1. Simplifying NIH’s Grant Application Instructions: See What’s Changed!
NIH Regional - Chicago
October 27, 2016
Stefanie Harris
Assistant Grants Policy Officer
Division of Grants Policy
Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA)
OER, NIH

2. Agenda Overview and Background Examples of Streamlining
How-To-Apply Application Guide Demo
Analysis
Forms Library Demo
Communications
Next Steps

3. APPLICATION SUPPLEMENTAL
GUIDE (OLD) INSTRUCTIONS (OLD)

4. Old site

5. Overview and Background
Long identified need to streamline and enhance current application instructions
Request for Information (RFI): Strategies for Simplifying NIH’s Grant Application Instructions posted on August 4, 2015
Web-based content available as HTML version
Provide customized instructions for different types of grant applications
Enhance clarity of instructions and remove contradictory or duplicative information
Shorter and more user-friendly instructions

6. Some examples of streamlining in the R&R forms…

7. 8. Supplemental Instructions to the SF424 (R&R) for Preparing Institutional Research Training and Career Development Program Applications Special Instructions for 4.5 Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form (pg. 206) Complete the Profile for the Program Director according to instructions in Section 4.5 (pg. 81). If multiple PD/PIs are proposed, explain in the Program Plan your rationale for how this will facilitate program administration. If your application involves Multiple PD/PIs, follow the directions in Section 4.5 to designate the Contact PI and to assign the PD/PI role to other senior/key persons. Additionally, the application must include a Multi- PD/PI Leadership Plan emphasizing how it will benefit the program and the trainees. Do not submit a leadership plan if you are not submitting a Multiple PD/PI application. See Section 8.7 for information associated with Multiple Program Directors (pg. 207). Complete the profiles for other senior/key persons according to instructions in Section 4.5.
Dense and confusing!

8. Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form – Revised Instructions/Layout
Instructions applicable to all applications
Additional program-specific instructions

9. “It is very confusing having both the generic and the NIH- specific guidance included in the application guide for each item on the application form, especially when in some sections these contradict each other. Would it be possible to just show the information here that is relevant to completing an NIH application?”

10. Old New SF 424 (R&R) Cover Form
16. Is Application Subject to Review by State Executive Order Process?
Old
New

11. Old New R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form
Attach Current & Pending Support – PD/PI
Old
New

12. Process Information
2. Process for Application Submission via Grants.gov 2.1 Overview 2.2 Registration Process Grants.gov Registration eRA Commons Registration Commons Registration for the Organization Commons Registration for the Program Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) Commons Registration for Other Individuals Participating in NIH Progress Reports 2.3 Software Requirements Adobe Reader Creating PDFs for Text Attachments 2.4 Funding Opportunities NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Funding Opportunity Announcements Finding a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for Grants.gov Submission 2.5 Forms for an Application to NIH or Other PHS Agencies 2.6 Format Specifications for Text (PDF) Attachments
2.7 "Resubmission" Applications
2.8 "Revision" Application
2.9 Similar, Essentially Identical, or Identical Applications
2.10 Submitting your Application via Grants.gov
2.11 After you Submit your Application via Grants.gov
2.12 Correcting Errors
2.13 Post-Submission Application Materials
2.14 Application Due Dates
2.15 Submission, Review and Award Cycles
2.16 Resources for Finding Help
Finding Help for Grants.gov Registration or Submissions
Finding Help for the eRA Commons Registration or eRA Commons Validation Processes
Finding Help for Application Preparation
3. Using the Grant Application Package
3.1 Verify Grant Information
3.2 Enter the Name for the Application
3.3 Open and Complete Mandatory Documents
3.4 Open and Complete Optional Documents
3.5 Submitting the Application via Grants.gov
“Our institution, and many of our PD/PIs, are veterans of the application process and do not need extensive instruction on creating a Grants.gov account, SAM registration, Commons registration, etc.”

13. “We feel that the most important info in the NIH General Application Guide SF424 (R&R), are sections 4 and 5 because they give guidance on how to complete the NIH application package forms according to NIH requirements and are referred to on a daily basis…however, currently, to get to these sections in the, you have to scroll down 4 pages in the TOC (55 pages in entire PDF doc). These front sections (1-3 and 6) contain relevant information on NIH policies, system registration, and application processes but are not directly related to completing the NIH application package and are referred to far less. Therefore we suggest pushing sections 4, 5, to the front of the document or to remove the background sections (1-3, 6), and instead add them as links on the NIH application website.”

15. New site
Process information
Program -specific views
apply-application-guide.htm
apply-application-guide.htm

16. Prepare to apply and register, etc.
Form changes, restructure information
Introduction on each program

17. New numbering system
Consistent sections across instructions
Prefix notes the instructions you are viewing; page numbers are set up the same
General (G), Research (R), Career Development (K), Training (T), Fellowship (F), Multi-Project (M) and SBIR/STTR (B)
G.200 = SF 424 (R&R) Form

19. Thumbnail form image, form description, quick links to specific questions

20. Instructions applicable to all applications
No additional program-specific instructions

21. Instructions applicable to all applications
Additional program-specific instructions

22. Includes previously separate career and fellowship biosketch instructions

23. Links to sections of the form

24. Form has multiple pages

25. All forms in the General guide

26. How much did we take out? A quick analysis…
Guide
Old # of Pages
New # of Pages
Difference (pages)
% Difference
General - old vs. new total
286
228
-58
-20.3%
General - old vs. new R&R total
175 93
-82
-46.9%
Research only guide - old vs. new
164
102
-62
-37.8%
SBIR/STTR - old vs. new
176
121
-55
-31.3%

27. Old and new covers

29. Old and new covers

30. Where did we move everything?
“It is taking me more than 10 minutes to find the new NIH biosketch template and instructions on the website. Difficult to navigate.”

39. Change takes time
“Slowly and reluctantly adjusting to the switch from a single instruction document to a distributed interactive instruction guideline. Advantage of single document: you know all the info is in a single document that can be searched. New web documents: getting lost in sequence of links to find specific info, sometimes can't remember where I started. Hard to track down the current answer to a specific question. Concerned I may spend more time trying to find the specific information I seek. Please keep the single document version of Application Guide, with purple font highlighting recent changes.”

40. Communications to date
NOT-OD : RFI, August 4, 2015
NOT-OD : upcoming changes to forms/instructions, October 13, 2015
NOT-OD : reminded notice about upcoming forms and instructions changes, January 22, 2016
NOT-OD : clarifications and consolidated biosketch instructions and format pages available, March 23, 2016
NOT-OD : availability of new instructions and forms, March 28, 2016
NIH eSubmission Items of Interest: February 29, 2016
NIH eSubmission Items of Interest: March 25, 2016
Open Mike Blog Post: February 29, 2016
NIH Presentations (NCURA, FDP, SRA, NIH Regionals, etc.)

41. What’s Next? Future Enhancements
More plain language!
More filtering!
More frequent updates!
More custom-ization!

42. Feedback?

43. Thank you!