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eRA Reminder: xTRACT and xTrain Changes to Accommodate Transition to FORMS-F for Due Dates on or After May 25, 2020

This message is a reminder that grant applicants must use FORMS-F for all application due dates on or after May 25, 2020. ASSIST has been updated to support the new application forms (FORMS-F) and eRA is ready to process those applications submitted using FORMS-F.

Changes to xTRACT training tables to accommodate FORMS-F will take place in a release scheduled for today. Any Research Training Datasets finalized in the xTRACT system on or after April 24, 2020 will automatically create the FORMS-F version of the Training Data Tables.

NOTE: There have been some minor changes made to xTrain as well. Those changes are summarized further below.

Changes Coming to xTRACT and xTrain Today

It is important to note that any Research Training Datasets (RTD) finalized in the xTRACT system on or after April 24, 2020 will automatically create the FORMS-F versions of the Training Data Tables.   

Here is a summary of the changes to Training Data Tables:

  • Table 1 – Applicants proposing research training in settings where there are no students in predoctoral research training (such as some clinical departments or divisions) may now skip Part I.
  • Table 2 – Applicants may now report on faculty in non-academic settings. When reporting Faculty, the option of “Other” is provided for faculty Rank field.
  • Table 4 – Ability to manually report Project Leads and provide subproject direct cost.  Instructions clarified for the reporting of (a) types of grants that should be included/excluded and (b) costs associated with multi-PI, multi-year-funded, and multi-component awards.
  • Table 5 – Abstracts should no longer be reported.
  • Table 6 – Applicants will now be asked to report on percent of entrants and appointees from underrepresented groups, and instructions have been clarified to indicate that applicants are only expected to report on underrepresented groups for which they collect data.
  • Table 8 – Option to report leave of absence for Trainees, when applicable under Other Sources of Support. When reporting initial and current position, users will be asked to report Workforce sector and Principal Activity.

Changes for xTrain: Appointments submitted through xTrain on or after April 24, 2020 will automatically create the new version of the 2271 Statement of Appointment form.

Summary of changes for xTrain:

  • Users must provide the appointee’s educational level on the 2271 Appointment form.
  • ORCID iD will now display on the PDF of the 2271 Appointment form.

For more information, see the NIH Guide Notice Reminder: FORMS-F Grant Application Forms & Instructions Must be Used for Due Dates On or After May 25, 2020- New Grant Application Instructions Now Available.

Additional Resources:

(Original message sent Friday, April 17, 2020 at 12:18 p.m. ET.)