Frequently Asked Questions
If you don't find the information you are looking for, contact a SAGE
Peer Mentor or see the ORIS website.
General Questions
Authorization and Access
Contacting SAGE and User Feedback
Using the eGC1
System Requirements
General Information
Creating and Viewing eGC1s
Access List
Application Details
PI and Contacts
Personnel
Cost Sharing
Abstract and RFA/RFP
Budget
Validation Rules
Routing Rules and Procedure
SAGE eApproval
Miscellaneous Questions
Panic Questions
FAQ Answers
General Questions
- What is SAGE?
SAGE (System to Administer Grants Electronically) supports electronic
Research Administration (eRA) at the University of Washington for
use by faculty, administrators and staff. A common database is shared
with SPÆRC - the OSP internal web system.
SAGE currently allows users to create and submit eGC1 forms for grant
and contract submission. In the future it will support electronic
approval of eGC1s, route full grant & contract documents electronically
(next phase), run reports (future) and electronically submit grants
to sponsors (future). For more information, visit the ORIS
website.
- What is an eGC1?
The Electronic GC1 (eGC1) is the internal compliance form that is
attached to all grants and contracts for routing and approval on campus
before going to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). Only authorized
users can access an eGC1.
- When is the
data on the eGC1 saved to the database?
Data is saved when any of the 3 actions are taken:
The SAGE Training Server can be used to practice entering eGC1 forms,
but should never be used to enter real eGC1s you want to route and approve.
Go to http://www.sage.washington.edu.
To input a new "real" eGC1 or to find a previously
entered eGC1
Click on "Enter SAGE"
To input a practice eGC1 or to find a previously entered
practice eGC1
Click on "Use Training Server"
The GC1 Addendum hard copy form is only required when cost sharing
is indicated. This form is still a hard copy (paper) attachment
and is not currently part of the eGC1. However, the form is not
required when there is no cost sharing. The data in Part A of
the old form has been included in the eGC1, so if there is no cost sharing,
no form is required.
Authorization and Access
- How do I get
authorization to use SAGE and eGC1?
Ask your department or dean’s administrator to give you access.
- I don't work
at UW, but need access to SAGE. How do I get access?
First, ask the proper UW department or dean's administrator to sponsor
you for a UWNetId and UW email account. See the UWNetID
page for more information. Second, ask this administrator
to give you access to SAGE by entering your UWNetID into ASTRA.
The UW email account will be used for email
notification during the eApproval of grant or contract applications
in SAGE. Use email forwarding to send all messages to your local
email account (e.g., xxx@VA.gov or xxx@fhcrc.org).
Authorization is the granting of official permission to work with specific
applications, resources, and services. Authorization information
will be used to access the eGC1 and determine who can approve applications
during electronic routing and approval.
- Who determines
who is authorized to use the system and approve applications on the
system?
Dean's level and department level administrators determine who has
access to the system and who is able to approve applications for their
unit.
The combination of authentication, authorization, roles and access
restriction define what operations an individual can perform with the
applications they have access to. Authorization information will
be used to access the Electronic GC1 and determine who can approve applications
during electronic routing and approval.
No. You only need your UWNetID and password. Your administrator
will need to enter you into ASTRA, the authorization system used by
SAGE.
Access to Systems, Tools, Resources and Applications (ASTRA)
Contacting SAGE / User Feedback
Send e-mail to sagehelp@u.washington.edu.
Send email to sagehelp@u.washington.edu.
Please consult your OSP
administrator.
Using the eGC1
System Requirements
Yes. We have tested SAGE with several MacOS/browser combinations.
Visit our Browser page for more information.
We are committed to supporting users' choice of browsers while also
providing for the functionality desired by campus users. SAGE
has been designed to work on any standards-compliant web browser,
which includes the latest versions of most popular browsers.
Visit our Browser page for more information,
or go to the UWICK
Software Guide to download the latest browsers for SAGE.
General Information
Yes. The preparer can copy and paste into most data fields.
