Administrative Functions Help

AD-416/417/Assurance functions
AD-421 functions
General functions
AD-419 functions

AD-416/417/Assurance Processing

PI / Dept Instructions for entering AD-416 data
This option includes AD-416 instructions to print and distribute to investigators who will be entering AD-416 information on the Web forms. Sites differ drastically in their approach to completing AD-416s, so you may not find that these instructions meet your needs. If you will be asking PIs to complete AD-417s, a link is available for generalized instructions which you may need to supplement with your own site's process. We have not provided any instructions for completing CSREES Assurance forms using the Web forms, you will need to provide your own instructions at this time. For AD-416 instructions, which include the site password, you can enter a due date and name additional contacts for assistance. You can also generate the instructions, then modify them further.

Display / Edit / Delete / Print / mark "Ready" AD-416/417/Assurance Forms
This displays a table that shows the progress of the related forms and allows you to edit or delete any of the forms in progress. You may also add new projects or revise existing projects (not grants, however). To extend a project,
the extension process depends on the project type. Completed forms can be printed, and all AD-416/417/Assurance forms submitted via the Web forms can be accessed by selecting the option to include forms already submitted to CRIS. This function can generate a Web page format suitable for checking the content and reviewing the progress of the AD-416 information being assembled and for Administrative review of those forms. You must mark projects "Ready" to submit to CRIS before they can be submitted.

Submit AD-416/417/Assurance Forms to CRIS
Use this option when your AD-416/417/Assurance forms are ready to be submitted to CRIS. You must file signed copies at your site, so this is the time to print final copies for filing. Only projects for which all forms are complete and marked "Ready" to submit will be displayed. When you use this option to submit your data to CRIS, the information entered on Web forms will be copied to a CRIS retrieval directory in the formats required by CRIS. If your projects were successfully submitted, you will see a complete summary page to print for your records.

AD-421 Processing

PI / Department Instructions for entering AD-421 data
These are the instructions to print and distribute to all the investigators on your checklist. You can enter a due date and name additional contacts for assistance. You can also generate the instructions, then
modify them further.

Display Checklist
This generates a printable list from the checklist that CRIS provides. Web forms for each project are based on this checklist. If you make changes to your project information using Display / Edit Project List, you must submit those changes to CRIS before they will be displayed in the checklist. You can also generate statistics showing numbers of projects by department.

Display / Edit / Print / Un-Mark Reports in-Progress
With the Administrative password, you can Edit / Print / Mark or Un-Mark individual project AD-421 reports from a table listing. You can also generate Web pages suitable for Administrative review of reports, and for printing. Except for the Edit/Print/Un-Mark table, these display options are also available to PIs entering AD-421 reports. You can select the order by project number or by Investigator name. The default content includes project reports that have already been submitted to CRIS, only reports that have been marked complete, and other options.

Project reports must be marked complete to be included in the file generated for CRIS. You may need to use one of the Mark/UnMark functions if investigators have entered information but neglected to mark it complete by the time you need to submit to CRIS. You may also need to use this function if investigators mark reports complete, then later need to edit them again. This can be done for all projects, or for whatever projects are selected and displayed on the table. This can also be used to prevent some or all investigators from further editing reports while they are being reviewed, approved, and released to CRIS. Only reports that are marked complete will be included in the file for CRIS. However, projects with neither a narrative nor publications report will NOT be included in the file for CRIS even if marked "complete."

Submit AD-421 Reports to CRIS
Use this option when your reports are ready to be submitted to CRIS.

YOU MUST SUBMIT REPORTS TO CRIS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (don't submit a 2006 Annual Report AFTER you have submitted the 2007 report)! When you use this option to submit your data to CRIS, the information entered on Web forms will be copied to a CRIS retrieval directory in the formats required by CRIS. If your projects were successfully submitted, you will see a complete summary page to print for your records.

General Functions

Edit Site information
This is where you manage your passwords and determine whether or not site users should have access to the 421s, 416s or 419s. You must also maintain the correct name and email address of the site contact person, specify the default AD-421 reporting period, the default AD-419 fiscal year, and enter your site's official signature information. Signature information for both AD-416s and Assurance Statements must be entered before you can submit AD-416s to CRIS. Optionally, you can supply the URL of any other Web site you would like to have your investigators visit as part of the AD-421 data entry process.

Display / Edit Project List
This function allows you to make changes to your project records at CRIS as well as in the Web forms. In this process you work with a file called the Project List. When you make changes to this list and submit them to CRIS, both your Site checklist and CRIS will be updated.

You may find that the department code on some of the projects on your Project List does not match the pick list of departments; this often happens when departments have been reorganized at your institution, but projects that were already active at the time, still have the same old department code assigned. IF you want to manage the AD-421 process by department, you will have to make sure that all projects on the checklist have correctly-assigned departments that match those in your current CRIS departments list.

Likewise, PI names are sometimes incorrect (misspelled or spelled inconsistently) on the project checklist, and therefore inaccessible to the PI for the AD-421 report. You will need to correct them to enable access to the project.

A title may be corrected as long as it does not change the meaning or focus of the project.

The Display / Edit Project List function should be used to change the termination date on Final Reports for projects that are terminating early. You must change the termination date using this function and select the first option that identifies this change as one that will be submitted with the AD-421. It will not actually be submitted to CRIS until you submit the AD-421 Final report, but in the meantime, it will appear corrected on the AD-421 form. Terminating later than the indicated date constitutes an extension. The extension process depends on the project type. Most extensions require a memo, and that too can be done using this function (the second option under changing the termination date). Hatch projects can be extended only once for up to one year. State projects can be extended any time.

Submit Changes
This function is used to submit the changes you made to CRIS. You should submit changes that you make to CRIS soon after you make them. They are not available on the public CRIS search site until you do.

You must submit changes to CRIS before they will appear on your checklist. You must submit all the changes you have made before you can get your new checklist at the start of each reporting period in October.

Export data
You can specify projects and information to be exported to a file which you can then download. (See technical information about the data formats available.)

Print Blank forms
You may want to print blank Web Forms for your own use, for gathering information to be entered in CRISFRMS or CRIS Web Forms. They do not substitute for sending data files to CRIS! You will NOT normally use these to send or fax forms to CRIS or any Grants office, you should use the appropriate Web Forms function. These blank forms are intended only for data gathering.

AD-419 Processing

Instructions for entering AD-419 data
This option includes AD-419 instructions to print and distribute to personnel who will be entering funding data. Be sure to select the option to generate AD-419 instructions. You can also generate the instructions, then modify them further.

Display Checklist

This generates a printable list from the checklist that CRIS provides. Be sure to select the option to generate the AD-419 checklist which includes projects which terminated during the reporting FY. If you make changes to your project information using Display / edit Project List, you must submit those changes to CRIS before they will be displayed in the checklist.

Display / Edit / Print AD-419 reports

With the Administrative or 419 password, you can Edit / Print from a table listing. This table provides the ONLY access to entering, editing, and viewing AD-419 data.

Import / Export AD-419 data

With the Administrative or 419 password, you can import or export data from an ASCII file in one of 2 formats: comma delimited (as from a spreadsheet), or in the CRIS "tape" format (documented in CRIS AD-419 manuals).

Submit AD-419 Reports to CRIS

Use this option when your reports are ready to be submitted to CRIS. When you use this option to submit your data to CRIS, the information entered on Web forms will be copied to a CRIS retrieval directory in the formats required by CRIS. If your projects were successfully submitted, you will see a complete summary page to print for your records.