Welcome and thank you for taking the time to participate in this training session on the Novartis Grants Central Station, or NGCS, on-line submission portal. Please note this training is specifically designed for US patient advocacy organizations submitting a funding request to Novartis Oncology US. For Oncology Professional Medical Education requests please contact the Novartis Oncology Office of Grants and Education.
On the left side of your screen you will see two tabs:
• The Menu tab, which displays a high-level view of the sections in this course. If you have a question about a specific section you can use the menu to advance directly to that section by selecting it. Alternatively if you wish to view this training in its entirety, the menu can be used to review previous sections.
• The Notes tab, which contains a transcript of the audio narration.
If you need to stop taking this course at any time, you can choose the option to resume where you left off, when you return.
To replay a slide, click this icon.
To change the volume, use this icon.
To go back to a previous slide, click the “Previous” button. To advance, click the “Next” button here.
This course will take approximately twenty to thirty minutes, based upon your path selection and during this time you will learn about:
• The overall request submission process,
• The required documents and associated timelines for submission, and
• Effective navigation of NGCS.
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The grants submission process is divided into six main stages:
1. Presubmission
2. Submission
3. Initial Review by Patient Advocacy
4. Review by an Independent Committee
5. Final Decision
6. Reconciliation
Stages one through five take approximately 60 days to complete. Individual requests may take more or less time for review based upon a variety of factors.
Presubmission. During Presubmission, you, as the requester, are primarily concerned with assessing if your request is eligible for support from Novartis. You should also gather the applicable documentation and details regarding your request and set up a user profile in NGCS.
Submission. During Submission you will need to upload required information into NGCS to initiate the funding request process.
Initial Review by Patient Advocacy. Novartis Patient Advocacy will perform a review to ensure compliance with Novartis’s requirements. In particular, the team will check to see if the request is eligible and if all the required information has been submitted. During this stage you may receive emails requesting additional information or clarification regarding your submission.
Review by an independent committee. This review will be focused on your budget, compliance with Novartis policies and financial due diligence.
Final decision. At this stage your request has been thoroughly reviewed and a decision is made. The decision can be “approved”, “declined” or “more information needed” in the case where further clarification by the requestor is needed.
Reconciliation (if applicable). If your request was approved, the request must be fully reconciled to Novartis within 90 days of the completion of your activity. Failure to reconcile your request and/or return unused funds may jeopardize the review of future submissions.
Prior to submitting a request, you should become familiar with the types of requests considered “Eligible” for Novartis funding compared to those deemed “Ineligible”.
The table on your screen presents examples of eligible and ineligible funding requests. For a more complete list please consult the NGCS website at www.NGCS.Novartis.com or by clicking on the “Novartis Grants Central Station Brochure” button currently displayed on your screen. We strongly recommend reviewing the brochure in its entirety prior to submitting a request, as it contains more detailed information about the submission process.
As you start the submission process, please remember requests cannot be submitted via email, mail or fax. All requests must be made through NGCS.
When developing a request, please note that Novartis Associates are not permitted to be involved in any manner. This includes providing feedback on the entire application, supporting documents or commenting on the amount of support. Please do not send any individual communications to a Novartis Associate and do not be concerned if you do not receive an individual response.
We require you to submit your request at least sixty days in advance so we can perform a thorough and fair review of your request for funding.
Any requests submitted less than sixty before the event/program’s starting date will not be accepted by the system and will not be considered for funding. Please be mindful of this requirement as you start your planning process.
In instances where your event has a flexible start date, try your best to provide us with the most reasonable estimate for a starting date.
If you have any questions regarding start dates, please contact your designated patient advocacy liaison. If you do not know who your patient advocacy liaison is please email oncadvocacy.grants @novartis.com.
Another key point to remember is once you have set up a user profile in NGCS, it is your responsibility to ensure the information provided is accurate and up-to-date. All profiles must be updated at least once during a calendar year. This information is used to communicate the status of your request, therefore it is extremely important to maintain its accuracy. On the next three slides we will walk through the process of reviewing and updating your user profile. If you are a new user, fill out the New User Registration page and follow the instructions.