See "Can I use special characters
in the abstract?" for more information about copying and
pasting special characters.
When a browser window is closed (e.g., by clicking the little "X"
in the upper right of a Windows window), it doesn't send any message
back to SAGE, so SAGE has absolutely no way of knowing whether you
have closed up shop and gone home or are diligently typing columns
of numbers on the budget screen and just haven't hit Save in a while.
To make sure you don't lose data, SAGE keeps your session alive and
your eGC1 selected for 45 minutes after your last activity, unless
you explicitly release that eGC1 by doing one of the following:
- Returning to the eGC1 Menu (e.g., View Composing screen), or
- Log out of SAGE
- By clicking the "Logout" link at the top of the
screen
- By clicking "Save" and "Close this eGC1"
in the left-hand navigation
- By clicking "Exit SAGE" in the left-hand navigation
If you leave a browser window open with an eGC1 selected in it, or
close the browser window without logging out properly, SAGE considers
the eGC1 still open and selected, and other users on the Access List
are not allowed to edit it. This can result in users being "locked
out" at times when they need to make changes. For more
information about this problem, see "Why
is my eGC1 in read-only mode, when I have read-write access?".
Creating and Viewing eGC1s
Each eCG1 is stored according to the
"state" of the application (Composing-Routing-Received-Rejected-Approved).
Log into SAGE and click on View Composing in the left-side navigation.
If your eGC1 has been finalized and is currently routing for UW internal
approvals, it will appear under View Routing. If your eGC1 has
completed the routing process and been approved by OSP, it will appear
under View Approved.
Yes. Your eGC1 is automatically saved in the SAGE Database
as soon as it is created. Changes made on each screen are automatically
saved every time you move from one SAGE screen to another, or when
you click the Save button on any screen. You can stop by logging
out of SAGE ("Why is it important to log out
of SAGE correctly?") and return to your existing eGC1s at
any time ("I can't find the eGC1 I started
earlier.").
This functionality will be added in a future release.
All persons listed on the eGC1 Assign Access List (Creator, PI, Admin
Contact, Budget Contact, others given read-only or read-write access),
and all approvers listed on the signature page. OSP can view and edit
this eGC1 only after it is “Finalized”.
Access List
Yes, using the Access List. The creator of the eGC1, PI, Faculty
Sponsor (if applicable), Admin and Budget Contact are automatically
"owners", and can add and remove other users. This is an excellent
way to share preparation responsibilities or to have a questions answered
by your department, dean or OSP.
There are four possible reasons why your eGC1 might open in read-only
mode:
- You only have read-only user permissions for that eGC1.
You can check your permission level on the Assign Access screen.
If you are listed as owner or read-write, then this isn't the cause.
- Your eGC1 has already been finalized or approved by OSP.
If your eGC1 appears in the View Routing list, it has already been
finalized, and you must withdraw it, make your changes, re-finalize,
and send a new final printout around for signatures. If your
eGC1 appears in the View Approved list, then it has already been
approved by OSP and no changes can be made. If your eGC1 appears
in the View Composing list, then it has not been finalized
or approved, and this isn't the cause.
- Your eGC1 is being edited in read-write mode by another user at
the same time you are trying to access it. Only one person
may have an eGC1 open for editing at a time. All other users
who log in later will have it read-only. This protects the
integrity of your eGC1 data by making sure you aren't overwriting
each other. To resolve this situation, contact the people
who have access to your eGC1 (as listed on the Assign Access screen).
When you find the person who is using it, you should both
log out of the eGC1 in question (by returning to the View Composing
screen), and then you can log back into it in read-write mode.
- Another user recently exited your eGC1 without logging out of
SAGE correctly. When this occurs, the system considers it
still open for editing, even if the other user has closed his or
her browser window and gone home! To resolve this, the user
who exited incorrectly can log back into SAGE and then log out properly
to "release" the eGC1; or, if the user is unavailable,
you can wait 45 minutes and the system will release it automatically.
