Overview of xTrain

What is the purpose?

xTrain is an application that allows program directors/principal investigators, university administrators, and trainees electronically prepare and submit PHS 2271 Statement of Appointment Forms and PHS 416-7 Termination Notices associated with institutional research training grants, institutional career development awards, individual fellowships, and research education awards. Agency staff also uses xTrain to review and process the appointments and termination notices that are submitted electronically.

Although xTrain does not support the electronic submission of the PHS 6031 Payback Agreement, it makes it available for downloading/printing, with instructions for signing and submitting the agreement through postal mail. xTrain populates the basic information before printing.

The NRSA Payback component supports the administration of payback requirements for the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA). xTrain calculates the payback service owed, maintains the overall payback status, and provides the ability for NIH staff to enter and review the Annual Payback Activities Certifications (APACs) that are received.

Main Screenshots

Figure 1: xTrain Awarded Grants screen

Figure 2: Trainee Appointment Form 2271

What are the features?

xTrain lets users:

• View the List of Appointments and Terminations
• Accept appointments or terminations
• Place appointments and terminations on hold and release them
• Reject (Route back to Institution) appointments or terminations
• Delete appointment and termination forms from the system before they are accepted by the Agency
• Accept appointment and termination forms without validating errors
• View a PDF version of the appointments and terminations
• Revert accepted appointments that have not yet been terminated and accepted termination notices to prior state (available only for TA Super admin users)
• Allows Payback Service Center users to track and manage Payback obligations of recipients of NRSA appointments and fellowships.
• Makes available letter templates and allows the creation of letters that inform recipients of NRSA appointments and fellowships about the status of their payback obligation.
• Displays important date, mail, and status history.

What are the benefits?

xTrain enhances the quality of the data submitted because it validates the data at various stages before submission. Warnings can be corrected at the discretion of the applicant and errors stop the application in its tracks and the application needs to be resubmitted. It also removes the need to receive and track most of the signed paper documents associated with Appointment Forms and Termination Notices.

NIH Staff are able to track Payback activities electronically and ensure timely communication.

Who can use xTrain?

xTrain has an external and internal side, both accessed via eRA Commons. Externally, it is used by principal investigators, university administrators and trainees. Internally it is used by program staff, grants management specialists, and agency staff with specific user roles for managing the agency payback service requirements.

Please see the xTrain Online Help for more information.

Resources for xTrain

• xTrain Online Help: http://era.nih.gov/erahelp/xTrain/default.htm
• xTrain Training Resources: https://www.era.nih.gov/help-tutorials/xtrain/era-training-xtrain.htm
• xTrain FAQs: https://www.era.nih.gov/faqs.htm#XVI