To review or update your user profile first log in to your NGCS account and select “Setup Profile” on the left menu now highlighted on your screen. Please click on “Setup Profile” to advance.
Once you select “Setup Profile” a screen with your user information will appear. To modify your existing profile select the “Modify” button now highlighted on your screen. Please note, you must still select “Modify” even if your profile is up-to-date. To advance to the next slide please click the “Modify” button.
After selecting “Modify” on the previous screen you will have the opportunity to review and update your profile. Once you review and/or update your profile, you must click the “Save” button highlighted on your screen. Please remember to click “Save” even if you did not edit your profile. Clicking “Save” is the only way the system will register a valid “Profile Last Update Date” and therefore allow your request to proceed. Please click on the highlighted “Save” button to complete the user profile update process and advance to the next slide.
You have reached the end of the overall summary of NGCS. We will now take a more in-depth look at two types of funding requests you can submit to Novartis. These two types are Patient Education grants and Other: Sponsorships, Funding of Special Events or Membership Dues.
Please select the type of request most closely related to yours. If you wish to learn more information about both types of requests please select either of the two options now and after completing the training on that type of request you will have the opportunity to select the other pathway.
Patient Education grants provide funding to organizations that support patient and caregiver needs or the health and well-being of the general public. Patient Education grants are provided without agreement or intent to receive a tangible benefit in exchange and are not given for promotional purposes.
Examples of Patient Education grants may include:
• Advocacy regarding patient-related topics
• Awareness and education about the value of clinical trials in general
• Community outreach
• Disease awareness, education and outreach events
• Financial counseling, guidance or support
• Legislative advocacy and research activities
• Patient educational activities
• Patient care benefit
• Psychosocial support
• Survivorship issues
To initiate the submission of a Patient Education grant request go to the NGCS home page at www.ngcs.novartis.com and click on the “Submit a Grant Request” link highlighted in red.
Select “Patient Education” as your Request Type. If you select “Professional Medical Education” as your “Request Type”, your request will be rerouted to a different department and may not be reviewed. If you are unsure about what type of request you are submitting click on the red “(More Info)” link for information about request types.
When selecting an “Area Of Interest” please remember, Novartis US Oncology patient advocacy can only fund requests related to Oncology and Hematology. If you select “General Medicine” as your area of interest your request will be rerouted to a different department and may not be reviewed.
After selecting “Request Type” and an “Area Of Interest”, you will be asked to select the “Therapeutic Area” most closely related to your request.
After selecting a “Therapeutic Area” for your request you will be asked to answer a few basic Compliance questions related to your request.
As you proceed through the submission process, you will encounter status screens. These screens will typically show a traffic light graphic along with important information.
A Green Light indicates you may proceed with submitting your funding request, and that your request will be reviewed. Please note that a Green Light does not guarantee funding.
A Red Light indicates you will not be able to proceed as funds to support requests such as yours are not available or have been exhausted for this budget cycle.
If you have any questions you may contact the appropriate toll-free helpline available on NGCS’s website.
After clicking on the “Proceed” button a pop-up window with Application Instructions will appear. Please feel free to read the instructions as they provide further clarifications about the submission process.
During submission please ensure you populate all required fields before attempting to submit your request. Required fields include:
• Program Title
• Activity Start and End Date
• Purpose of the Activity
• Requested Grant Amount
• Indicate if you are requesting funding from Novartis Only or Multiple Sources
• Accreditation Type
• Target Audience
• Initial Estimated Total Program Cost, and
• Program Format.
Please note the difference between “Requested Grant Amount” and “Initial Estimated Total Program Cost”. “Requested Grant Amount” is the amount of funding you are requesting from Novartis, while “Initial Estimated Total Program Cost” is the total amount of money needed to fund the entirety of your event/program. These two values should only be the same if your event would be funded entirely by this grant request from Novartis.
Fill out all the required fields and select all applicable Program Formats for your request. Please note that for every “Program Format” selected you will be required to provide a corresponding detailed budget.
We are aware it is difficult to accurately predict the exact details of your program or event more than two months in advance, but we ask you to submit your information as thoroughly as possible so we are able to best understand and process your request.
