RAPSS SF424 Forms and Mapping FAQs

Research Administration and Proposal Submission System

SF424 Forms & Mapping Frequently Asked Questions

  • We have tried where possible to automatically truncate the name of the unit to fit within the constraints of the form. As these limitations are set by Grants.gov, the various forms may have different character limitations. It may be necessary to manually shorten the unit name to correct the error.

  • Clicking "Create/Update SF424" does nothing more than tell RAPSS to push the data entered in the Funding Proposal into the SF424 application package for the opportunity which was selected in Section 10. Once the forms have been created, you can click the "SF424 Summary" tab to access the SF424 application forms.

  • These workspaces are designed to be separate and therefore be treated as such. If you are submitting an application via Grants.gov, once the Funding Proposal is completed, you will be provided detailed instructions in sections 18.0 on how to proceed with creating the SF424 application. Because these two modules are separate, you will need to toggle back and forth between the two if you desire to review/edit/submit certain information.

  • The system is designed to separate the Funding Proposal from the SF424. It is what allows for the SF424 to be worked on which the Funding Proposal is undergoing internal review and approval.

  • In general, warnings are only informational and should not affect the submission of your application.

  • Once you click on the "Hide/Show Errors", the field name can be a good indicator as to where the error may be. However, because that might still not be specific enough, when clicking on the error link under the "Jump To" tab, it would be wise to refer to the actual block numbers in the sections where this missing information would generally be. Unfortunately, the system is only designed to take you to the page where that error is located and not specifically to the actual error itself.

  • Your PIs may need to edit their profile since the HR feed where this information is pulled from is only partial. Your PIs can achieve this by clicking on their profile name at the top right hand corner of the screen. This will expose the profile for editing.

    Please note that if changes are made to the profile information that was populated from the HR data feed, the next time the feed updates the manual changes will be overwritten.

  • To print a completed copy of a proposal, follow the steps below:

    • Go to the SF424 workspace and click on the "Create Pre-submission PDF" under Activities.
    • A sub screen will appear instructing you to click "OK" to generate.
    • Be sure to check the "add all attachments" box so that everything is included.
  • At this time not everything from the SmartForm maps to the SF424 which means that there are certain fields that will need to be entered manually. Also certain mapping capabilities may be restricted due to a specific form/version that is being used by the proposal team.

    The following information may or may not map at this time:

    • Additional key personnel
    • Demographic information (zip codes, postal and email addresses)
    • Budget information (Phase II)

    Additionally, the address information comes from the PI profile which is based on the HR feed and manual edit. If the PIs have not updated their profile, the information reflected in RAPSS will be as listed in the HR feed.

    Please note that if changes are made to the profile information that was populated from the HR data feed, the next time the feed updates the manual changes will be overwritten.

  • Due to current mapping limitations, it is possible that a “Create/Update SF424” was performed more than once which overwrote the previous manual changes entered that were made to mapped fields. If changes need to be made on the SF424, it is advised that you first make these changes/corrections on the proposal form and then create/update the SF424.

  • Once you have initiated the Create/Update SF424 activity, click on the "SF424 Summary" tab in the funding proposal workspace. Click the link adjacent to the "SF424 Link to Form" to enter the SF424 workspace

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