Route & Submit Proposal

Just-in-Time (JIT) and Post-Submission Material Requests

JIT policies and post-submission material requests allow certain elements of a competing application to be submitted later in the process. Find information on timing of these requests, items commonly requested and sponsor-specific tips.

Just-in-time (JIT) policies allow certain elements of a competing application to be submitted later in the process — after the initial review, when the application is being considered for funding. While a JIT request does not guarantee an award decision, sponsors may reach out to request this information. Although this process is most commonly associated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other sponsors, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE), also utilize similar processes. These agencies may refer to JIT by Pre-Award Information Request (PAIR), Proposal File Update or other terms.

NIH also has a post-submission materials policy allowing for certain items to be submitted after the grant application but prior to initial peer review. This is not intended to correct oversights or errors discovered after submission of the application, but rather allow applicants the opportunity to respond to unforeseen events.

Receiving a JIT or post-submission materials request

Applicants are typically notified via email when JIT information is needed. Upon receipt, the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) will forward the email to the Principal Investigator (PI) and the Primary Research Administrator named on the corresponding PAF.

Post-submission materials Requests are emails typically sent directly to the PI by the Scientific Review Officer.

Common items included in a JIT request

The most common JIT Request elements include:

Other support information (both active and pending) for senior/key personnel
Verification of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
Verification of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval
Evidence of compliance with the education in the protection of human research participants requirement

Additional application elements that may be requested include:

Revised or updated budget or budget justification
Clarification of administrative or scientific components of the proposal
Missing biosketch or other personnel materials
Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreements
Certification of Genomic Data Sharing Policy (NIH)
Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (DURC-PEPP)-related information
Data Management Plan
Other program-specific information

How to respond/submit JIT material

When JIT materials are ready to be reviewed and submitted by ORSP:

If required by the sponsor system, upload JIT material and grant ORSP access (e.g., in Research.gov).
Request Action (Send Information to Sponsor) on the corresponding PAF.
- Upload copies of all JIT materials, typically in separate PDF documents unless the sponsor specifies a different format.
- Include a deadline for the submission.
ORSP will review JIT materials.
- ORSP will respond to the requested action and ask for updates, if needed.
- If no changes are needed, ORSP will submit the JIT materials to the sponsor.

Sponsor-specific JIT Information

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH JIT items are submitted via eRA Commons JIT Module, unless specifically requested to be submitted via email by the grants management specialist (GMS). For all applications, the eRA Commons JIT link will appear on the Status screen.

The JIT module allows the PI or Signing Officer (SO) to upload JIT information, however only the SO may submit. Each JIT file type has a separate document uploader, with a maximum file size of 6MB. If a file is larger than 6MB, it may be necessary to separate the file into multiple PDFs. ORSP will then submit the files in sequence. All PDFs except for Other Support and Biosketch must also be flattened.

Other Support

NIH now requires the use of SciENcv to create Current and Pending (Other) Support. Once completed in SciENcv, do not flatten prior to uploading to the Request ORSP Action. Review Current and Pending (Other) Support Reporting for more information.

IRB and IACUC Approval

Each JIT Request will specify if the applicable IRB or IACUC Approval letter is needed, or if the approval date will suffice. ORSP will not submit the human subjects research application (HUM) or protocol (PRO) approval letter, unless specifically asked for by the sponsor. If the IRB or IACUC approval was not included as part of the PAF at proposal submission, and is available at JIT Time, the HUM or PRO should be provided so that ORSP can update the PAF. It is important to ensure that the PAF has been associated with the HUM or PRO.

Genomic Data Sharing (GDS) Certifications

Researchers should request IRB “Review and Assurance” of GDS plans through eResearch Regulatory Management (i.e., through HUM application or Amendment to an existing HUM). IRB will provide ORSP with the results of the “Review and Assurance” determination through a posted comment on the PAF. ORSP will finalize U-M’s Institutional Certification and submit the GDS to NIH.

For more information on NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy, visit:

National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF JIT items are submitted via Research.gov using the Proposal File Update module and usually includes a request for updated Current and Pending (Other) Support. The PI will need to initiate the Proposal File Update and upload the JIT materials.