For more information, see "Why is it important
to log out of SAGE correctly?".
Application Details
- How do I
determine which org code should receive funding?
Ask your department administrator or fiscal specialist for the correct
number. Some departments use one org code number for all research,
while others use a different number depending on the persons involved.
The current list in SAGE has more than 4000 entries, and includes
most sponsors. Try searching again with alternate words or abbreviations.
If you have searched and are certain your sponsor is not
listed in SAGE:
- Send email to gcstech@u.washington.edu
with the name, type and description of your sponsor.
- Enter the sponsor name along with the sponsor address in the Sponsor
Address field on the Application Details screen.
- Search on "PENDING" and select the "PENDING"
entry with the most appropriate sponsor type.
PI and Contacts
First, try searching again with only the last name. Refer to
the search hints at the bottom of the search screen for other ideas.
PI names are selected from a list in HEPPS (payroll system).
If your PI is not in HEPPS, he or she must be entered by the appropriate
unit administrator or payroll coordinator. Note: because SAGE
uses appointment information to determine necessary signature lines
(or reviewers during the eApproval process), both "minimal"
HEPPS entry and "appointment" data must be entered
into HEPPS in order for the PI to be available to SAGE. New
personnel can be entered in HEPPS up to two years prior to their start
date.
- How do I determine which
appointment should be used for the PI or other personnel?
Some investigators have more than one appointment on campus. Since
all active appointments should be displayed during the search process,
it is important to select the correct one for the project. Ask the
PI which appointment should be used. All appointments selected will
cause a signature line to be added to the Signature Page.
- What
if the correct appointment is not listed?
If the PI has an unpaid appointment and it was not entered into HEPPS
(or has dropped off), then it will not display on the list. For example,
Center Director. Ask the appropriate unit administrator or payroll
coordinator to add this appointment in HEPPS.
First, try looking them up by UWNetID. Only those persons who
work at the UW (in HEPPS), have an affiliate position at UW, or have
requested a sponsored UWNetID can be added as an Admin or Budget Contact.
Persons who work for an affiliated organization (e.g., VA, FHCRC)
may ask someone at the UW to request a UWNetID on their behalf.
See the UWNetID page for instructions on
how to get a sponsored UWNetID.
Some directory data for the PI, Admin Contact and Budget Contact
should auto-populate on the eGC1. If it doesn't auto-populate,
or does so incorrectly, these employees may update their own directory
data by visiting Employee Self-Service on MyUW. The new data can be
accessed in SAGE on the following day; to refresh the display in SAGE,
search for and select the person again using the Personnel Chooser.
Personnel
Yes. All personnel meeting the requirements listed in the instructions
should be listed. This information is used to determine routing
and approval, for Significant Financial Interest Disclosure and will
be used for reporting.
First, try searching again with only the last name. Refer to
the search hints at the bottom of the search screen for other ideas.
Personnel names are selected from a list in HEPPS (payroll system).
If your person is not in HEPPS, he or she must be entered by
the appropriate unit administrator or payroll coordinator. Note:
because SAGE uses appointment information to determine necessary signature
lines (or reviewers during the eApproval process), both "minimal"
HEPPS entry and "appointment" data must be entered
into HEPPS in order for the person to be available to SAGE.
New personnel can be entered in HEPPS up to two years prior to their
start date.
- Who do
I contact if the academic home appointment is incorrect?
Ask your department administrator to confirm that it is incorrect
and then he/she should email Academic Human Resources at acadpers@u.washington.eduto
request the change.
- How do
I identify joint appointments?
Use Compliance Question FG-9 to identify any additional units needing
to approve the project. Enter the person’s name in the comment
field.
- New personnel
were added to HEPPS today, how do I enter this person’s name
on my eGC1?
This is a 3 step process.
1) First, enter the name in a Personnel search. The information
entered into HEPPS will not be found for this person.
2) Second, click on the ‘Alternate Search’ button located
beneath of the search results. The name you are searching for should
appear on the list.
