Requesting Help

Need procedural or technical support? PennERA is here to help.

Getting Technical Help

User Support

If you experience a problem or have a question regarding use of the Proposal Development, Proposal Tracking, or SPIN/SMARTS, please submit a ticket with the PennERA Help Desk Area of Service via the ORS Support Portal: https://ors.freshservice.com/support/home . You can also get to the ORS Support Portal by clicking on the Submit a PennERA HelpDesk ticket link within the application portal.

Users who need help with Account Information (i.e. AIS not found or incorrect information on AIS) should submit a ticket with the AIS Prob Area of Service, also via the ORS Support Portal https://ors.freshservice.com/support/home.

For technical problems (i.e. error messages) with your reports please visit the Data Warehouse support page at http://www.upenn.edu/computing/da/dw/support.html.

Questions or problems related to Regulatory Affairs (IRB or IACUC) protocols should be directed to the IRB and Aries Helpdesks directly at:
– IRB helpdesk: Hsera_help@lists.upenn.edu
– IACUC helpdesk: Aries_help@lists.upenn.edu

Desktop Requirements and Supported Browsers

PennERA is a web-based suite of applications accessed using a web browser. No special plug-ins or components are required to use the PennERA modules.

The following web browser versions are vendor supported:

Windows Versions

  • Microsoft Edge 41.16299.611.0 – 44.17763.1.0
  • Firefox 65 through 66
  • Firefox 60.5.0 ESR through 60.6.1 ESR
  • Google Chrome 72.0.3626.96 through 73.0.3683.103

Macintosh Versions

  • Safari 12.0.2 through 12.1
  • Firefox 65 through 66
  • Firefox 60.5.0 ESR through 60.6.1 ESR
  • Google Chrome 72.0.3626.96 through 73.0.3683.103

Recommended Browser Settings

  • The URL of the PennERA application https://www.pennera.upenn.edu/ should be added as a trusted site.
  • Pop-ups should be allowed for the PennERA URL. Certain screens in PennERA will attempt to “pop-up” additional windows. These pop-up windows may be blocked by your browser’s pop-up blocker. 
  • The browser cache should be set to “check for a new page on every visit.”

In order to view PDF files in Proposal Development (completed proposals, uploaded documents), you will need Adobe Reader on your computer.

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