NIH Improving Electronic Application Validation Process

The National Institutes of Health has reviewed the errors and warnings applicants receive in the eRA Commons. As a result of that review and in response to feedback from people using the eRA Commons, NIH is taking steps to improve the process. NIH is making the following changes.

• Clarify message text and application guide instructions for the most frequent error and warning messages.
• Remove many warning messages (more than 50 percent of the R01 warnings received have been flagged for removal).
• Increase system tolerance for minor inconsistencies in names provided in the application when compared to names included in the eRA Commons profile.
• When possible, change “errors” to “warnings” to allow the submission to proceed.
• Soften the tone of messages and reserve more explicit language or descriptions for cases where delays in application processing are most likely to occur.
• Critically examine errors and warnings that are not required for review and could be addressed prior to award.

More information is available in the May issue of the NIH Extramural Nexus newsletter.