3) Third, select the person by clicking on the ‘Select’
button for the appropriate row.
- How do I list someone
who is not a UW employee, but is involved with grants and contracts?
Look them up with their UW Net ID.
- What if they don’t
have a UW Net ID?
Ask the proper UW department or dean's administrator to sponsor this
person for a UW Net Id and UW email account. Follow the steps on the
Getting
a UWNetID for Non-UW Personnel page.
Cost Sharing
- How do I designate
that the Dean's Office or Provost is paying?
Begin by entering the personnel name on the Personnel page. This
name will be copied to the Cost Sharing page along with some new data
fields. Click on the “Change Org Code” button and identify
the organizational code of the proper office. Then enter the amount
to be cost shared (salary + benefits + indirect costs).
Abstract and RFA/RFP
- Can
I use special characters in the abstract?
Yes, but not in the way you may be accustomed to.
Microsoft Word typically uses the Symbol font to insert special
characters into documents intended for printing. This will
not work in a web browser, unfortunately, and there is no way for
SAGE to make it work. If your special characters disappear
or turn into different characters when you cut and paste them, this
is probably caused by the Symbol font.
You can use "Character Map" (a Windows program) or "Insert Symbol"
functionality in Word to create your special characters using a
standard text font. Most of these characters are supported
by the web browser and will work fine.
- Why is
there a 250-word limit on the abstract?
The purpose of the abstract on the eGC1 is to provide a concise,
non-technical description of the proposed research. Upon award
of the proposal, this abstract may be distributed to various members
of the University of Washington community, including the Board of
Regents and the Office of News and Information. For this reason,
the abstract entered on the eGC1 should be different from the (generally
more detailed and technical) abstract you submit to the sponsor.
The length of the eGC1 abstract was determined based on common
publication requirements. Since it should not be the same abstract
as that which is submitted to the sponsor, OSP did not take sponsors'
abstract lengths into account.
Budget
- If
the budget is only one year, can I enter the amounts in just one column?
Yes. Enter a single-year budget in the Total column to avoid
validation errors, and leave the First Period column blank.
Validation Rules
- Why does SAGE have required
fields and business rules?
The approval process was the number one area in which campus users
wanted improvement. Streamlining the approval process is done
by making sure that all necessary information is provided before the
eGC1 is routed. This will reduce the number of phone calls and
emails asking for additional information.
Routing Rules and Procedure
- What
data creates the Signature Page and the eApproval Graph?
The signature page is created from 4 areas of information on the eGC1:
1) Org Code Receiving Funding
2) PI & Personnel selected units and corresponding dean’s
office
3) Some compliance questions, and
4) organizations paying for cost sharing. This data is compared to
the approval rules for each organization and the signature page is
generated.
- Are
joint appointments included in the approval process?
When they are identified using compliance question FG-9, joint appointments
are added to the signature page.
- What
do I do if the Signature Page is missing an office which needs to approve?
First, create a signature line with an ink pen (yes, it's that simple)
and begin the approval process.
Second, notify sagehelp@u.washington.edu
so that the business rule can be checked.
SAGE eApproval
The online approval of grants and contracts at the UW. eApproval will
replace the signature page of the eGC1, but paper copies of the research
documents will still need to be circulated to all reviewers on campus.
The same approval rules that drive the signature page now will generate
the approval chart.
- How
do I prepare for eApproval deployment?
Go to the ORIS website for a description
of eApproval, timeline and links to additional information.
- What are the
benefits of an Electronic GC1 with Routing and Approval capabilities?
Streamlining the routing and approval process is the feature most requested
by campus members. The Electronic GC1 will make electronic routing
and approval available to all researchers, saving valuable time, effort,
and paper for both researchers and approvers. Researchers at remote
locations such as Harborview Medical Center and the VA will benefit
from not needing to travel to the UW main campus to route their proposals.
