NIH announced the Retirement of NIH’s Automated Just-in-Time Email Notification. For many years, NIH’s eRA system automatically generated and sent just-in-time (JIT) email notifications to all applicants whose overall impact scores were below a designated level, i.e., 30 or less. The notifications prompted applicants to start the JIT process, which includes tasks like obtaining Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval and submitting other support information.
NIH’s institutes and centers (ICs) also send JIT email notifications, which are not automatically generated by an electronic system. NIH ICs will continue to do so.
Problematically, the automated notifications sent by NIH were often based on a score higher than a given IC’s paylines could support. As a result, applicants would sometimes undertake the task of preparing JIT responses for projects that ICs recognized as scoring outside the competitive range. Thus, our advice has long been that you should wait to receive a JIT notification sent by NIAID’s Grants Management Program.
It also bears mention that a message requesting JIT information does not guarantee NIAID will fund an application. Even with a fundable score, there are issues that could keep us from making an award, e.g., human subjects concerns or availability of funding.
When to Send JIT Information
Again, JIT information is time-sensitive, so you won’t want to delay sending the right information at the right time.
You can begin collecting the information described at Respond to Pre-Award Requests (“Just-in-Time”) if your application score is within or near our published paylines or, if they’re not yet established, within or near the previous fiscal year’s final published paylines. Check NIAID Paylines.
Then, when you receive a JIT email request from an NIAID grants management specialist, you and your organization’s business official can begin submitting the requested information.
The ways in which the eRA Commons platform supports collection of JIT information remain unchanged. Find guidance on how to upload that information, when prompted, at Submit Just-in-Time.
Direct additional questions to the grants management specialist assigned to your application.