” where the PI should choose one of three options:

1. Allow SRO to only view proposal but not submit.
2. Allow SRO to view and edit but not submit proposal.
3. Allow SRO to view, edit and submit proposal.

The third option can be activated by the PI at any stage of the proposal. Selecting the third option will not be interpreted by SPS as a signal to submit the proposal to NSF unless the PI previously indicated otherwise. The PI should contact SPS when the proposal has been finalized and is ready for submission.

The Principal Investigator may continue to edit a proposal after granting SRO Access. Remember: two events need to occur before SPS will submit a proposal to NSF:

1. SPS must receive and approve the complete proposal package, as described above.
2. From within the “SRO Access Control” interface, the PI must select the third option, “Allow SRO to view, edit and submit proposal.”

Do not wait until the last minute to deliver the proposal package or “Allow SRO Access.”

The FastLane server has been known to “bog down,” particularly on deadline dates.  This may result in missing the deadline, in which case the PI would need to seek an extension from the Program Officer. An email message will be sent to the PI when the proposal has been submitted via FastLane.

Instructions for Submitting Subawards to NSF

All UConn personnel who plan to submit subaward budgets via FastLane must first be registered FastLane users. If you are not a registered user, please complete SPS’ online registration form (see link above). Participation as a subawardee entails two distinct administrative responsibilities.

1. FastLane Portion

• The PI from the Lead Institution assigns a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to the proposal and then shares that PIN and Proposal ID with the UConn subaward applicant.
• The UConn subaward applicant then logs in with last name, NSF ID, FastLane password, and the PIN and Proposal ID#. This provides access to the Llead Institution’s proposal and enables full functionality including the uploading of budgets, letters of support, biographical sketches, and etcetera.

2. UConn Portion. In addition to FastLane requirements, there are several documents that the UConn subaward applicant is required to submit to SPS for review and approval:

• Internal Proposal Review Form with signatures
• Signed Significant Financial Interest Disclosure Forms for all key personnel
• Completed Cooperating Institution Consortium Statement
• Budget and Budget Justification
• Scope of Work – a narrative description of the subawardee’s role in the lead institution’s project.

NSF Data Management Plan Requirements

National Science Foundation (NSF) Cost Sharing Policy Guidance

NSF policy states that the inclusion of voluntary committed cost sharing is prohibited in all proposals except when required in the NSF solicitation.  SPS has guidance available to assist you during proposal preparation and to help to ensure that applications are compliant with NSF and University policy including situations where senior personnel do not request salary for their effort on the project.

Additional information regarding NSF submissions

• Guide to NSF Programs/Browse Funding Opportunities
• Program Deadlines by Date
• NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide
• News from NSF
• NSF Revised Cost Sharing Policy
• FAQs on Revised Cost Sharing Policy

The federal government established Grants.gov as a central web-based portal for inviting and receiving applications to its 26 federal grant-making agencies.  Grants.gov lists all federal grant opportunities and provides a mechanism for applying for those opportunities.

Available search and notification features include:

• Receive Grant Opportunity Notifications.Use the Email Subscription feature within Grants.gov to register to receive email notifications of new grant postings. Select the appropriate email subscription option. Enter your email address and other required information if applicable. Click the “Subscribe to Mailing List” button.
• Find Grant Opportunities.Use the Search Grants feature within Grants.gov to locate possible funding opportunities. Once you have located the opportunity you want to apply to, select and open. Make note of the CFDA and/or solicitation number (also known as Funding Opportunity Number).
• Receive Notifications of Changes to Grant Opportunity.To receive notification of any changes to the opportunity, enter your e-mail address and submit prior to downloading the application and instructions. You will be e-mailed if the opportunity is changed and republished on Grants.gov before its closing date.

Useful links:

Grants.gov Website

Login to Grants.gov

Grants.gov Support (available 24 hours day, 7 days a week)

Over the past decade, the research community has experienced a vast movement toward an increasingly paperless environment.  This paradigm shift in which the administrative aspects of sponsored projects are conducted electronically is referred to as Electronic Research Administration, or eRA.  Research administration professionals who engage in eRA interact with a number of both external systems (e.g. sponsor agency systems, government systems, etc.) and internal systems.  While specific systems vary in complexity, scope and business function, the eRA concept applies to the entire sponsored project lifecycle.

Sponsored Research Contracts and Agreements are a function that spans proposals (pre-award) and awards (post-award). To learn more about the Agreements and Contracts that could impact your research project, visit the Agreements & Contractions section.

Who needs to take CITI Program Training?

Investigators and research staff who interact or intervene with subjects, or who access/use subject’s identifiable information or biospecimens for the purposes of research, must complete UConn Storrs CITI Courses relevant to the type of research being conducted and the investigator or staff member’s responsibilities. The acceptable courses include the:

• Social/Behavioral Research Course
• Biomedical Research Course

The CITI Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) courses do not substitute for either the Social/Behavioral or Biomedical Research Courses. For more information about RCR, please visit the OVPR’s RCR webpages. 

Human Subjects CITI training remains valid for 3 years, at which point a refresher course must be completed.

How do I complete CITI Training?

To create an account in CITI, on the citiprogram.org home page, click on the Register button in the upper right. Click on “Log in through my Organization” at the top of the page. Enter “UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses” in the search box. Then click “Continue to SSO Login/instructions.” The CITI Single Sign-on (SSO) will use your UConn NetID and password for your account. (The system will ask you if there is another CITI account you would like to associate with your NetID account, and this option can be used to merge an old account with your new SSO account.) Follow the prompts to create an account.

Once you are logged in and under the UConn affiliation, select “add a course” and then “I would like to review the Human Subjects Research (HSR) courses” on the course enrollment page. Choose the appropriate course for your research: Group 1 Biomedical or Group 2 Social/Behavioral.

A copy of your Completion Report will automatically be sent to the IRB and will also be accessible to you and the IRB at any time from the CITI Program. Therefore, in most cases, investigators will not have to submit this report with an application to the IRB. If you need to upload a CITI completion report as part of your IRB submission, please see our uploading instructions.

What if I have already completed CITI Training for another organization?

When you log in to your CITI Program account, you should be able to add your affiliation with UConn to your profile by following these instructions. When you affiliate with UConn there is a good chance that the modules you have already completed will transfer to UConn thus eliminating or reducing the number of modules that you have to complete. Please be aware that UConn Storrs and UConn Health have different training requirements so please be sure that you affiliate with UConn – Storrs and Regional Campuses in CITI. Alternatively, a copy of your CITI Completion Report (not CITI Training Certificate) could be uploaded with your IRB submission. The IRB Office will review the report to determine whether the training meets UConn’s requirements or is substantially equivalent (completed within 3 years with at least 70% of the modules aligning with those required by UConn). To upload a CITI completion report as part of your IRB submission, please see our uploading instructions.

How do I complete the CITI refresher course?

The CITI Basic Course certification expires after three (3) years at which time the CITI Refresher Course must be taken to maintain certification. Approximately sixty (60) days before your training expires, you will receive an automatically generated reminder notice via e-mail directly from CITI. The notice includes instructions about how to complete the refresher course.

Who do I contact for help?

Questions regarding UConn’s requirements for human subjects training should be directed to the IRB Office @ irb@uconn.edu.

Technical issues with the CITI Program may be able to be resolved by visiting CITI’s Support Page. Questions can also be directed to support@citiprogram.org or by calling 888.529.5929.