Setting up an Award

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.

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.

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.

After a sponsored program award has been fully-executed, an Oracle Award & Oracle Project(s) numbers must be requested, then assigned in Oracle Financial which allows expenses to be posted to the project account throughout the life of the project. 

Throughout the project period, there may be additional award actions that occur including:

• Issuing Outgoing Subawards
• Modifications, such as re-budgeting, time extensions, or adding additional funding

FAQ on Interim Account - Advance Account Request & Setup

Under limited circumstances, Principal Investigators (PIs) may request authorization to spend funds in support of a sponsored project in advance of receiving a notice of an award from a sponsor.

Federally-Funded Projects:
Uniform Guidance provides for the allowability of pre-award costs. Some agencies may require approval and documentation before any pre-award spending occurs. The PI/PD is encouraged to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs for clarification. If pre-award costs are allowed by the sponsor, appropriate expenses can be charged to the designated cost center during the pre-award period.

Generally, the PI/PD may incur pre-award costs 90 calendar days prior to award, or more than 90 calendar days with the prior approval of the Federal awarding agency, subject to sponsor guidelines and terms of specific award. The Federal awarding agency is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the University does not receive an award or if the award is delayed or is less than anticipated and inadequate to cover such costs.

Non-Federally-Funded Projects:
The same need for pre-award spending may arise on non-Federally-funded projects. The Office of Sponsored Programs will work with each PI/PD in determining the non-Federal sponsors guidelines on pre-award costs.

Pre-Award Spending - Risks, Liabilities and Limitations

The risks, liabilities and limitations associated with pre-award spending must be carefully considered prior to requesting authorization to spend funds in advance of receiving the award.

Risks: Whenever the Institution authorizes pre-award spending, the PI/PI is risking monetary loss. It is the responsibility of the PI/PI to ensure other funding is available to cover the risk of a delayed start date, costs disallowed by the sponsor or failure of the sponsor to make an award as anticipated.  The responsibility lies on the PI/PD to ensure appropriate steps have been taken to ensure minimal risk.

Liabilities: Special care must be exercised in assessing the impact of pre-award spending on the legal obligations of the Institution prior to requesting or approving. The Institution must consider the impact of not having a fully executed grant agreement.  It is important to note, SPA requires notification from the Sponsor in the form of an email, JIT or other documentation that supports the likely hood the agreement will be funded.

Limitations: A sponsor's policies, the terms and conditions of the anticipated award determine whether or not pre-award spending or pre-award activities are allowable. Restrictions differ depending on the funding agency and the type of award anticipated (i.e., grant, cooperative agreement, or contract).

VERA eRA System

FAQ:  Pre-Award Spending Start Date in VERA & Oracle?

Vanderbilt's SkyVU Oracle Cloud is the financial system of record.

The Process for setting up New Oracle Awards & Oracle Project(s) comes through VERA Awards as part of the VERA Award Setup process.  Setup for new awards requires:

• Documentation such as award notices, contracts, amendments, etc.
• Names of individuals for whom you are requesting view-only access to award and/or project(s) *

*Access can be granted at the award level and/or at the project level.  By default for each request, we will grant access at the award level and project level to the Principal Investigator and Grant Manager of the award and project and the Financial Unit  Manager (FUM) and Business Unit/Entity Approval Group (BU) of the financial unit assigned to the award and/or project.  If additional individuals need the view-only role, please include their names and what level of access in the request.

FCOI Agencies Using the PHS FCOI Regulations

The office of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR) handles the accounting process for some Foundation and Corporate Awards.