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 DevelopmentProposal Tracking, or SPIN/SMARTS, you can send an email with your question to pennerahelp@lists.upenn.edu. You can also click on the Support link within the application to contact the PennERA Group.

Users who need help with Account Information (i.e. AIS not found or incorrect information on AIS) should send an email to AIS-prob@lists.upenn.edu.

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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