Current and Pending (Other) Support

NSF mandates the use of SciENcv for the preparation of Current and Pending (Other) Support (CPOS) information. There are many resources available to help with using SciENcv and composing CPOS.

Responding to JIT and communicating with ORSP

Upload JIT documents to Research.gov:

Sign into Research.gov.
Select “Proposals”, then Prepare and Submit Proposals.”
Under “Submitted and Updates” they select “Proposals (Full and Renewals)’ from the dropdown menu.
An information message is displayed on the top of the screen to show the proposal number that requires a CPOS.
Select the proposal title of the submitted proposal that requires an update.
Under proposal actions, select the “Update Current and Pending Support” button (only the PI can view this button).
Navigate to “Senior Personnel Documents.”
Select “Current and Pending Support” for each individual and upload the documents in the required format. Note: If no additional updates are needed for previously submitted CPOS documents, upload the previous CPOS document, as this will satisfy the requirement.
From the main proposal page, select “Share Proposal with SPO/AOR” under Proposal Actions to provide access to the authorized organizational representative (AOR) to submit the proposal.
Request Action (JIT) on the corresponding PAF, and include a copy of the Current & Pending (Other) Support document. Note: If a Budget Revision is in progress, a Current and Pending (Other) Support Update cannot be prepared.

Department of Defense (DOD)

DOD Pre-Award Information Requests (PAIRs) are requested via email from the sponsor. PAIR requests are very detailed and sometimes lengthy. Be sure that all requested information has been included. DOD Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) requires the use of Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form.

Submissions of PAIR information must be submitted by the AOR (ORSP) and is usually an email response back to the GMS. DOD will typically ask for the PAIR documents to be submitted as individual files, rather than as a combined PDF.

Department of Energy (DOE)

DOE JIT may come in as a Notification Letter and may include a table of documents or actions that are needed prior to award. Not all DOE sub-departments will request the same JIT items. Note that not all items have the same deadline. Common items included in DOE JIT Request are:

Pre-award information sheet
- DOE will provide this as part of the Notification Letter email. Complete all project specific information.
Indirect cost rate agreement
Environmental questionnaire
- This form is completed by the PI/Project Team and needs to be reviewed by the Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) Office. See Grant Applications for additional information. Note: ORSP does not sign the Environmental Questionnaire.
Participants and collaborating organizations
Current and Pending Support common form
Separate and distinct from the Common Forms, SciENcv now also contains a supplemental disclosure for DOE that is focused on foreign country of concern (FCOC) connections. DOE is taking a risk-based approach to determine what subset of funding opportunities will require the supplemental disclosure (“CPS Addendum”).
- It gives DOE a standard set of questions to use in situations where a funding opportunity is more sensitive.
- It is only required if the funding opportunity or award terms and conditions explicitly state that a CPS Addendum is required.
Data management plan
Communication points of contact
Budget revisions – PI routes to ORSP to submit in PAMS
Abstract revision – PI submits directly in PAMS
IP Management Terms (Attachment 2)
- U-M can accept; however, if there are subcontracts on the project, they will need to review and accept it also in order for U-M to work with them. Usually the PI will reach out to the subcontract organization, but ORSP does need to see their email confirmation accepting it. Note, there may be special attachments depending on the type of subcontract, and foreign subcontracts may also have a cost-share requirement necessitating additional attachments.

NIH post-submission materials

Post-submission materials are those submitted after submission of the grant application but prior to initial peer review. They are not intended to correct oversights or errors discovered after submission of the application, but rather allow applicants the opportunity to respond to unforeseen events.

Post-submission materials must be received by the sponsor or scientific review officer (SRO) no later than 30 calendar days prior to the peer review meeting and require concurrence from the AOR. The following outlines the steps project teams should take to get NIH post-submission materials to ORSP for review/submission:

Request Action (Send Information to Sponsor) on the corresponding PAF.
Upload a copy of the email from the SRO along with the post-submission material documents.
Include the deadline for the submission.

ORSP will review the post-submission materials.

ORSP will respond to the requested action and ask for updates, if needed.
If no changes are needed, ORSP will submit the post-submission materials to the sponsor.