When you submit an application for NIH grant funding to Grants.gov, assuming our automated validations detect no errors, the eRA system will then assemble an application image and post it in your eRA Commons account. The system gives access to the principal investigator(s), delegated assistants, administrative officials, and signing officials (SOs) to view the assembled application. In the image, your application displays just as it will for peer reviewers.
| *If Grants.gov detects a problem with your application, it will show a "Rejected with Errors" status. |
You should then check your rendered application in eRA Commons, as you can use this viewing window to ensure that no errors were introduced amid the upload process. For example, if there was an optional attachment missing, the automated system validations would not flag its absence (since the form was not required).
The viewing window lasts for 2 business days (weekends and holidays are not counted), but only before the application’s due date. Thus, for you to be able to correct errors, you need to submit the application at least 2 business days before the due date. If you submit just ahead of the deadline, you’ll not be able to take full advantage of the viewing window.
When your viewing window expires, the application automatically moves forward for further consideration.
Within the viewing window, an SO can Reject an application and stop it from moving further in the review process. At which point, you could fix any technical errors and Submit a Changed/Corrected Application (note that you must check the "Changed/Corrected Application" box in item #1 of the SF 424 R&R form and provide the initial Grants.gov tracking number, e.g., GRANT12345678, in the “Previous Grants.gov Tracking ID” field).
If you identify a mistake or a missing form while examining your application in the viewing window, then your SO should reject the application so that you can correct the error and submit a replacement application. NIH would then consider the latter action to be your date of submission (not your initial upload). Were that process to straddle the application deadline, such that your second submission is after the due date, then technically you’ve sent a late application and NIH is unlikely to accept it.
Late Application Policy Per NIH’s Submission Policies: “Late applications are accepted only in extenuating circumstances. If an application is submitted late, a cover letter explaining the reasons for the delay must be included with the signed, completed application. Late applications are evaluated on an individual basis considering the reasons provided.” The scenario described in this article—in which you needed to correct an error introduced upon application upload—is rarely treated as an extenuating circumstance by NIH staff. |
Again, we stress that you should aim to submit your next application at least 2 business days before the deadline to give yourself time to spot errors and make corrections.
For additional instruction around similar procedural aspects, refer to Submit an Application.