Submit the grant

Submitting a grant through NIH ASSIST

To see the steps an applicant needs to complete in order to prepare an application that is “ready for submission”, refer to eRA Common's instructions. The application should be validated by the time it comes to you as the submitter, although some training offices provide detailed input on the content of the cover page or other aspects of the application itself. At a minimum, you should ensure your IC contact information on the cover page appears correct.

Once an application is routed to you and you deem it appropriate for submission, you as the submitter need to perform the following steps, though you should also receive an automated email that an application has been marked “ready for submission” that will take you directly to the application.

1. Log into eRA Commons.
2. Click on “ASSIST.”
3. Search for the application by clicking “search applications”
4. Enter last name of PD/PI in the appropriate box and/or filter based on submission status (“ready for submission”).
5. The application will appear with a submission status of “ready for submission”; click “select” for the application you wish to view (there may be more than one application with this status if the date is close to a submission deadline).
6. Review the application by clicking on the tabs at the top of the screen.
7. If everything looks correct and no corrections are required, click “submit application.”

You will be asked to provide your grants.gov username and password, so make sure your password is readily available and up to date!

When submitting through ASSIST, you will still need your grants.gov password for grant submission.

If you submit directly through grants.gov, one common route for logging into grants.gov is through LOGIN.GOV. The passwords for LOGIN.GOV and grants.gov are also different- even though you can access grants.gov through LOGIN.GOV, you still need your grants.gov password for grant submission.

Asking another IC to submit on your behalf

If any of your registrations are not active at the time of submission, you will need to ask another IC to submit your grants on your behalf.

In this case, you will need to upload the PHS Assignment Request Form. This is the same form used when a grant you submit needs to be reviewed by another IC (or as a dual assignment) due to project topic.

• For K99 submissions, the form should be uploaded under “Other Attachments” through the tab labeled “Other Project Information” in order to ensure that the application is routed to the correct IC for review. If a trainee attaches the form to the Appendix under the tab labeled “Career Dev Award Sup”, it will result in a rejection by the NIH Center for Scientific Review.
• If a grant is being submitted on behalf of another IC (i.e., by another Training Director on your behalf), ensure that all fillable fields of the cover sheet (SF424) that ask for the submitting institution’s name are completed with “National Institutes of Health” and not the specific IC name, which will result in a rejection by the Center for Scientific Review.