We too managed to submit (and pass validation for) all our AREA proposals,
once we had a workaround for the indirect cost error message.  It seems to
me that the Grants.gov process actually works pretty well, and Grants.gov
submission is quite easy.  (I still object to a system that relies on a
single non-shared file for the application.)  It's the validation process
that NIH has put into place in connection with Grants.gov that has had us
all tied up in knots.

As for the errors and warnings...  Some of the warnings will always be
there (like the one about the $150,000 direct cost maximum for AREA
proposals) and we found some could be fixed by having the PI edit the
Commons profile.  For the indirect cost error, what worked for us was
making the indirect cost base be an integer which, when multiplied by the
rate, gives an integer.  Our rate is itself an integer, so we had to make
our base be an even number of hundreds of dollars.  For a rate with a
decimal (like the 51.4% posted by Ted Russo, the base would have to be an
even number of thousands.

Are there other error messages you can't get rid of referred to in your
message, Pam?

Liz
********************
Research Administration Discussion List <xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG> on Tuesday,
February 28, 2006 at 12:18 PM -0500 wrote:
>We finally got our grant submitted this morning totally after 4
>submission attempts....with PI and SO signature.....I am happy....I was
>not happy with the NIH eRA support desk either. I believe grants.gov is
>ok for submission but with the added responsibilities of an NIH
>submission it seems to create alot more problems.
>
>"Plotkin, Pamela T." wrote:
>
>
>Error/warning ... my sentence structure below is incomplete. Should have
>read as follows:
>
>Subject: Resubmitting corrected AREA grant applications to Grants.gov
>
>There has been this eerie silence from the folks out there submitting
>AREA grant applications. Not sure if you’ve all solved your problems or
>you’re too busy trying to work through them.
>
>We fortunately got all of ours submitted on time, but most had errors and
>warning messages.  When we correct the items that generated the errors
>and warnings, resubmit the corrected application, and check the eRA
>Commons to see how we fared on our corrected application, the exact same
>errors and warnings appear.
>
>We have spoken to the NIH about this and they are unable to explain this
>to us.
>
>Has anyone run into a similar experience? Any advice?

-------------------------------------------------------
Liz Lieberman
Director, Office of Sponsored Research
Assistant Dean of the College
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203
Phone: (781) 283-3587;  Fax: (781) 283-3695
E-mail: xxxxxx@wellesley.edu

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