NIH eRA Commons & eSubmission Items of Interest – March 2013
RPPR….
You have been informed through previous communications that required use of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) module for submitting Streamlined Noncompeting Award Process (SNAP) and Fellowship progress reports will begin in May 2013.
You can read the official Guide Notice for more detailed information. But we urge you to get familiar with the new process now if you have not already tried using the eRA RPPR module. RPPR has been available as an option to all NIH grantees since October 2012. You want to note as well that RPPR will be replacing the eSNAP tab in eRA Commons, and eventually as eSNAP functionality will be retired.
RPPR vs. SNAP vs. eSNAP – This can all be very confusing, so I will attempt to K.I.S.S. it (Keep It Simple & Straightforward)…
Streamlined Non-Competing Award Process (SNAP) includes a number of provisions that modify requirements for annual progress and financial reports and for Notices of Award. eSNAP is the electronic version of SNAP progress report, which grantees have been required to use for SNAP progress reports since August 2010.
RPPR is a federally mandated reporting format for all federal grant agencies (NIH, NSF, DoD, etc.) designed to provide consistent information on the progress of federally funded research and research related activities. RPPR will replace the eSNAP progress reports for SNAP awards and PHS 416-6 for Fellowship progress reports in May, and will eventually replace the use of the PHS 2590 for non-SNAP awards..
The eSNAP module will be replaced by the RPPR for SNAP awards in May 2013.
There is no change to non-SNAP award progress reports at this time but the eRA team continues to develop an electronic solution for these reports. Of course, you will be updated as when the implementation timeline for non-SNAPs has been defined.
The RPPR web page has some very good information on it that might help ease the transition to this federally-mandated reporting scheme. In particular, there is the October 2012 webinar NIH RPPR Training Webinar for Grantees presented by the Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration (OPERA). And we cannot forget the ever helpful NIH RPPR Instruction Guide!
To PRAM or Not to PRAM – In addition to all the above changes, you will see the expansion of Progress Report Additional Materials (PRAM) functionality. The PRAM link that can be found in the Action column of the eRA Commons Status page will used to provide either the public access compliance information, the additional materials requested by IC, or both, depending on which is applicable to the particular RPPR. The grantee may provide the requested information, route the response to a Signing Official (SO), or, if the PD/PI has been delegated Submit Progress Report authority by the Signing Official, submit the materials to the agency. The materials may be viewed from the status information screen in Commons.
Grantee use of the PRAM link to respond to PRAM requests is not mandatory at this time; the grantee may respond via email to the Grants Management Specialist. However, NIH expects to mandate use of the electronic PRAM feature in the future and encourages grantees to familiarize themselves with the functionality.
Joe Schumaker
eRA Communications
Division of Communications and Outreach
NIH Office of Extramural Research
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Looking ahead: RPPR required for SNAP and Fellowship progress reports in May 2013 (See NOT-OD-13-035)