If you are having trouble viewing any of the information contained in this help topic, it can also be found in the eRA Commons User Guide located online at https://www.era.nih.gov/docs/Commons_UserGuide.pdf. Use the Table of Contents of the PDF search function to find a specific topic.

Just in Time (JIT) Screen

This topic pertains to the general Just in Time (JIT) screen. To see help for other JIT screens:
- JIT screen available to VA, see Just in Time (JIT) for VA Applicants.
- JIT approval screen available to VA agency staff, see Just in Time (JIT) Overview for VA Agency Staff.

The JIT feature of the eRA Commons allows the electronic submittal of additional grant application information after the completion of the peer review, and prior to funding. The program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) and the signing official (SO) work together to complete and submit Other Support, Budget, IACUC, IRB, and/or Human Subject Assurances information directly to the NIH when that information is requested. For information on the new header and footer and navigating between modules, see Basics and Navigation for eRA Modules.

NOTE: If you have the PI role, you may upload and save JIT information; however, you must be an SO to submit it to NIH.

The JIT feature is available for applications meeting established business criteria. In general this feature becomes available for applications that fall within a certain percentile or priority score range; however, applicants should not submit any JIT information until specifically requested by the agency. These requests can be eRA-system generated emails or contacts directly from the specific awarding agency via email and/or phone.

NOTE: All JIT attachments should be submitted in PDF format with a maximum size of 6MB. Each upload area can accept only a single PDF, and if you re-upload a file, it replaces the previous file.

Policy: JIT policy information also is available online. Look for the Just-in-Time Procedures section of the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

To search for a JIT as an SO, see Just in Time (JIT) Search for SOs. In Commons, the Just In Time screen is accessible from:

JIT link on Status Result - Just In Time search or General Search (SO). Click the three-dot ellipsis menu on an award and select the JIT option.
JIT link on Status Result - List of Applications/Grants (PI). Click the JIT link in the Actions column.

The procedure below is for both a PI or an SO. However, the SO has a Submit button and the PI does not. Also, the button name for viewing a report changes slightly depending on role, but the report button performs the same action.

Uploading, Saving, and Submitting JIT Information

A PI can upload and save JIT information, and can also view the JIT report that is prepared for submission based on JIT information entered on the screen. An SO can do all the same things, but in addition, an SO can submit the JIT information to the Agency.

To upload JIT files:

Access the Just in Time screen through the JIT link on the Status result screen(s) Action or Available Actions column.

NOTE: The JIT link is removed once an application has been awarded.

The Just in Time screen appears. The Application Information section shows the application being modified.

Upload the appropriate file types.
- Other Support File (Click here for more information on Other Support)
- Budget File
- Other File
- Human Subject Education
- Genome Data Sharing Certification

Other Support File Information

Other Support is always available. If the application involves care and use of vertebrate animals or involves Human Subjects, verification of the date of the respective IACUC or IRB approval is required on this Just in Time screen.

For instructions regarding certifications and assurances, please refer to the Institutional Assurances and Certifications (IPF) instructions. Both PD/PIs and SOs may view the current status of the assurances and certificates but only SOs (or TTOs if no SO has been assigned) are able to make changes to the information.

It is requested that active and pending support for all key personnel be provided. 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.

To provide Other Support information, first read the guidance at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/othersupport.htm, which includes a link to the "Other Support Format Page" to help you prepare your Other Support documentation. Then Upload the document using the Upload button provided.
PDF uploads for Other Support File are required to be a flattened PDF. A flattened PDF is one that does not have fillable forms or other layers, such as movable images. The easiest way to flatten a PDF using Adobe Acrobat Reader is to print the document, but choose the “Print to PDF” option in the Print dialog, and save to a new file name when prompted. If you attempt to upload and save a file that is not a flattened PDF, you see this error message, "Error Uploading PDF. Please ensure all files are flattened. ....".

Click the Upload button for each type of file you need to upload.
-OR-
Drag and drop the file from your Windows directory into the appropriate section of the JIT screen.

The panel shows an Upload Complete message. The panel also displays the name of the file and the date it was uploaded. Optionally, you can remove the file by clicking the Delete button, or simply by uploading a different file. Click the View button to view the contents of the PDF file in a separate browser window.

JIT screen after document is uploaded

Enter IRB date and assurance number as appropriate.

IRB Date. The IRB date is validated such that the IRB date must be in the range of one year previous to today's date. If you enter an IRB date, you must also select an assurance number from the dropdown list.
Assurance Number. If this dropdown is empty, contact your signing official and ask for the HSA # to be entered in the Institution Profile.

If this grant includes animal subjects, enter the IACUC date, which should be within the last three years.
Click the Save button at the bottom of the JIT screen.

A confirmation message displays indicating you are about to save, but not submit, the JIT information and that a user with SO authority must submit to the awarding Agency.

If you are a signing official, and you have added or modified the information on the screen so it is ready to submit, click the Submit button at the bottom of the screen to submit to the Agency. A confirmation message appears:
In the Submit Confirmation popup that appears, click the Submit JIT Data button. A Success message appears at the top of the JIT screen.

Commons performs validations upon saving or submitting. If required information is missing or invalid, error messages will appear on the screen to guide you.

Once submitted, the report is available to view from within Status Information. Status Information is accessed by selecting the application ID (displayed as a link) from any of the Status result screen. Refer to the help topic titled Status Information.

You can resubmit JIT information as many times as necessary. Each section of the JIT information can be submitted separately and more than once as long as at least one field element has been completed. After each submission, the Just In Time screen displays the Number of Submissions for each piece of information.

Sample JIT screen showing number of submissions

When a resubmission has occurred, the Status result screens display the JIT link with an indication of the number of times revised.

Viewing the Just In Time Report

If you are an SO or a PI, you can view the Just In Time report directly from the JIT screen before submission. To do this, scroll to the bottom of the JIT screen; PIs click the View Report button, while SOs click the View Just In Time Report button. The two buttons show the same report.

IMPORTANT: If your system is set up to view PDFs in the browser and you view the report, the PDF report will replace the JIT screen in the current browser tab, and you will lose all unsaved data. Click the Save button before viewing the report to avoid this.

If the JIT information has already been submitted to NIH, the Just In Time report can be viewed from a link within Status Information. The link displays as the date of the last submission plus the number of times submitted and is located under the Other Relevant Documents section.

Status Information is accessed by selecting the application ID (displayed as a link) from any of the Status result screens. Refer to the help topic titled Status Information.

Status Information with JIT link

Are you having trouble with eRA Commons? The eRA Service Desk is there to help. Please visit their web page to submit a support ticket.

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