SPIN

(If accessing SPIN via the ERA Portal, you will skip this step) Click “Need to Create a New Profile” on the bottom left of your screen. Select Institution – type in Denver in the search box and then select “University of Colorado at Denver” (our web SPIN subscription pre-dates consolidation). Then provide first and last names, University (or affiliate) e-mail address and username of your choice. Click the Save button in the upper right corner. An e-mail notice is sent to the SPIN Administrator who is responsible for approving profiles. You will receive an e-mail from the SPIN System with a link that will allow you to set up your password (usually takes at least 24 hours).

Select PREFERENCES from the top menu. Preference categories include Applicant Location, Applicant Type, Project Location (if different from Applicant Location), Project Type, Citizenship and Sponsor Type. Possible selections come up on the left; when you make your selections (double click or click an arrow), they appear on the right of the selection screen. You may also select LIMITS. Defaults are to include US Federal Opportunities and Limited Submission Opportunities. Closed Opportunities are excluded by default but including them in your search provides a better picture of what deadlines have recently passed and may be available again in the same timeframe next year.

SPIN offers three search modes as outlined below. You may also choose ready-to-run searches such as Impending Deadlines and New/Modified Opportunities from the SEARCH menu.

1. Basic Search: This is the default mode. It operates much like Google where you set up your search strategy and terms. See the “Help Menu – Basic Search Help” for examples of useful search strategies.
2. Keyword Search: This search mode allows access to the SPIN Keyword Thesaurus, arranged by category. Clicking “Select Keywords” (above the box) brings up a category list of search terms in a separate screen in which you drill down to view available keywords. Explorer tab allows you to select keywords via checkbox; your selected keywords appear to the right.
   There are no limits on the number of keywords selected. Use the Searcher tab to quickly locate terms in the SPIN Keyword Thesaurus. Once you have made your selections, click on “Save Selections and Continue” up at the top right of the screen. Your selected keywords will appear in a box at the top of your screen. Click on the “Locate Funding” button to the right of this box and potential funding sources appear in table format. SAVE YOUR SEARCH at this time.
3. Advanced Search: This search mode provides more user control. The initial field comes up with Full Program as the default but is a drop-down menu. To add additional criteria, click the Add New button. Selecting distinct fields creates AND queries while selecting the same field multiple times creates OR queries. 

For all three search modes, results come up in table format. Save your search if you plan to run again or if you would like to create automatic notifications (Step 5). The default is 25 opportunities per page; you may increase up to 100 per page or choose All. If you would like them arranged by sponsor or other heading, drag and drop the heading to the line above.

In addition to your search results, you may use your saved searches to create automatic notifications of future funding opportunities using InfoEd’s funding alert service, SMARTS. Set up your SMARTS configuration when you save your search or go into the Funding Alerts tab after your search is saved. Your choices are to receive SMARTS notifications daily or weekly and in HTML or text format.