SP Websites and Related Training
Below we provide a description of commonly used Sponsored Program (SP) administration websites, along with their links and related trainings and tutorials. Many training offerings go far beyond use of the external portal. For example, Grants.gov – required for non-NIH federal grants – provides general grants administration trainings and dozens of specific tutorials.
To obtain individual access to federal systems such as eRA Commons, please reach out to your assigned Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) grants and contracts administrator or contact the team. In some cases, access requires SPA's assistance.
BMC's Most Commonly Used Federal Portals
1. eRA Commons
The NIH offers eRA Commons, an online interface where grant applicants, grantees and federal staff at NIH, and grantee agencies can access and share administrative information relating to sponsored programs.
The eRA Commons training site includes more than 40 tutorials across nine subjects.
2. Grants.gov
The grants.gov program management office was established in 2002 and is managed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Grants.gov is an E-Government initiative operating under the governance of the Office of Management and Budget, providing a common website for federal agencies to post discretionary funding opportunities and for grantees to find and apply to them. All non-NIH federal applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
The training site provides many resources, including a community blog and a chatbot as well as more traditional educational modalities.
3. ASSIST
The NIH and other Public Health Service (PHS) agencies offer Application Submission System & Interface for Submission Tracking (ASSIST) system, which is used to prepare and submit applications electronically. Active Grants.Gov and eRA Commons credentials are required to prepare and submit applications using ASSIST.
BMC primarily uses ASSIST to submit NIH proposals. Please contact SPA to confirm what portal to use.
Following the same format as eRA Commons trainings, eRA Training -ASSIST includes educational materials in several formats.
4. Electronic Handbooks (HRSA)
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) uses Electronic Handbooks (EHBs), a system for business processes such as grants management to be broken down into discrete role-based handbooks. EHBs act not only as guides for the users to learn about the system and
processes, they contain electronic forms and menus which can be used in real-time to execute the described processes and workflows.
Scores of trainings are available, including dozens of videos. If you are logged in, you'll find the same trainings via the Help and FAQ link.
Additional Federal Portals
5. Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP)
The Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) was created by the United States Congress in 1992. It "fills research gaps by funding high impact, high risk, and high gain projects that other agencies may not venture to fund" (CDMRP, "About Us").
Its training materials include a webinar series on funding opportunities.
6. Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (eBRAP)
The CDMRP's eBRAP is used to submit pre-applications, which are required for all intended CDMRP's applications. It also can be used to view and edit their CDMRP applications after they've been submitted through Grants.gov.
The eBRAP portal entry includes a link to its user guide.
7. Research.gov (National Science Foundation)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is a major funder of U.S. academic research institutions. Research.gov is NSF's replacement for FastLane, its previous online grants tool.
Research.gov Portal
The portal does not specifically list available trainings but many resources are available upon log-in.
8. SAM.gov
The System for Award Management (SAM.gov) provides an award data bank and data services. BMC is registered to conduct business with the federal government through SAM.gov, We and our research partners may view institutional registration and exclusion records. SAM.gov replaces CFDA.gov, WDOL.gov, FBO.gov, and FDPS.gov, allowing a single source for searches for assistance listings, wage determinations, contract opportunities, and contract data reports, respectively. Its users may also view and submit BioPreferred and Service Contract Reports and
access published award data.
Its help page provides self-help and federal service desk options.
9. iEdison (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Interagency Edison (iEdison) is relational database of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), allowing federal awardees to report "subject" inventions and patents to the funding agency. Originally an NIH-hosted site, it has recently been transferred to NIST. NIH. NIH iEDison accounts were automatically migrated but, to access iEdison, you need an iEdison account and a Login.gov account, under the same email address.
NIST hosts multiple user guides and awardee trainings.
Portals for Foundation Grants
10. ProposalCentral
ProposalCentral supports more than 200 funding organizations and 600 programs. It is hosted by Altum, a privately held software company, and assists BMC from "application to award."
Altum also provides free research-related resources.