Award Negotiation and Acceptance

  • What is Just-In-Time Reporting?

    Just-In-Time reporting is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) term for a reporting request NIH makes of its potential awardees after proposal submission and initial qualifications have been met but before final selection. Other sponsors may ask for similar post-proposal and Pre Award reports; however, Just-In-Time refers specifically to the NIH requirement.

    This report requests the current information on:

    • Other Support (referred to as Current and Pending Support by the National Science Foundation)
    • Internal Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
    • Internal Review Board (IRB)
    • Human Subjects Education Documentation
    • Revised Budget, if applicable

    You will know that your project requires a Just-In-Time report when "JIT" is posted in the "Action" column of the NIH eRA Commons system page specific to your project. Request for Just-In-Time action does not indicate that your proposal is likely to win funding but that it meets the minimum standards to continue to be held for consideration.

    The purpose of Just-In-Time reporting is to save administrative and proposal costs for the vast majority of applicants who do not receive National Institutes of Health funding. For more information see the  NIH Just-In-Time policy (link is external) .

    How to Respond?

    The call for "Just-In-Time" reporting does not indicate imminent award or even an imminent award decision. Thus, the Just-In-Time action status in your eRA Commons proposal account does not require immediate action. Instead, NIH recommends that institutions submit this information 60-90 days before the expected start date for the proposed project. This recommendation attempts to capture the most current key personnel information.

    To complete the NIH Just-In-Time reports for the NIH follow these steps:

    • Log on to  eRA Commons  (link is external)
    • To find your proposal search by grant number, principal investigator, etc. & click on search.
    • Click on the "STATUS" button at the top and select "Just In Time" on the right
    • Click on the "JIT" link under the "Action" column
    • Enter or import the required information: Import PDF of Other Support information (Current and Pending), enter IACUC approval date, Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval date, Human Subjects Education date(s). Note that the option to enter dates is only available when animals and/or humans are being used
    • If your program official has requested other information, such as a revised budget, upload it in the "Other Documents" line
    • Press the Save button
    • Click "View Just In Time Report" and check information for accuracy
    • Notify Sponsored Programs Administration for final review. Sponsored Programs will need copies of the IRB and/or IACUC letters to confirm the approval date prior to the submission in eRA Commons
    • Work with the Sponsored Programs Specialist if changes or updates are necessary prior to submission.
    • Please see SPA Forms Library for documents related to IRB that must be signed by the University signatory before they are uploaded. JIT will not be submitted without appropriately signed forms.

    Sponsored Programs Administration - through the Sponsored Programs Specialist - will also provide the following support:

    • Review the Just-In-Time report and verify uploaded information
    • Assist the principal investigator and department administrator with the file upload or questions as necessary
    • Work with the department administrator and the principal investigator to update information in eRA Commons if any changes are necessary
    • SPA will submit once all information is complete and final
    • eRA Commons sends a confirmation email to Sponsored Programs Administration and the principal investigator. SPA will forward a copy of this email to the department and upload the information in Coeus.

    Human Subject/Animal Use Subcontract Requirements for JIT Submission

    Human Subject and Vertebrate Animal certifications and/or approvals are also required for any subcontract sites as applicable.  Any forms indicating Human Subject Certification Training and IACUC approval for other sites must be submitted for signature to SPA and then uploaded during the JIT process.  JIT will not be approved by SPA if this information is not included for all subcontract submissions that were originally proposed for in the initial grant application.

  • NIH NRSA Fellowship Activation Notice

    The  Individual Fellowship Activation Notice  is still a paper form that must be submitted with original REQUIRED SIGNATURES to the NIH awarding Institute/Center (IC).  The  Fellow  is responsible for submitting the completed Activation Notice to the NIH awarding IC based on the method (mail or email) identified on page 5 of the Notice of Research Fellowship Award.  The Activation Notice must be submitted to the NIH awarding IC  as of the day the Fellow begins training  (i.e. the DATE FELLOW ENTERED ON DUTY on the Activation Notice).

    The following must be completed on the Individual Fellowship Activation Notice before mailing it to the NIH awarding IC:

    • FELLOWSHIP NUMBER
      This is the Grant Number listed at the top of Page 1 of the Notice of Research Fellowship Award.
    • DATE FELLOW ENTERED ON DUTY NAME OF FELLOW
      • cannot be before the Federal Award Date on the Notice of Research Fellowship Award;
      • cannot be after the Latest Activation Date on the Notice of Research Fellowship Award; and
      • cannot fall between October 1 and November 30.
    • This is the Principal Investigator listed on Page 1 of the Notice of Research Fellowship Award.
    • HIGHEST DEGREE(S)
      This should be the highest degree(s) received by the Fellow.
    • NAME OF SPONSORING INSTITUTION
      This should be Vanderbilt University.
    • REQUIRED SIGNATURES, E-MAIL, PHONE NO., DATE
      • FELLOW
        The Fellow must sign and date, and provide his/her email address and phone number.
      • SPONSOR
        The Fellow's Sponsor here at Vanderbilt University must sign and date, and provide his/her email address and phone number.
      • INSTITUTIONAL BUSINESS OFFICIAL
        A Business Official (BO) in Research Finance (RF) must sign the Activation Notice as the Institutional Business Official.  To ensure the proper review of your Activation Notice, have the Activation Notice filled out before BO signature.  Activation Notices can be sent via campus mail, walked over to RF, or signed electronically.
      • Send via email to:  Jana Blick (researchfinance@vanderbilt.edu )

    The Fellow should email a copy of the fully signed and completed Activation Notice to spapostawardteam@vanderbilt.edu so that the Fellowship can be awarded by the Sponsored Programs Administration  Again, the Fellow is responsible for submitting the original, completed Activation Notice to the NIH awarding IC mailing address identified on page 5 of the Notice of Research Fellowship Award, and it must be submitted to the NIH awarding IC as of the day the Fellow begins training.

  • Award Acceptance

    If the award is granted, the sponsor will send the grant award notice to Vanderbilt after negotiations are completed. Award receipt from sponsors comes in a variety of ways.

    In some cases, the sponsor may send the award notice directly to the PI, Department, or Research FInance instead of the pre-award grants office (SPA). When this occurs, the individual in receipt of the award should contact Sponsored Programs Administration to confirm whether SPA has also received a copy of the award.

    SPA Review

    When SPA receives a Notice of Award from the sponsor, SPA will compare the award with the original proposal before accepting. SPA will contact the department to discuss any discrepancies between the proposal and award prior to accepting. SPA will review these award elements as part of the award acceptance process:

    •  Project Period
    •  Funds Awarded
    •  Terms and Conditions
    •  Reporting Schedule and Procedures
    •  Sponsor Agency Staff Contacts
    •  Sponsor Award Number
    •  Cost share commitment
    •  Approvals for use of human subjects and laboratory animals
    •  Any changes to the initial submission

    After SPA has completed the negotiation and/or the review of the award, an email with a copy of the Award Notice is sent to the PI, the applicable post-award group (Research Finance) and multiple departmental administrators depending on the area.