I just got wind of this notice from NIH’s Nexus newsletter. It says it all. This is excellent news for all the agencies concerned! 

eRA Grants Management Line of Business Appeal Granted

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently granted NIH’s appeal allowing NIH and our agency partners (AHRQ, CDC, FDA, SAMHSA and the VA) to continue to use the eRA system for end-to-end electronic research administration. Had the appeal been denied, NIH and our partners would have been required to align with a grants management system of one of the three established consortia leads [the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Children and Families (ACF) or the National Science Foundation (NSF)].

The NIH was a service provider long before the advent of the Grants Management Line of Business, being named an HHS Center of Excellence a number of years ago. The Department of Veterans Affairs joined last year as NIH’s first non-HHS partner to use a suite of eRA tools to support application receipt through closeout. The NIH also has 29 components from approximately 14 agencies using iEdison for their invention-reporting needs.

The OMB decision to allow agencies to continue to use eRA comes with responsibilities, including requirements to submit frequent reports to demonstrate activities and progress towards consolidation.

NIH has also had preliminary discussions with the NSF to explore opportunities for joint efforts to better serve shared customers. While we will continue to explore opportunities with other agencies, be assured that eRA will continue to service our current partners and work towards the overall NIH mission of advancing science and improving human health.