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.

Navigating the Institution Profile

If you hold one of the following Commons roles, you have access to the Institution Profile: AA, AO, ASST, BO, FSR, PI, POSTDOC, SCIENTIST, SPONSOR, or SO. Only an SO can see the Policy Documents tab; see Institutional Financial Conflict of Interest Policy.

The Institution Profile consists of three main tabs:

Institution Basic Information

Institutional Assurances and Certifications

Policy Documents (SO only)

The first two tabs are viewable for all who have access to the Institutional Profile and editable to those with an SO role. The Policy Documents tab is visible only to those with a SO role. This topic discusses how to navigate around these sections of the Institution Profile. Details of each section are discussed in separate topics. See the related topic list at the bottom of this screen for links to those topics.

The dashboard appears on all views of the profile, providing general information about the profile.

IPF Dashboard

The left side of the Institution Profile contains the dashboard of information including institution name, IPF code, update and access information for the profile; and eRA Service Desk contact information.

IPF Basic Information, highlighting Dashboard area

Institution Profile Information:

Name of the institution
IPF Code

Institution Profile Navigation Links

Navigation links are available in the center of the dashboard for accessing the following sections of the Institution Profile.

Basic Information
Assurances & Certifications

Next to each link is a status indicator, providing a visual indication of whether all required fields for that component are complete. A green checkmark indicates that the information is complete, while a red X informs that information is missing. Selecting a link opens the corresponding component of the profile in a read-only view mode.

For Assurances & Certifications, the green check indicates that the ORI Certification is valid and not expired.

General Information:

Accounts:Number of affiliated accounts within the organization
Profile Updated: System-updated date when the user last performed a save on the Institution Profile
ORI Certification Expires: Date on which ORI certification expires
SAM Registration Expires: Date on which ORI certification expires

eRA Service Desk Information

Includes the hours, phone numbers, and web address for contacting and creating a ticket for system support as well as a link to the eRA Service Desk website.

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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