RAMSeS Minimum Required Document Descriptions
SNAP/Non-SNAP
Streamlined Non Competing Award Process. (SNAP)
The NoA will specify whether an award is subject to SNAP, with the following statement:
- This grant is subject to Streamlined Noncompeting Award Procedures (SNAP).
- This grant is excluded from Streamlined Noncompeting Award Procedures (SNAP).
If the NoA does not mention SNAP one way or the other, then the award is not subject to SNAP.
Awards routinely included in SNAP are “K” awards and “R” awards, except R35. Awards excluded from SNAP are those that generally do not have the authority to automatically carry over unobligated balances (centers; cooperative agreements, Kirschstein-NRSA institutional research training grants, non-Fast Track Phase I SBIR and STTR awards), clinical trials (regardless of activity code), P01, R35, and awards to individuals.
UNC Subrecipient Letter of Intent (Letter of Commitment)
The UNC Subrecipient Letter of Intent (LoI) provides administrative and financial information about the project, along with assurances and certifications needed to submit an application. The LoI also needs the signature of the Official Signing for the Applicant Organization. Since the LoIO is not a standard PHS document, you will see many different versions of a LoI. UNC has its two versions of a LoI,
- Outgoing Subaward is when UNC issues a Subaward Agreement to another institution
- Incoming Subaward is when UNC is receiving a Subaward Agreement from another institution
Even if another institution requests that their Letter of Commitment form is to be use, UNC still requires that the appropriate UNC Subrecipient Letter of Intent is completed and attached into RAMSeS.
PHS 398 & 2590 Face Pages
The Face Page provides administrative and financial information about the project. The signature of the Official Signing for the Applicant Organization provides the assurances and certifications needed to submit an application.
- The PHS 398 Form Page 1: Face Page is a standard Grant Application document that can be used if another face page is not specifically provided or identified.
- The PHS 2590 Form Page 1: Face Page titled Grant Progress Report is to be received from subawardee for the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)
- 398 Grant Application PDF
- 398 Grant Application docx
- 2590 Progress Report PDF
- 2590 Grant Progress Report doc
Internal / Departmental Detailed Budget
No specific format is required. This is the departments choice, but it must contain the information needed for a complete review.
The Sponsored Programs Office has a well-designed internal budget file you are welcome to use. It was designed to solve the many challenges the department face when putting together an application package.
Agency Application Format Budgets
Multiple budget formats for multiple submissions
- Standard Form (SF) 424
- PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE (PHS) 398
- PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE (PHS) 398 Modular Budget
- PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE (PHS) 2590
- Foundation/Nonprofits specific
- UNC Departmental/internal specific
Budget Justification
The Budget Justification is to provide additional information explaining items in all budget categories. While Other Significant Contributors (OSC) are not in the budget, they should be included in the Budget Justification. OSC are listed, after Personnel and before the Non‐Personnel items.
Include a justification for any significant increases or decreases from the initial budget period. Justify budgets with more than a standard escalation from the initial to the future year(s) of support. Also use the Budget Justification to explain any exclusions applied to the F&A base calculation.
Application using a Modular Budget are to List all personnel, including names, percent effort (use the Person Months metric), and roles on the project. Do not provide individual salary information. For Subs on a Modular Budget, provide an estimate of total consortium/subaward costs (direct costs plus indirect [F&A] costs) for each budget period, rounded to the nearest $1,000
Scope of Work
Scope of Work ‐ The Scope of Work should describe the work to be performed. This basic foundation document will remain as an internal document in the RAMSeS proposal or in the case of a subaward, it will be added to the subaward agreement.
Typically, the Scope of Work for an Incomming or Outgoing subaward is a stand alone document titled Scope of Work. This document will be part of the Subaward Agreement.
During an NIH application for New Funding, including Administrative Supplements, the application will include
Other Support
Even though “Other Support” is requested for both JIT and RPPR, the format is slightly different for each request.
NIH link to Other Support instructions.
Other support is requested for all individuals designated in an application as senior/key personnel who provide measurable effort to the project. Information on Other Support is not specifically requested for Program Directors, training faculty, and other individuals involved in the oversight of training grants since applicable information is collected in other sections of a training grant application. Other Support is also not requested for individuals categorized as Other Significant Contributors
Other Support includes all financial resources, whether Federal, non‐Federal, commercial or institutional, available in direct support of an individual’s research endeavors, including but not limited to research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and/or institutional awards. Training awards, prizes, or gifts do not need to be included.
- Effort devoted to projects must be measured in person‐months.
- Provide details on how you would adjust any budgetary, scientific, or effort overlap if this application is funded.
- For Career Development Award applications, information on all active support for the candidate, sponsor(s), co‐sponsor(s), and Senior/Key Personnel may be requested by the awarding component prior to award.
The difference
- JIT – Include Active and Pending
- RPPR – Indicate what has changed, and include Active and Inactive/Completed
Pages Requiring Signing Official
It is not uncommon for other documents, as part of the application, to require a signature. These documents should be attached into the proposal in RAMSeS.
Agency/Application Guidelines (FOA)
Agency Application Guidelines are the foundation of understanding what is required for a successful application. This should be the first document attached into the proposal in RAMSeS.
IRB Approval
IRB Approval Date – If the proposed project involves human subjects research, the certification date of IRB review and approval must be submitted, for the JIT and RPPR
Pending or out‐of‐date approvals are not acceptable
IACUC Approval
IACUC Approval Date – If the proposed project involves research using live vertebrate animals, the verification date of IACUC approval along with any IACUC‐imposed changes must be submitted for the JIT and RPPR.
Pending or out‐of‐date approvals are not acceptable.
Human Subject Education
Human Subject Education If the proposed project involves human subjects research, certification that any person identified as senior/key personnel involved in human subjects research has completed an education program in the protection of human subjects must be submitted.
Genomic Data Sharing Certification
Genomic Data Sharing Certification If the proposed project involves a Genomic Data Sharing plan.
The certification form and directions for completing it are available on the GDS Data Sharing . website: http://gds.nih.gov/Institutional_Certifications.html. This certification should be submitted as an “Other Upload” in the eRA Commons Just-in-Time module
Participant List
Participant List Provide or update the information for:
- Program Director(s)/Principal Investigator(s) (PDs/PIs); and
- Each person who has worked at least one person month per year on the project during the reporting period, regardless of the source of compensation
- Round to the nearest whole person month that the individual worked on the project.
- Do not include Other Significant Contributors who are not committing any specified measurable effort to this project
Info as requested by NIH
Info as requested by NIH Additional JIT information (i.e., revised budgets, changes to the human subjects, or vertebrate animal sections of the application) may be requested by NIH Institutes and/or Centers on a case-by-case basis. These should be submitted as an “Other Upload” file.