There are a number of documents you need to submit before your application is considered complete. These documents include:
• Needs Assessment
• Program Objectives
• Outcomes Measurement Plan
• Proposed Agenda, and
• W-9 issued during the current year.
Your Proposed Agenda and Outcomes Measurement Plan need to be as comprehensive as possible. You have the option to fill out the information in the grant form portal or attach these documents to your application.
Once you have successfully submitted your grant request, your request will be reviewed by Patient Advocacy. Reviewers will check to see if:
• The correct therapeutic areas have been selected
• The request is related to patient education, and
• There is full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines as established by OIG, the PhRMA code and other relevant agencies.
Reviewers will also check overall completeness of the submission and ensure all required information has been provided.
Review typically takes between six and eight weeks from the date a request is submitted until a final decision is made. However, the amount of time can vary based upon the complexity of the request and the amount of other requests in the system. To check on the status of your request please utilize the tracking number emailed to you after submission.
During review, we routinely require additional information to make an informed decision. Common requests for additional information are caused by a need for clarification, the need for more information about a certain aspect, or incomplete information.
If one of our reviewers requires additional information about your request you will be contacted via email. The email will come from the Novartis Grants Office and will be generated by the system, but it will not be personalized. We therefore ask you to regularly check your spam folder for emails from Novartis or create a filter redirecting emails from Novartis from your spam folder to your inbox. The email may also get routed to an old email address so make sure your profile data is current for both primary and secondary contacts.
An email will be sent every five days, if no response has been received, for fifteen days for a total of three emails. If you do not respond within the fifteen day period your request for funding will be pulled from your work list and sent to Novartis for further deliberation.
It is your responsibility to respond to all requests for additional information as soon as possible after receiving them.
When responding to requests for additional information be sure to:
• Thoroughly read and review the entire email, as Novartis routinely asks for more than one source of additional information, and
• Answer all questions.
We will now walk you through the high-level process of updating your request after receiving an email requesting additional information.
After thoroughly reading the request for additional information, you will need to provide additional information in the “Payee/Program Details” tab of your application.
To successfully submit additional information you must populate the “Response to Request for More Info” field. If you are only providing an additional attachment(s) or modifying an existing document, you must still populate the “Response for Request for More Info” field. If you do not populate this field you will receive an error message. You can populate the field with something as simple as “Additional attachment has been uploaded” or “Modified existing attachment”.
Once you have responded to all requests for additional information and populated the “Response to Request for More Info” field, please click “Save” and then “Submit”. If you do not click “Submit”, the system will not register your response to our request for additional information.
If your request passed the initial review by Patient Advocacy the next stage is budget review by an Independent Committee. During this stage you will be required to submit a detailed budget using the Novartis budget template. A request for more information with budget instructions will be sent. At this point in the process a Budget Details tab will appear in your grant application window.
As a reminder a detailed budget for each program format specified in your request is required. In order to expedite the review, your budget(s) should be as complete as possible.
Before developing your budget, make sure you read all the definitions of categories captured in the budget template as definitions can differ from company to company. Additionally, please take time to familiarize yourself with the template.
When creating your budget please provide a thorough line item description detailing what you intend to use the grant for. The more detailed the information the less likely you will be required to submit additional information on your budget. Please note that only the ‘Estimated’ column will be visible initially, this will change to ‘Revised’ if you need to provide additional information. ‘Actual’ costs will be populated at reconciliation.
You will not be able to ask advice from Novartis Associates for any aspect of your budget development; as Novartis Associates are prohibited from guiding budget submissions.
Please remember to submit a budget for each program involved in your event. You should submit an equal amount of budgets for the number of activities involved in your event.
While reviewing your budget one of the major areas we focus on is ensuring all items in your budget are considered covered expenses by Novartis. To see a complete list of covered and non-covered expenses please consult the Sample Budget Form or the Help on Expense Types documents available online in the Budget Template section of your grant application.
In the event one of our reviewers has a question about how Novartis funds will be used they will ask you to make a revision to one or more of your budget line items in the Novartis budget template. If you are asked to make a revision it is your responsibility to make the revisions in a timely fashion. When making revisions make sure you insert a comment in the “Detailed Description Required” field about why you have made this particular revision. Please do so for all line items you update
After providing updates and populating the “Detailed Description Required” field, please be sure to click the “Save” or “Save & Close” button to ensure the additional information you provided is updated and saved.
