Bob, Here is a horror story that appeared in both Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/11/02/technicality_may_end_s tudent_program/) and the Chronicle of Higher Education (http://chronicle.com/news/article/3360/grant-application-rejected-as-46-min utes-late-may-cost-some-students) and transmitted in the Miner and Associates e-newsletter. I am also including this short synopsis in the FAQ page on "Why do I have to start internal review process a week before the deadline?" topic. GRANTS.GOV GOOF-UP We hate it when this happens. The Chronicle of Higher Education cited a November 2nd story in the Boston Globe where a $300,000 grant application to the U.S. Department of Education was rejected because it was submitted to Grants.gov 46 minutes late. The applicant, Choice Thru Education, has been providing academic skill building support to low-income students for the past 40 years. Enraged at this "bureaucratic technicality," Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) complained unsuccessfully to the Department of Education, where Assistant Secretary Diane Jones explained "We do not have the discretion to waive the deadline nor the flexibility to alter Grants.gov requirements." Unless your name is Rip Van Winkle, you know that there are problems with Grants.gov and we've detailed many of them in prior Grantseeker Tip issues. The safest way to avoid electronic submission problems with federal grants is to self-impose a deadline three to seven days in advance of the actual deadline. Always expect last minute problems. Remember: Murphy was an optimist! (Grantseekert Tips #223, www.MinerAndAssociates.com , November 27, 2007) Ivona Jukic Pre-Award and Compliance Coordinator Graduate Studies and Research Phone 318.342.1036 Fax 318.342.1042 Email xxxxxx@ulm.edu -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org] On Behalf Of Robert Beattie Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 11:07 AM To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] leadtime for review of Grants.gov proposals I hope other institutions have a policy of just not sending applications that come after the internal deadline. More chance for ours to be successful :) We will do everything possible to get an application to the sponsor. We have a 4 day requirement for the complete Grants.gov application to be in our server prior to the sponsor deadline. If it is there a minuter prior to the deadline, we will still try to submit it. Deal with problems later. However, if a late arriving submission fails after our best efforts, we do not take responsibility. We have had a couple arrive late and have errors. Luckily NIH allows late submissions, if the original deadline is met. I'll bet they will begin to cut down on this and someday in the near future, will not allow a late second submission. The sooner the better. In the meantime, we explain to PI's that it is in THEIR best interests to get applications in early as these Agency computer deadlines are firm. We can now relate the story of those folks in Boston, plus a couple of near run submissions here. Anyone have a case of missing a Grants.gov deadline. A few of these to share with PI's would help prove that best interest story. Bob xxxxxx@umich.edu On Nov 28, 2007, at 10:53 AM, Bloomberg, Robert wrote: But I think the real questions are: How many PI's get it to you within the number of days set out in your policy, and What is your approach if they don't -----Original Message----- From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@hrinet.org]On Behalf Of Jon Teuber Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 10:36 AM To: xxxxxx@hrinet.org Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] leadtime for review of Grants.gov proposals Our office recently instituted a similar policy - three working days prior to the deadline date (to give us a full four days when you include the submission date). We didn't survey, but googled policies at other institutions. We found that many use a five-day policy, and several were between 3 and 7 days. Jon Teuber Associate Director, Office of Sponsored Programs Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago ====================================================================== 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") ====================================================================== ====================================================================== 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") ======================================================================
