GrantForms by InPharmatics Corp. and Graphics Development International Inc. is an electronic solution to filling, submitting, and administrating grants, combining 200 individual data fields into seven pages. There are two major versions available, one targeted at academic investigators (NIH-PHS398) and on for industrial investigators (NIH-SBIR Phase I and II). There are also separate organization editions that can be used to manage grants of more than one principal investigator in a particular institute or research site. Unlike word processor templates that are commonly used in completing grant applications, GrantForms creates a database for each grant, allowing semiautomatic completion of several of the fields in the forms. Entry boxes in the interface are adjustable. Also, it automatically performs calculations on the budget forms, alleviating the need for an additional spreadsheet program. Currently, GrantForms is available for Windows 95 and Windows NT users. Although this review is based on the academic (NIH-PHS398) version, the industrial version is similar and the user interface is identical.
The GrantForms user interface is based on WindFORM Filler, the application used to fill in forms and provide a front end to the GrantForms database. The database itself is invisible to the user. Once launched, WindFORM Filler provides buttons that link to a selection of eight forms that must be completed for a specific grant application (figure 1). The choices are Principal Investigator Information (figure 2), Biographies (figure 3), Continuation Page, Other Support (figure 4), two separate PHS-398 forms (figure 5), Personnel Report (figure 6), and Contact Budget (figure 7). In addition, there is a Read me First option that provides an overview of GrantForms and help in the use of the application, which provides detailed information for each step in the application process.
All of the forms use the same interface, making it simple to enter information. The interface looks much like a word processor template, but the forms are filled in dynamically (figures 2-7). Input areas are highlighted in blue, with the exception of currently active areas, which are yellow. Scroll bars allow for automatic entry of terms previously used and stored in the GrantForms database. The Principal Investigator Form (figure 2) must be completed first. This form establishes a database for the particular investigator and the organization. Fields such as dates, telephone numbers, and social security numbers have internal masks that correctly format the numbers entered. The remaining forms can be completed in any order. The Biography form corresponds to the NIH FF sample form (figure 3). The Other Support form (figure 4) corresponds to the NIH GG sample form, which features an Information button that provides clear step-by-step instructions for its completion. This Information button is also present in the budget form, allowing users to get help for the most complicated forms without leaving the current window. There are two versions of the main application form - PHS 398 A and PHS 398 B (figure 5). In the first, the salary filed is covered when printed. The Personnel Report (figure 6) corresponds to the NIH sample form JJ. The Budget form (figure 7) contains an internal spreadsheet mechanism that allows for automatic calculation of totals, a great time saving feature. The Continuation Page is a blank page containing a header with grant and principal investigator information.
In GrantForms, the user can easily move between fields on the same page of the one form, between different pages of the same form, and between different forms of the same grant application. Special scrolling buttons as well as Next Page and Previous Page buttons make this task easy when filling in a form with few pages. For longer applications, a searching routine provides additional help. A spell checker and internal data checker help prevent grammatical errors as well as logical errors, such as exceeding the time or the budget limits of the grant application. One minor problem: a new user may confuse the two Save commands. One, Save File in the file menu, should not be used in the applications that contain the database feature. The correct Save command is executed by clicking the Save Record button on the tool bar.
Even though there is no printed manual for GrantForms, more than adequate help is available online for the software as well as for the details in completing the applications. The help file included in the GrantForms package also contains detailed information about how to use the software and how to complete the forms, as well as copies of information files distributed by the granting agencies which provides step-by-step instructions. The Web site of InPharmatics offers additional online help and direct links to granting agencies that list important information for the grant submission process such as grant availability and deadlines. Technical support is available free of charge (30 days for the demo and for one year for the registered version) and can be accessed by phone, email, or via a form on the InPharmatics Web site.
GrantForms is an excellent software package that can simplify the cumbersome process of writing and submitting a research grant application. Great care has been taken to provide the user with a functional interface that conceals a complex and practical database, as well as clear and precise step-by-step instructions for completing the application.
System Requirements
GrantForms is available for Microsoft Windows 3.1, 95, or NT (Windows 95 or NT recommended for future upgrades), 486DX or higher processor (Pentium 100 MHz or better recommended), 12 Mb of RAM (16 Mb recommended), 15 Mb of available disk space, and VGA or higher-resolution monitor compatible with Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later (SVGA recommended). According to InPharmatics, a Macintosh version may be developed in the future, but it is not yet planned.
You can download a GrantForms demo from the InPharmatics Web site. It can be downloaded and registered free of charge as a functional demo version, but prints the message "Demonstration version by GrantForms" across each printed page. Once a user decides to purchase GrantForms, a password makes this demo version fully functional. There are five packages of GrantForms available: NIH-SBIR Phase I PI Edition for single PI ($149), NIH-SBIR Phase I and II/Fast-Track PI Edition for a single PI ($279), NIH-SBIR Phase I - Organization Edition for multiple PIs ($259), NIH-SBIR Phase I and II/Fast-Track - Organization Edition for multiple PIs ($695), and NIH-PHS398 for a single PI ($279). Discounts are available for 10 principal investigators or more for academic version in universities or institutions that have negotiated rates. In addition, users in the industry who have purchased either NIH-SBIR Phase I package can upgrade to the corresponding NIH-SBIR Phase I and II package for a discount. GrantForms can be ordered by fax at (415) 472-4897, or by phone at (800) 989-4434.
Emmanouil Skoufos is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Medical Informatics at Yale
University School of Medicine.