During the review process you may also receive an email requesting you to complete the Novartis Letter of Agreement (LOA). The receipt of an LOA for signature is not an indication your request has been approved. The LOA will be sent to the email address associated with your user profile. As stated earlier, it is extremely important to keep your user profile information up-to-date.
After taking time to review the LOA, you will need to sign it. Please take care to only sign the letter on your side of the page and not the Novartis side. You must upload a signed and dated copy of the LOA before final review can continue.
Please keep in mind the LOA cannot be altered in any way otherwise it will be considered void.
We understand that as a requestor you are anxious to remain informed and up to date concerning the status of your request. Because of this, we send out a grant tracking number to all requestors of successful submissions.
You can use this tracking number to monitor the status of your request via your account.
To check on the status of your request, you will need to log into NGCS and enter your request ID number into the “Request ID” field and click the “Search” button.
As a reminder, no requestor should consider a grant request approved until they receive an email notification of approval.
You will be notified via email if your grant request has been approved. If the request is approved and funding provided, the last stage of the grant request process is Reconciliation. As soon as your grant is approved you will receive an email with information regarding the Sunshine Act. You will also receive an email reminder about Sunshine Act reconciliation after your program’s end date.
Within ninety days of completion of your event you will be required to submit the following:
• Outcomes Measurement Report
• Financial reconciliation and check issued to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation for any unused funds
• Final program agenda
• Sunshine Act Attestation Form, and
• Sunshine Act Report, if applicable.
You must submit these documents to NGCS within 90 days of the completion of your activity. Failure to reconcile your grant and/or return unused funds may jeopardize the review of future submissions.
You have completed the training on Patient Education grants. If you would like to learn more information about Other: Sponsorships, Funding of Special Events or Membership Dues please click the corresponding button on your screen. If you do not wish to review any additional information please click the “Complete Training” button on your screen.
Novartis provides funding for activities and events that advance the objectives of selected non-profit patient organizations and healthcare or healthcare related organizations that support patient and caregiver needs. Other Funding Arrangements are payments provided to organizations in which Novartis receives a tangible benefit in exchange for funding.
Examples of Other Funding Arrangements include:
• Community Outreach Initiatives
• Galas, Balls, Receptions and Dinners
• Fundraising/Awareness ‘Walks’ and ‘Runs’
• Symposia or Roundtables
• Membership Dues
• Policy Initiatives
To initiate the submission go to the NGCS home page at www.ngcs.novartis.com and click on the “Submit a Grant Request” link highlighted in red.
Select “Other: Sponsorships, Funding of Special Events or Membership Dues” as your Request Type. If you select “Professional Medical Education” or “Patient Education” as your “Request Type”, your request may be rerouted to a different department and may not be reviewed. If you are unsure about what type of request you are submitting click on the red “(More Info)” link for information about request types.
When selecting an “Area Of Interest” please remember, Novartis US Oncology patient advocacy can only fund requests related to Oncology and Hematology. If you select “General Medicine” as your area of interest you will be rerouted to a different department and may not be reviewed.
After you selected “Other: Sponsorships, Funding of Special Events or Membership Dues” as your “Request Type” you will be asked to select a “Request SubType”. In addition to a “Request SubType” you will also be asked to select the “Therapeutic Area” most closely related to your request.
After selecting a “Therapeutic Area” you will be asked to answer a few basic Compliance questions related to your request.
As you proceed through the submission process, you will encounter status screens. These screens will typically show a traffic light graphic along with important information.
A Green Light indicates you may proceed with submitting your funding request, and that your request will be reviewed. Please note that a Green Light does not guarantee funding.
A Red Light indicates you will not be able to proceed as funds to support requests such as yours are not available or have been exhausted for this budget cycle.
If you have any questions you may contact the appropriate toll-free helpline available on NGCS’s website.
After clicking on “Proceed” button a pop-up window with Application Instructions will appear. Please feel free to read the instructions as they provide further clarifications about the submission process.
