The Electronic Research Administration (ERA) Commons is a virtual meeting place where the National Institutes of Health (NIH) extramural grantee organizations, grantees, and the public can receive and transmit information about the administration of biomedical and behavioral research. The ERA Commons is divided into both unrestricted and restricted portions that provide for public and confidential information, respectively.

In its current format, NIH Commons is a useful tool for PI's to check the status of their proposals, submit or verify any up-to-the-minute information required for pending awards, and submit progress reports for awards they currently hold. If a PI is also currently serving as an NIH reviewer they also work within Commons in this capacity.  

To obtain an NIH Commons account, Letters & Science faculty and staff should contact Kelly Mallon or Sheila Hayden and provide the following information:    

• Your UW-Madison NetID.  This is also known as your WiscWorld username, or username to the left of @wisc.edu. If you have not activated your NetID, please go to the NetID Activation website.    
• Valid preferred email address.  Commons communicates with users by email including notification of the temporary password.   
• Role in University:  Principal Investigator, Departmental Administrator, Assistant to PI, etc.    
• If requesting a PI account, please allow sufficient time for account verification process.  The NIH will match the Commons account to existing records in their systems.  Because of this verification, creation of PI accounts may take several days.

Progress Reports via RPPR

Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)

The RPPR is used by grantees to submit progress reports to NIH on their grant awards. This page provides an overview of the annual RPPR, the final RPPR and the interim RPPR and provides resources to help you understand how to submit a progress report. 

Types of RPPRs

Progress reports document grantee recipient accomplishments and compliance with terms of award. There are three types of RPPRs, all of which use the NIH RPPR Instruction Guide.

1.      Annual RPPR – Use to describe a grant’s scientific progress, identify significant changes, report on personnel, and describe plans for the subsequent budget period or year.

2.      Final RPPR – Use as part of the grant closeout process to submit project outcomes in addition to the information submitted on the annual RPPR, except budget and plans for the upcoming year.

3.      Interim RPPR – Use when submitting a renewal (Type 2) application. If the Type 2 is not funded, the Interim RPPR will serve as the Final RPPR for the project. If the Type 2 is funded, the Interim RPPR will serve as the annual RPPR for the final year of the previous competitive segment. The data elements collected on the Interim RPPR are the same as for the Final RPPR, including project outcomes.

Submitting the RPPR 

Where:
There is no RPPR form available for download. Submit RPPR data through the eRA Commons. The links for each type of RPPR are accessed through the Commons Status tab. The Interim RPPR link will also be accessed through the Commons Status tab. It will appear one day after the project segment end date, but before it has moved to closeout. The Final RPPR link will become available through the closeout module once the grant is eligible for closeout.

Who:
Only the project director/principal investigator (PD/PI) or their PD/PI delegate can initiate RPPRs. For multi-PD/PI grants only the Contact PI or the Contact PD/PI’s delegate can initiate the RPPR. Signing officials must submit the RPPR (including the Interim or Final RPPR). 

How: 
Follow the instructions in the RPPR User Guide to submit the RPPR, Interim RPPR or Final RPPR. The User Guide includes instructions for how to submit your RPPRs in the eRA Commons, how to complete the web-based forms, and what information is required. Instructions for completing the scientific portion of the report (see the elements below) may be found in Chapters 6 and 7.

The following resources may help with RPPR initiation and submission:

• For Program Directors/Principal Investigators to initiate an RPPR  
• For Signing Officials to submit an RPPR in eRA Commons 
• For Signing Officials to delegate submission of an RPPR  

When:

Annual RPPR Due Dates:

• Streamlined Non-Competing Award Process (SNAP) RPPRs are due approximately 45 days before the next budget period start date.
• Mutli-year funded (MYF) RPPRs are due annually on or before the anniversary of the budget/project period start date of the award.
• The exact start date for a specific award may be found in grants status in eRA Commons.

Interim and Final RPPR Dues Dates:

• 120 days from period of performance end date for the competitive segment

Search this report of pending progress reports due within the next 4 months for an organization by IPF number.

What:

The RPPR requests various types of information, including:

Accomplishments

·         What were the major goals and objectives of the project?

·         What was accomplished under these goals?

·         What opportunities for training and professional development did the project provide?

·         How were the results disseminated to communities of interest?

·         What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals and objectives?

Products

·         publications, conference papers, and presentations

·         website(s) or other Internet site(s)

·         technologies or techniques

·         inventions, patent applications, and/or licenses

·         other products, such as data or databases, physical collections, audio or video products, software, models, educational aids or curricula, instruments or equipment, research material, interventions (e.g., clinical or educational), or new business creation.

Participants and Other Collaborating Organizations
Impact
Changes/Problems (not required for Final or Interim RPPR)

·         Changes in approach and reasons for change

·         Actual or anticipated problems or delays and actions or plans to resolve them

·         Changes that have a significant impact on expenditures

·         Significant changes in use or care of human subjects, vertebrate animals, biohazards, and/or select agents

Budgetary Information (not required for Final or Interim RPPR)

Project Outcomes (only required on Final and Interim RPPR)

• Concise summary of the outcomes or findings of the award, written for the general public in  clear and comprehensible language, without including any proprietary, confidential information or trade secrets

Note:  project outcome information will be made public in NIH RePORTER