xTrain Quick Reference Guide

xTrain provides program directors/principal investigators, university administrators, trainees, scholars, and participants the ability to electronically create, route, and submit appointments, re-appointments, amendments, and terminations. Users can also track the status and timing of actions taken by other institutional xTrain users. It eliminates the need for signed paper forms except Payback Agreements and verification of permanent residency when applicable.

Descriptions of xTrain External User Roles

AA: Account Administrator at an organization, who facilitates the administration of Commons accounts.

ASST:Also known as PD/PI delegate. An ASST user is a grantee institution individual that is delegated authority to perform Program Director/Principal Investigator xTrain training appointment functions. A user with the ASST role cannot submit appointments.

BO: Business Official at an organization who has authority to manage institutional training grants and uses the xTrain module.

PD/PI: The Program Director or Principal Investigator is responsible for the overall direction of the training program and has the skills, knowledge and resources necessary to organize and implement a high quality research training program. This role is called the PI role but is used for PDs as well. A Fellow also has the PI role. The PD/PI selects and appoints Trainees, amends appointments (when necessary), and initiates Termination Notices. A multi-PI can perform the same actions as the Contact PI.

SO: Organization's Signing Official, who has the institutional authority to legally bind the institution in grant-administration matters.

SPONSOR: The Sponsor is a person who mentors Fellows and can initiate and facilitate the termination of a fellowship.

SPONSOR DELEGATE: Users with this authority can perform actions like the Sponsor role but they are not able to submit the fellowship Termination Notice to the Agency.

TRAINEE: Users can manage their individual electronic appointments and terminations. Users with this role:

Trainee — A person appointed to and supported by an institutional Kirschstein-NRSA or non-NRSA research training award.
Scholar — A person appointed to and supported by an institutional career development award.
​ Participant — A person appointed to and supported by a research education award.

Click on the resource title (left column) to open the item. Be sure and check out NIGMS training FAQs too.

Getting Started

Paper Statement of Appointment forms and Termination Notices will not be accepted.
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Creating and Managing eRA Commons Personal Profiles
Instructions for creating and managing personal profiles in eRA Commons.
Quick reference guide to help trainees get started using xTrain.
Thorough descriptions of eRA Commons User Roles.
Stipends and tuition and fees may not be charged to an institutional research training grant until a trainee has been officially appointed via xTrain and the appropriate paperwork submitted to NIH. No stipend or other allowance may be paid until the statement of appointment form has been submitted. (If the support covers an individual's initial 12 months of postdoctoral​ support, a signed Payback Agreement also must be submitted.)

Appointments, Reappointments, & Amendments

The appointment process begins with the PD/PI. Note that an appointment cannot be submitted until after the Notice of Award for the respective budget period has been issued.
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The appointment process continues when the trainee completes their portion of the appointment and routes it back to the PD/PI. To avoid issues, the trainee should log into the eRA Commons and make sure their Commons profile is complete and up to date before processing their appointment.
The PD/PI then completes the appointment and routes it to Agency for review. Note that a PD/PI will not be able to complete the appointment if the trainee has not completed their portion and routed the appointment back to the PD/PI.
Instructions for each section of the Statement of Appointment. Do not submit this form. It is provided for reference only. Submission via xTrain is required.
Trainees must be U.S. citizens, non-citizen nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Confirmation of permanent residency status is required for permanent residents before an appointment can be accepted.
For postdocs only and only in their initial year of NRSA postdoctoral support, a signed original Payback Agreement form is required before an appointment can be accepted by the Agency.
Quick reference guide for xTrain appointments.
Reference guide for xTrain appointment errors and warnings.
Quick reference guide for reappointments and amendments. (Note that an amendment should not be used in lieu of termination for T32 training grants.)

Terminations

The PD/PI is responsible for submitting a Termination Notice for each trainee within 30 days of the end of the total period of support even if the trainee is not available for signature. In cases where the program director is not available to sign the notice within the required timeframe, the form may be verified by the institutional business official alone. Termination notices are not required for NIGMS R25s or T34s.
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List of eRA Commons roles that can initiate a termination notice.
PD/PIs are responsible for initiating new terminations.
The termination process continues when the trainee completes their portion of the termination and routes it back to the PD/PI.
The PD/PI then completes the termination and routes it to the Business Official (BO) for review and submission to NIH. Note that a PD/PI will not be able to complete the termination if the trainee has not completed their portion.
The Business Official certifies the termination notice and submits to Agency for review.
Instructions for each section of the Termination Notice. Do not submit this form. It is provided for reference only. Submission via xTrain is required.
Quick reference guide for xTrain terminations.
Instructions for early terminating a trainee. For NIGMS R25 and T34 awards only: Termination Notices are not required. If you need to end a T34 appointment period early, you may amend the appointment form instead.
Instructions for terminating fellowships.
Quick reference guide for fellowship terminations.

User Guides, FAQs, Help, & Training

Includes screenshots and step by step directions for using the xTrain module.
An in-depth document detailing how to access xTrain; establish user roles; and submit appointments, reappointments, amendments, and terminations.
eRA Commons maintains this list of xTrain FAQs. Topics covered include appointments & reappointments, terminations, Commons accounts & roles, documenting parental leave, and troubleshooting issues.
Includes training videos on appointments and terminations, an overview of xTrain and links to several quick reference guides that include, amongst other topics, appointment errors and warnings and reappointments.
Submit a help ticket online or call 1-866-504-9552 (Press 1). Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00 am - 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Closed on federal holidays.

Disclaimer: This document is for informational purposes only. It serves as an overview and is not meant to be ​comprehensive in coverage of all requirements and components. It is current as of the date below.