CERES: Create and Update SF424 Forms

Creating and Updating SF424 Forms

Note: The attachments contain a job aid related to this article.

In several funding proposal states, the RA can create or update SF424 application forms for federal system-to-system submitted applications, populating them with data from funding proposals and their budgets.

Warning: If the SF424 forms have been edited directly, re-creating or updating them from within the system could overwrite those edits. Always make your changes in the funding proposal and budget first, and then execute the Create-Update SF424 activity. This will ensure that the funding proposal, budget, and SF424 always stay in sync.

Create an SF424 Form

Once the funding proposal and budget(s) are complete, but before they are submitted for review, the RA creates the SF424 in CERES. Information from the funding proposal and budget(s) auto-populate the SF424 pages. SR submits the SF424 proposal to the sponsor.

1. From your CERES inbox or the Grants Funding Proposal page, click the name of the funding proposal to open the workspace.
2. From the funding proposal workspace, click Create-Update SF424. This activity appears when the funding proposal is in an editable state.

   If all conditions for generating SF424 forms are met, but these activities are not available in the workspace, go to the Submission Information page and click the Refresh Form Support button. If a confirmation prompt appears, click OK. If these activities are still not available, contact SR’s help email, osr-info@northwestern.edu.

3. A list of required and optional SF424 forms appears in a slide-in window. Select the appropriate SF424 forms and any additional forms needed to create or update in the Create-Update SF424 form for a proposal.

Note: If the proposal includes any subawards, be sure to select the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form.

4. Click OK.

A success alert appears when the system has created or updated the selected SF424 forms.

Note: Only users who are a reader or editor of the SF424 can access the SF424 workspace. Each time the SF424 is created or updated, the readers and editors from the funding proposal are added to the SF424. If needed, you can add yourself or others as an SF424 reader or editor using the Assign Editors and Readers activity on the SF424 workspace.

Update an SF424 Form

RAs can update the SF424 forms after they have been created. Each time the Create-Update SF424 activity is used, it overrides the fields in the SF424 with the information sourced from the funding proposal and budget. If changes are needed, update the funding proposal or budget first, and then execute the Create-Update SF424 activity again. When updating the SF424, you can select the specific forms you want updated and deselect the ones you do not want updated. Once SR approves or submits the proposal, the documents can no longer be edited.

To update SF424 forms and add missing data

1. Click the SF424 Link in the Proposal Information summary area of the funding proposal workspace.
2. On the SF424 workspace, click Edit Grant Application.
3. On the Select Optional Forms page of the SF424, select any optional forms to include in the update of the SF424 application.

Note: If you missed a form previously, it is recommended that you re-execute the Create-Update SF424 activity, as shown in the diagram above, so the information from the funding proposal auto-populates into the SF424 forms.      

4. Click Continue
5. Verify the information is correct on the SF424 forms. Add or modify data in the SF424 forms as needed. 
6. On the R&R Other Project Information page, answer the required questions and upload the required proposal documents (e.g., Project Summary/Abstract, Project Narrative, etc.)
7. On the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile page, verify the information imported from the funding proposal is correct.

Note: If you uploaded the biosketches and Current & Pending Support forms in the funding proposal, they will automatically populate in the SF424.

8. On the R&R Budget page, upload the budget justification. Click on the budget period date links to view detailed budget information.

Note: If you need to make budget updates, make the changes in the funding proposal budgets, and then re-execute the Create-Update SF424 activity to ensure the updates are reflected in both places.

9. If the proposal includes any subawards, be sure to select the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form when creating or updating the SF424 and attach the subaward budget justification. To enter the subaward budget, RAs can either:
   1. Import the R&R Subaward Budget from the funding proposal subaward budget. This is the preferred way to enter the subaward budget if the RA has a copy of the R&R Subaward Budget PDF. The information from the import will automatically populate the R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form. b.     Manually enter the subaward amounts on the SF424 R&R Subaward Budget Attachment(s) Form. On this page:
      1. Enter the number of subawards.
      2. Click the ellipsis by each one to open the R&R Budget form. Enter the subawards UEI, select Subaward/Consortium as the Budget Type, enter the name of the organization, the number budget periods, and attach the subaward budget justification.
      3. Click on the budget period links to enter the subaward costs in detail, by period. 
10. Complete any remaining SF424 forms. For example, submissions to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) require additional PHS forms.
11. On the last page, click Validate in the top left menu of the SF424 SmartForm to check for errors prior to submitting for Department Review. If you are no longer in the SF424 SmartForm, you can also click Validate Submission on the SF424 workspace.
12. Click Finish to return to the SF424 workspace.