All researchers will be able to benefit from the convenience and accuracy
of the SAGE Database as well. The increase in accuracy afforded
to researchers by using a web form with built-in business rules will
speed the approval process and reduce the various phone calls and email
to clarify proposal information. The Electronic GC1 with Automatic
Routing and Approval will be a flexible solution for routing and approving
all proposal types and provide an interim solution for those sponsor
forms that cannot be addressed immediately.
Incremental deployment of eApproval to all campus units and OSP will
begin Fall 2004.
The back-up approver will approve in their absence, same as the signature
process now. All possible approvers must be authorized in ASTRA
by the unit administrator.
They may be notified by e-mail when an eGC1 is awaiting their approval
online.
Yes. You can use the UW
Email Delivery Manager in MyUW
to create custom email filters according to your preferences.
Instructions will be widely dispersed prior to eApproval deployment.
Miscellaneous Questions
FastLane became a reality after the GCI proposal received UIF funding.
FastLane has provided a technical solution for researchers who use NSF,
although it does not provide a single, enter data once, UW system that
includes eGC1 data. Due to limited resources and the need to capture
GC1 data, the electronic GC1 will be used until a single NSF/UW module
which integrates with FastLane can be built. This new module (yet
to be developed) will allow NSF researchers to enter data only once.
Organizations at the UW are represented by an organization code that
is divided into six levels. The organization code works as a security
measure. Each usercode is bound to one organization code level.
Also, each budget number is linked with one organization code level.
See the Admin Gateway website
on org codes for further reference.
Data Warehousing's purpose is to facilitate end-user analysis of data
by providing information to distinct communities of interest.
Visit the Data Warehousing
website for more information.
Panic Section
Note: If you're panicking - You have to get this eGC1 out the door
right now…
*Take a deep breath. There is a solution to your problem if you think
calmly and clearly.
*Look at the error or problem.
You may have pop-up blockers turned on in your browser:
There are several ways to set your preferences in Netscape and Mozilla
to allow pop up windows for trusted sites (such as SAGE):
One way:
1) Open the browser window and click on Edit (2nd from left on top)
Preferences
2) In the preferences window, left hand side, 5th from the top,
is "+Privacy & Security" expand this and click on
"Popup Windows"
3) If the "Block unrequested popup windows" box is checked,
the button to the right, "Allowed sites", should be active.
Click on "Allowed Sites"
4) Under "Allow popups from the following web sites:"
enter sage.washington.edu and click on "Add"
5) At the bottom of that window click on "OK"
6) Click on the Preferences window's "OK" button and you
are finished
Another way:
1) Assuming that "Display an icon in the Navigator status bar"
in the Preferences section for popups is checked (see Preferences
above)
2) Navigate to the site for which you want to allow popup windows
3) Trigger the action which is supposed to generate the popup window
(i.e., "Check for Errors" on the "Finalize"
page)
4) An icon should appear in the bottom left hand side of the browser's
status bar (It looks like an exclamation point inside a star)
5) If you hover your mouse over the icon a small text box should
appear which reads, "Unblock this site's popups"
6) Click on the icon and a dialog window will pop up which will
allow you to add this site to the "Allowed sites list"
(same as steps 4 and 5 above)
7) Click on "Add" and "OK" and you should be
done
If it's giving you an error: You most likely have not filled out the
eGC1 completely. Carefully look through each screen, making sure you
have entered all required information. (In particular, ensure you have
selected an Organization to Receive Funding).If you entered "Yes"
for SFI for one or more Personnel, then the UW Significant Financial
Interest Disclosure Form question on the Certify, Finalize and Print
page must be marked "does".
- What if
my sponsor is pending?
If you followed the directions carefully, your sponsor is pending and
that's okay. Your application may be finalized and routed.
- What if I still can't
figure out my problem?
E-mail sagehelp@u.washington.edu.
Include: The application number that you're working on, describe what
kind of error is displaying and any details regarding what you were
doing when you received the error. Someone will assist you soon, and
we guarantee you'll hear from us within 8 business hours. Please include
a descriptive subject line on the e-mail.
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