News
News & Updates: May 23, 2025
- NIH No-Cost Extension Process Change
- FY26 Fringe Rates
- Interim Guidance FAQ document posted
- June 5 R01 Deadline Reminders
NIH No-Cost Extension Process Change
As outlined in Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions (NOT-OD-25-110) NIH has temporarily disabled the No-Cost Extension functionality in eRA Commons. At this time, all requests for NCEs must be submitted as a prior approval request in eRA Commons. Please follow the guidance from NIH for the required documents for NCE prior approval requests.
Note: NIH eRA commons will not allow submission without all fields being completed so all requests for NCE’s should ensure they are compliant with the prior approval required documentation.
FY26 Fringe Rates
FY26 Fringe Benefit Rates have been proposed but not yet approved. In a deviation from previous years, we are allowing the use of proposed rates in applications for budgetary planning purposes. Budget Justifications must use “proposed” rather than “provisional” or “approved” to describe the use of these rates. Further guidance will be provided when the final, approved rates are published.
Interim Guidance FAQ
As a follow up to the May 12 “Interim Guidance’' FAQ session presented by Cathy Barrera (SR) and LaShawnda Hall (ASRSP), an FAQ document has been posted on the SR Presentations page.
NIH June 5 Deadline Reminders
As we approach the June 5 NIH R01 deadline, SR anticipates a substantial increase in proposal volume. To ensure that a proposal will be submitted to the sponsor on time, the complete, ready-to-submit proposal must be submitted to SR via CERES at least five (5) business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
Proposal Status Checks
During high-volume periods the SR proposal team is focused on reviewing proposals and is unable to respond to status requests about where an individual proposal is in the queue. To check the status of a proposal, use the CERES Check Status Job Aid in the Knowledge Base or reference the Tableau tab in the Funding Proposal record in CERES.
Submission Best Practices
Submitting a complete and ready-to-submit proposal to SR is the always best way to minimize send-backs and expedite the proposal review and submission process. Keep in mind the following best practices:
Ensure all required items are included in your submission
One of the most frequent reasons SR sends back a proposal to the department is missing documentation, particularly: missing solicitations, missing documentation of specific pass-through-entity requirements, and missing or incomplete subaward packages.
Fulfill necessary ancillary review requirements
- An F&A waiver is required for all deviations from the use of standard negotiated rates, UNLESS a sponsor has a written policy (not an e-mail) or the solicitation or FAQ explicitly states a prohibition or limitation (cap).
- A PI eligibility waiver is required for all deviations from Northwestern’s policy.
- Other ancillary reviews may be required based on the sponsor solicitation; if SR believes an additional review is needed, we will note it in our review.
Proofread and confirm accuracy of your submission
We are unable to accommodate requests for corrections that are not related to compliance issues. This includes requests to withdraw and correct proposals for title changes, typos, or formatting. Departments may, and are encouraged, to provide draft documents to pass-through entities to ensure that dates, budget allocations, etc. are correct, so that the LOI, when signed by SR, is accurate and final.
Use Northwestern LOI templates
SR strongly prefers to use Northwestern LOI templates. These templates are updated occasionally to comply with all current Federal requirements/certifications. Using Northwestern LOI templates and completing them to the best of the department’s ability expedites review and signature.