2. Setting up your Computer
BASICS- Grants.gov works most effectively on a PC using Internet Explorer
- Grants.gov has provided limited Mac/Unix/Linux capability
- To avoid a computer lock-up or freeze, Grants.gov recommends closing all other programs before downloading or uploading an application package.
- Your monitor settings may need adjusting to view the entire application without scrolling side to side. To change setting, click on View Menu and zoom in or out. (The downside, however, is that the font is smaller.)
- All documents uploaded in Grants.gov for NIH must be in PDF format. Some agencies will allow documents in word format.
- Your computer must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, 2000, or XP
- 500 Mhz processor
- 128 MB of RAM
- 40 MB disk space
- Web browser:
- Internet Explorer 5.01 or higher
- Netscape Communicator 4.5 - 4.8
- Netscape 6.1, 6.2, or 7
- FireFox
- Navigate to the Grants.gov Download
Software page to download and install
the free PureEdge Viewer AND the PureEdge Viewer Upgrade.
You must download both the viewer and the upgrade. Periodically visit the Grants.gov Download Software page to ensure you have the most up-to-date upgrades.
When you are prompted, save the file “ICSViewer602_grants.exe” to your computer. Click on Save to save the file to your Desktop.
- Now, locate the file on your desktop and double-click it. You will be prompted to install PureEdge’s ICS Viewer 6.0.2. Click Run in the first dialog box, then Yes in the second, and follow the instructions on the subsequent screens to install the program.
- Once the program has been installed, you will be asked if you want to launch
the application. Uncheck this option and click Finish.
Note: If you receive a message you do not have permission to install the program on your computer, contact your local computer support staff.
table - You are now ready to Find Funding.
Note:
If you are using a dial-up modem, it may take several minutes for the application
to be uploaded and submitted. Please be patient. This process does take longer
using a dial-up modem. A high-speed internet connection or DSL connection
will process the application at a much faster rate.
MACS AND OTHER PLATFORMS
The PureEdge ICS Viewer used to open and work on Grants.gov application packages is currently available only on Windows. A new Mac viewer is scheduled to be released on 11/1/06. A new company (Anteon, A General Dynamics company) is taking over the maintenance of the Grants.gov site on 11/1/06 as well. They are committing to transition away from the current ICS PureEdge Viewer to Adobe forms, as well as implementing a new Google search engine that is expected to improve searching for FOAs and improve locating information on the Grants.gov website (which has been slow for both Mac and PCs). Additional details can be found in the Washington Post article at http://tinyurl.com/jx2ku. Until the new viewer is released, please follow these instructions:
For non-Windows users, a free Citrix server is available to remotely launch a Windows session and submit completed grant applications. Note that a limited amount of users can access the Citrix Server at any one time. You will need to save your application often and also log off when you are not working on your application package to help maximize server use. Wait until you are close to completion of your package before attaching any documents to keep the size of the file as small as possible. Finally, you will find the best time to work and submit an application via Citrix is during off-peak hours.
Macintosh OS X Instructions
- Your computer must meet these minimum Citrix client requirements
- OS X Version 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4
- 128 MB of RAM
- 10 MB Disk Space
- PowerPC Processor
- Download the Citrix Package for Macintosh OS X users from Grants.gov
- At this point you may receive some warnings and dialog boxes asking you to add this to your trusted sites. Click "Add" on both screens, then click "Close". You will need to do this everytime you download via Citrix!!
- You may then need to repat a file opening process.
- Be patient! Downloading and working via Citrix is slow! It may appear that your Mac has frozen, and may take several minutes for the application to open. Take a coffee break and when you get back, it should be there!
- Additional help documents for using PureEdge on a Mac are on the Grants.gov site. Open the one that pertains to your software installation.
- Follow step 3 instructions to find funding and download application package.
- Download the appropriate version of the Citrix client from Citrix.
- Ensure that your computer meets the respective minimum requirements, and install the client.
- Download and connect to the federal Citrix server using the Grants.gov ICA connection file.
You will be notified the download includes an application and asked if you want to continue - select "Continue".
When the download completes, the window allowing you to open PureEdge via Citrix will appear. Double-click the "Starts Grants.gov PureEdge" icon.
The following warning will appear; select "OK".
When the following warning appears, select "Allow"
This will bring you to the "Welcome to the Grants.gov Citrix Server for Mac Users" screen. Follow the instructions on this screen to open your downloaded application package. It's important to remember you are on the government server, so choose "C$ on 'Client' (C)", THEN choose your desktop, "my documents" or other folder in which you saved your application.
You may download your funding/application package before you download Citrix, however you will not be able to work on it until Citrix and PureEdge have been dowloaded as well.
Other Platform Instructions (including Macs not meeting the above requirements)
