Streamline and simplify are not the same thing. If a new highway is built to get you from A to B faster, you still have to learn how to get to the entrance ramp. Anyway, my impression has always been that the primary impetus for all this was to make things work more efficiently for the government and for institutional management of funded grants...not to make life immediately easier for PIs or to make the application process immediately simpler. CH > If the new system was not established to simplify things,and if it is > complicating things for small institutions, then what was its intent? > > -----Original Message----- > From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org]On Behalf > Of Charlie Hathaway > Sent: Friday, February 23, 2007 11:00 AM > To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org > Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] An open complaint about HHS electronic > application processes > > > I do NOT concur. I disagree that the new system was established to > simplify things. And I think your complaints about NIH are very > short-sighted. Improvements in anything are often difficult to deal with > at first. But NIH has done a very good job. > > Focus on other federal agencies without the NIH Commons-type capabilities, > and then I will sign on. > > Charlie > > >> Winona State University is not a member of COGR. I represent a small, >> one-and-a-half person mid-sized teaching-focused institution. Still I'm >> dealing with the same problems that major research universities are >> experiencing. If anyone could forward this message on to Council on >> Government Relations (COGR) - or to any other individual or organization >> you can think of that might be of help - feel free to do so. >> >> >> >> ----------------------------------------- >> >> >> >> The Department of Health and Human Services is violating the basic >> principle behind creating grants.gov. >> >> >> >> First, NIH came up with their ERA Commons System. You must be >> registered in the ERA system to apply. To apply, you submit an >> application through grants.gov, then you have to login to the ERA >> Commons to verify you have no warnings or errors that must be corrected. >> If you do, you have to re-apply through grants.gov, then go to ERA to >> check for warnings and errors (which may not be the ones you were >> informed about previously), then you have to re-apply through >> grants.gov, and so on and so on. Applying to NIH means research >> administrators, authorizing officials and principal investigators all >> have to learn two systems. (Oh, you also end up with a grants.gov >> tracking number and a different ERA number.) >> >> >> >> Now HRSA is requiring electronic submission and has an Electronic >> Handbook (EHB) system. A recent deadline was an absolute nightmare. >> Again, the authorizing official and principal investigator must be >> registered with EHB. (Oh, by the way, anybody can register and >> designate themselves to be an authorizing official.) Again, to apply, >> you submit an application through grants.gov, then you have to login to >> EHB to complete your application. I have a PI with multiple >> registrations because he received poor instructions from the help desk >> (on hold wait time for every call was 20-25 minutes) and there does not >> appear to be any way to delete the extra ones. And of course, your >> application has one tracking number for grants.gov and another one for >> HRSA. >> >> >> >> Using grants.gov was supposed to simplify things, because applicants >> would use one application system and not have to learn separate ones. >> With HHS, we're using grants.gov and needing to register and learn >> different electronic systems for each funding source within the >> department...systems that are incredibly un-user-friendly and have >> woefully inadequate support services. >> >> >> >> As I said, HHS is violating the basic principle behind having grants.gov >> in the first place. All they are doing is adding on a grants.gov >> requirement in addition to each funding source's own application system. >> It seems the result of the paperwork reduction act is an electric work >> explosion. Any assistance you could provide to initiate changes in this >> multiple application systems practice would be greatly appreciated. >> >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Nancy Kay Peterson, Director >> >> Grants & Sponsored Projects (G&SP) >> >> Winona State University >> >> Somsen Hall 212 >> >> Winona, MN 55987 >> >> Phone: 507.457.5519 >> >> Fax: 507.457.5586 >> >> http://www.winona.edu/grants >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ====================================================================== >> Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including >> subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available >> via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") >> ====================================================================== >> > > > ====================================================================== > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") > ====================================================================== > > > ********************** > Confidentiality Notice > ********************** > The information transmitted in this e-mail is intended only for the > person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain > confidential and/or privileged information. 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Thank you. > > > ====================================================================== > Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including > subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available > via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") > ====================================================================== > ====================================================================== Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists") ======================================================================