After checking that your request is eligible, there are a number of documents you need to submit before your application is considered complete. These documents include:
• Letter of Request on your organization’s letterhead which should include a requested amount, a program description and objective, and program/event information
• Sponsorship Levels/Benefits
• Completed W-9 signed and dated within the current year, and
• Any additional documentation to support your request.
Once you have successfully submitted your request, your request will be reviewed by Patient Advocacy. Reviewers will check to see if:
• The correct therapeutic areas have been selected, and
• There is full compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines as established by OIG, the PhRMA code and other relevant agencies
• Reviewers will also check overall completeness of the submission and ensure all required information has been provided.
Review typically takes between six and eight weeks from the date a request is submitted until a final decision is made. However, the amount of time can vary based upon the complexity of the request and the amount of other requests in the system. To check on the status of your request please utilize the tracking number emailed to you after submission.
During review, we routinely require additional information to make an informed decision. Common requests for additional information are caused by a need for clarification, the need for more information about a certain aspect, or incomplete information.
If one of our reviewers requires additional information about your request you will be contacted via email. The email will come from the Novartis Grants Office and will be generated by the system, but it will not be personalized. We therefore ask you regularly check your spam folder for emails from Novartis or create a filter redirecting emails from Novartis from your spam folder to your inbox. The email may also get routed to an old email address so make sure your profile data is current for both primary and secondary contacts.
An email will be sent every five days, if no response has been received, for fifteen days for a total of three emails. If you do not respond within the fifteen day period your request for funding will be pulled from your work list and sent to Novartis for further deliberation.
It is your responsibility to respond to all requests for additional information in a timely fashion.
When responding to requests for additional information be sure to:
• Thoroughly read and review the entire email, as Novartis occasionally asks for more than one source of additional information, and
• Answer all questions.
We will now walk through the high-level process for updating your request after receiving an email requesting additional information.
After thoroughly reading the request for additional information, you will need to provide additional information in the “Payee/Program Details” tab of your application.
To successfully submit additional information you must populate the “Response to Request for More Info” field. If you are only providing an additional attachment(s) or modifying an existing document, you must still populate the “Response for Request for More Info” field. If you do not populate this field you will receive an error message. You can populate the field with something as simple as “Additional attachment has been uploaded” or “Modified existing attachment”.
Once you have responded to all requests for additional information and populated the “Response to Request for More Info” field, please click “Save” and then “Submit”. If you do not click “Submit”, the system will not register your response.
During the review process you may also receive an email requesting you to complete the Novartis Letter of Agreement (LOA). The receipt of an LOA for signature is not an indication your request has been approved. The LOA will be sent to the email address associated with your user profile. As stated earlier, it is extremely important to keep your user profile information up-to-date.
After taking time to review the LOA, you will need to sign it. Please take care to only sign the letter on your side of the page and not the Novartis side. You must upload a signed and dated copy of the LOA before the final review process can proceed.
Please keep in mind the LOA cannot be altered in any way. If it is altered, the LOA will be considered void.
We understand that as a requestor you are anxious to remain informed and up to date concerning the status of your request. Because of this, we send out a grant tracking number to all requestors of successful submissions.
You can use this tracking number to monitor the status of your request via your account.
To check on the status of your request, you will need to log into NGCS and enter your request ID number into the “Request ID” field and click the “Search” button.
As a reminder, no requestor should consider a grant request approved until they receive an email notification of approval.
You will be notified via email if your grant request has been approved. No requestor should consider a grant request approved until they receive an email notification of approval.
If you would like to use the Novartis logo, a Logo Agreement Form will be provided to you at your request. Please send your request to oncadvocacy.grants@novartis.com.
You have completed the training on Other: Sponsorships, Funding of Special Events or Membership Dues. If you would like to learn more information about Patient Education please click the corresponding button on your screen. If you do not wish to review any additional information please click the “Complete Training” button on your screen.
Thank you for taking the time to participate in this training session on the NGCS on-line submission portal.
If at any time you would like more information please feel free to reach out to us either by email or phone at the addresses and numbers shown on this screen. In addition to the resources on your screen please feel free to reach out to your designated patient advocacy liaison.
