Reminder: ePPQ becomes mandatory for grant submissions on Jan. 1, 2013

This is a friendly reminder that as of January 1, 2013, all proposals submitted through Research Grants and Contracts will require submission of an Electronic Proposed Project Questionnaire (ePPQ) in InfoEd. Since Research Grants and Contracts began piloting the ePPQ in July, feedback from investigators and administrators has been overwhelmingly positive. There are a few key points we want everyone to note:

• InfoEd (the system behind the ePPQ) will now be required for all “new money” actions that are routed through RGC.  This includes new proposals, resubmissions, competitive renewals and amendment/supplements.
  • The ePPQ will apply only to grants routed through RGC. Proposals routed through CTO, TTBD, the IRB, etc. will retain the paper PPQ for the time being.
  • The personnel and budget sections  must be completed before you route the ePPQ. The rough draft of the science must be real, although it can be rough. Dummy proposals, however, will halt the approval process.

• We know that you may want to begin setting up your ePPQ before you have all the details of a proposal completed since the past focus was on getting the PPQ approved in tandem with working on your proposal. Now, the ePPQ approval happens at the same time the proposal elements are finished and the proposal is routed for approval. This change will eliminate the need for double approval of your application. You should work directly with your department or Grants and Contracts Analyst to determine the minimum requirements for setting up your ePPQ.
  • An internal checklist is available on the Research Administration Training and Education Bridge site that can be used to help plan submitting a proposal.

• Your proposal will need to be re-routed for approval if any of the following occurs:
  • Significant changes to the budget
  • F&A changes
  • Off campus vs. on campus (which would result in F&A change)
  • New space required was “No and is now “Yes”
  • Cost Sharing is added or changed
  • The contents of the proposal change dramatically

• For all grants eligible for submission through Grants.gov, we will expect that you prepare and submit your proposal through InfoEd (just as you currently do with NIH, CDC and AHRQ) rather than using the Adobe application or the individual agency system websites.  Be careful to check the Funding Opportunity # to make sure that Grants.gov submission is allowed.

• If you work on interorganizational proposals, please note that we are working on a solution to better facilitate electronic approval for these types of submissions.

Resources

• For a list of frequently asked questions and a video demonstration, visit the ePPQ Questions page.
• To sign up for trainings or view resources, visit the InfoEd/ePPQ RATE Bridge Site.
• Keep an eye on Research News for updates and announcements.
• Additional questions may be directed to Research Grants and Contracts.