Receipt and Referral/eReferral
What is the purpose?
The Receipt and Referral/eReferral module serves as a central clearinghouse to log, route and assign competing grant applications received by the grantor agency. Authorized staffers assign each application for review and for funding consideration.
The module is used by NIH's Center for Scientific Review to receive and process grant applications for:
- NIH
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [all of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); Small Business Programs only for the rest of CDC]
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [Small Business Programs only] [FDA staff use the module to process all other types of applications received by their organization]
The module is also used by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
What are the features of Receipt and Referral/eReferral?
The Receipt and Referral/Referral module handles both paper and electronic grant applications, although the workflow for each is different. For applications submitted electronically, the module can:
- Display Applications Received — The First Contact
Module allows RR users to display a list of applications
that have been received electronically
- Flag issues — The First Contact Module allows RR users to query
a hit list of grant applications based on selected criteria. For
each application, the system will flag certain data quality
or policy adherence issues
- Breakout Applications — The Breakout Module
allows the applications to be electronically either:
- Assigned for review, or
- Referred to a referral officer, or
- Put on hold for further work
- Refer Applications — Through the Referral data
screen, authorized staffers examine the applications
and determine the most appropriate referral for review
and assignment for funding consideration
Additional features:- Change of assignment requests
- Awaiting Receipt of Application documents (pre-approval for accepting applications that exceed the policy threshold, e.g. budget exceeding limit of 500K and other topics)
- Disaggregations
- Reports
- Ability to set and maintain data to aid in assignments and referrals (e.g., mechanisms used by each Institute or Center (IC), information on Funding Opportunity Announcements)
In addition, the software will automatically assign applications that meet certain criteria to the previous review location.
What are the benefits?
- Serves as a central clearinghouse for all competing applications received
- Enables data associated with grant applications to be entered into the IMPAC II database
- Automates many steps for Receipt and Referral that have traditionally been time intensive manual processes
- Handles both paper and electronic grant applications, although the workflow for each is different
Who can use the Receipt and Referral/eReferral module?
The module can be used by authorized Receipt and Referral users at federal agencies using the eRA system. The module is accessed through IMPAC II; an IMPAC II account and password are necessary.
