eRouting Form and Process

Initiating an eRouting Form

The PI or PI designee may initiate an eRouting form in the UIRIS System by following these steps:

1. Go to the UIRIS login page at https://uiris.research.uiowa.edu/index.php.

2. Login using your Hawk ID/Password or, if a first-time user, click on the Request Access link to register with the UIRIS system.

3. Once logged in, locate, within the main UIRIS menu, the section heading called Forms.

4. Select the Routing Form (University of Iowa Proposal Routing Form).

5. Elect to Begin a New Routing Form.
    

eRouting Process

eRouting will accommodate many types of documents, with a particular procedure for each. You will complete the same eRouting form in each case, but, depending on the type of document you're routing -- i.e., paper or electronic -- and the sponsor's system for submitting it, you:

• Will be required to attach specific documents to the eRouting Form
  • The eRouting form includes a section for Attachments, offering a drop-down box listing the most common types – e.g., the Abstract/Project Summary/Protocol; Sponsor Budget; Budget Justification, etc. Here you will upload each required document, as specified within the categorical listing on the following page.
• May be required to deliver certain paper documents to the Division of Sponsored Programs
  • Some sponsors require an original institutional signature on a paper document rather than, or in addition to, an electronic submission. In such cases you may use the eRouting system to secure departmental and collegiate approval – to complete the required routing – but must deliver the paper document to DSP for signature and/or mailing.

Please refer to the following section to determine the proper procedure for particular types of proposals and other documents.

Types of Proposals and Corresponding Routing Procedures
 

• Grant Proposals to be Submitted Electronically by the Division of Sponsored Programs -- i.e., through Cayuse, FastLane, Grants@Heart, or other electronic submission system established by a federal or private sponsor and requiring the institutional official to complete the e-submission.
  • Complete the eRouting form.
  • In the attachments section, upload the Abstract/Project Summary, the Sponsor Budget, and Budget Justification.
  • Note: There is no need to attach the entire proposal. DSP will review the proposal within the sponsor’s e-submission system. 

• Grant Proposals to be Submitted Electronically by PI after DSP Review and Approval -- e.g., an application using proposalCentral or other electronic submission system requiring the PI to complete the e-submission.
  • Complete the eRouting form.
  • In the attachments section, upload, as applicable, the Cover Sheet, the Abstract/Project Summary, the Sponsor Budget/Budget Justification, and any other pages with administrative information or requiring an institutional signature. 
  • Note: DSP may request additional information or a paper copy of the complete application for the grant file.

• Grant Proposals to be Submitted by DSP via Email in DOC or PDF format.
  • Complete the eRouting form.
  • In the attachments section, upload the full proposal in the required format for email submission.
  • In the Pre-submit section, use the Comments field to provide the sponsor contact name(s) and email address(es). 
  • Note: Post-award administrative changes – such as revised budgets and change-in-PI requests – may also be eRouted in this manner.

• Grant Proposals to be Signed/Submitted in Paper Format
  • Complete the eRouting form.
  • In the Attachments section, upload the complete proposal.
  • In the Pre-submit section, use the comments field to communicate your preference for retrieving the signature page once DSP has signed – e.g., whether you would like to pick up the signed page or if DSP should return the page to you as a scanned PDF, through campus mail, etc.
  • If original signatures are required, as opposed to a scanned PDF, please also deliver the original paper signature page(s) to DSP, attaching the first page of the eRouting form for identification purposes.
  • Note: If an application is too large to scan/attach to the eRouting form or requires significant revisions after eRouting, DSP may request additional information – i.e., replacement pages or a full paper copy of the final application – for the DSP file.

• Contracts
  • Complete the eRouting form.
  • In the Attachments section, upload the full Contract/Agreement. 
  • Note:  If the contract is in hard-copy form only, send the hard copy to DSP and attach the first page of the routing form for identification purposes. 

Additional Notes

• E-Attachments: When uploading documents to the eRouting Form, please take care to select the correct label for each, using the “Other” option only if none of the existing labels meets your needs.
   
• Caution: Do not upload information/instructions meant for DSP to the eRouting form section for Attachments, as they could be overlooked. Instead, use the Pre-Submit section Comments field to bring additional information/instructions to DSP’s attention.
   
• Paper Documents: When bringing a paper document to DSP, please attach the first page of the eRouting form, enabling us to match the proposal to the eRouting record.
   
• Submission Deadlines: Standard DSP routing deadlines and copying/shipping policies will apply during this pilot.
   
• Accuracy in Workflow Paths: It is essential to establish and confirm accurate Workflow paths for approving the eRouting form. If the form encounters an incorrect Workflow path within the originating or a collaborating department, it will not travel beyond the principal investigator. Instead, the PI will receive an error message and the routing deemed invalid; this will require the initiator to start from scratch, completing and submitting a completely new form once paths have been corrected. We are seeking a solution that will enable the PI to re-use the completed form with corrected path, but in the meantime urge PIs to verify their own Workflow paths and ensure any collaborating departments have established appropriate paths before submitting the eRouting form.
   
• Quality Control through Workflow: We will be relying on the principal investigator and his/her departmental administrator to assist with quality control, ensuring DSP receives all intended information and attachments. Therefore, please:
  • Track the eRouting form through the Workflow process; and
  • Be alert for a system confirmation that the eRouting has successfully travelled the Workflow path and reached the Division of Sponsored Programs.
     
• Problems: The eRouting Form offers the continuous option to cancel the Workflow process, electing instead to print and hand-carry the routing through UI channels for approval. This is a viable alternative for especially time-sensitive documents and an effective work-around if the Workflow system should, for whatever reason, be unavailable.

Questions and Feedback

The Division of Sponsored Programs welcomes your questions and feedback as we continuously work to improve the eRouting form and procedure. Please contact us at any time, e-mailing dsp@uiowa.edu or phoning 335-2123.

Related Information

•eRouting FAQs
•eRouting Form and Process
•eRouting: PI Approval Process (pdf)
•UI Routing Policy and Procedure
•Late Routing Policy