Lifecycle of the Grant FAQ

Before transmittal to the sponsor, the proposal must be approved by the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP).

Proposals are submitted for review and approval by preparing a Funding Proposal record in the Grants Module of the UT Research Management Suite. Proposal Budgets (BU) must be created within the system, and not uploaded as separate attachments & spreadsheets.

Required documents for proposal approval:

• Statement of Work
• Detailed Budget
• Sponsor Budget
• Budget Justification

Items required if applicable:

• Subaward documents:
  • Letter of Commitment (signed by sub entity AOR)
  • Statement of Work
  • Budget
  • Budget Justification
• Cost Share Recap Form
  • Third party cost share commitment letters
• Consultant letters of commitment

Funding Proposal records must be submitted to OSP within UTRMS four (4) business days before the submission deadline. Proposals should be complete when submitting to OSP for review and submission.

By accessing UT Research Management Suite, you can tell whether your proposal is still in proposal status, award status, or has been rejected. The system allows you to see the date the award was received, the date of first action, and the date it was officially entered as an award.

Principal investigators are often notified by their program director, technical monitor, etc., that their proposal is going to be awarded. At that point it is assumed that an award is forthcoming; however, an actual award may not yet have been issued. Once the program officer recommends a proposal for award, it usually has to be approved by a division director, after which it goes to procurement and finally reaches the contracts or grants office. This process takes anywhere from four to eight weeks or longer. OSP can begin to set up the award once it receives an award document from the contract office.

Upon receipt of fully executed award documents or other proof of award, the OSP forwards information to the Sponsored Projects Award Administration (SPAA) section of the OSP for assignment of account number and setup of the account. Once the Principal Investigator receives notification of the project account number from SPAA, funds may be encumbered or expended against the project.

The Office of Sponsored Projects plays a dual role in the post-award phase of sponsored project activity. The OSP serves as a central point of contact for sponsor grant or contract officers regarding administrative matters throughout the duration of the project. The OSP also serves as facilitator and advocate for Principal Investigators in all matters pertaining to the non-technical management of their grants and contracts. In addition, the OSP coordinates compliance with each sponsor's requirements for interim and final research reports. Principal Investigators are responsible for submission of all required reports in a timely fashion.

If the award documentation is delayed, procedures are available to obtain a letter of credit for a limited period of time. Contact the OSP with information regarding the amount of credit needed. After the award information is verified by a representative of the sponsoring agency with the authority to commit funds, overdraft approval may be given. Credit will be limited to emergency expenses. Many Federal agencies allow pre-award costs up to 90 days prior to the start date of a grant. If pre-award costs are required, the above procedures for verification will be followed and pre-award costs may be approved.

Contact Grants and Contracts Specialists at the Sponsored Projects Award Administration (SPAA).

One of the most frequently asked questions from Principal Investigators or their assistants is, “What do I need to do in order to extend my project without requesting additional funds?” The answer to that question depends on the source of funding. The following should assist you in answering that question.

Federal Funds

If the award is from a Federal sponsor and the terms and conditions of the award are noted as Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), the University generally has the option of issuing a one time 12 month grantee-approved no-cost extension. You will generally find awards issued with FDP terms and conditions from the following sponsors: National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency (only if the extension will not cause the project period to exceed 5 years). All first time NIH no-cost extensions must be routed through the account specialist in Sponsored Projects Award Administration (SPAA). However all subsequent NIH extension requests must be routed through the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP). All other agency extension requests, including extensions on contracts, must be routed through the OSP. Some sponsors have an electronic module for submission of no-cost extension requests and others accept extension request letters via email. Contact the appropriate OSP Grant Specialist based on your constituency to obtain appropriate extension request procedures depending on your particular award.

If the one-year extension has already been used, subsequent extension requests must be submitted through OSP to obtain sponsor approval. The request should be in writing and should provide a justification for the extension. The justification should relate to the completion of the scientific objectives, not that funds are remaining. Requests for no cost extensions to NSF must be submitted through FastLane. Sponsor approved no cost extensions must be submitted prior to the expiration date of the grant. NSF requires that the request be submitted 45 days prior to expiration. Note that these requests generally take one to two months to process and approve. Consider the processing time when deciding when to submit your request. Non-Federal Requests for extensions should be submitted in writing and routed through OSP. The requests should include a programmatic justification for the extension. The University has no provision for extending these projects without sponsor approval. As with federal awards, these requests should be made prior to the expiration date and with ample lead-time. A three-month lead time is suggested in order to have an approved extension prior to the original expiration date.

Letter of Request:

• Includes:
  • Agency assigned project/award number.
  • New end date requested.
  • Technical reasons for the project’s delay and need for extension.
  • Estimation of funds remaining at the current end date
  • Plans for funds during extension period and how those plans accomplish the original goals of project.
• On PI’s UT Letterhead
• Signed By PI and forwarded to OSP so that we can countersign and send to sponsor.
• The reasons for extension CANNOT be because funds remain. There MUST be technical reasons for extension. 

Letter of Notification:

• Similar to Letter of Request, but includes language, “Under the Terms and Conditions of Federal Demonstration Partnership, we exercise our right to a 12-month no-cost extension.” Even though this request does not require prior approval from the sponsor, there must be funds remaining in the account and the request must have technical reasons for requesting the extension.

The requirements for requesting for a project extension are summarized in the table at the end of this section.

Industry Funds

Requests for no-cost extensions to industry sponsors should be addressed to the Office of Industry Engagement: industry@austin.utexas.edu, (512) 471-3866.

Reasons NOT to request a No-Cost Extension:

• I have money left in my account.
• I want to buy a laptop or other piece of equipment.

Requirements for Requesting for Project Extension (Federal Funds)

If you want to revise your budget and the sponsor guidelines do not allow for it, you will need to request your revisions in writing. The request must be processed through OSP. If you have questions about what is allowed, contact your account specialist at Sponsored Projects Award Administration (SPAA).

Requests for additional funding on an existing project are processed as proposals through OSP. You will need the following items:

• Proposal Review Form
• budget
• statement of work for the additional effort
• updated certification for all compliance issues if necessary

Make a notation of your current grant number on the Proposal Review Form.

If a change of principal investigator is required on a project, a letter must be sent to the sponsor. The letter should be endorsed by the current PI, the proposed PI, and OSP. The letter should outline the qualifications of the new PI.

Transferring a grant to another institution is a complicated process and requires proper timing to allow for the transfer and to allow for start-up at the new institution. Some sponsors have specific forms which must be completed to obtain a transfer. Other sponsors have no formal guidelines for transfers. There are general procedures that need to be followed here to prepare for a transfer. Note the following steps in preparing for a grant transfer: Select an arbitrary expiration date for your project. In order to relinquish the project, Contracts and Grants must be able to determine the residual funds remaining after all obligations have cleared. It takes at least 30 days after the expiration date to obtain this information.

If you purchased equipment and want to take this equipment with you when you move, you must obtain approval from your Chair, Dean, and the Business Manager's office. You will need to submit non-competing continuations for the next year's funds through your new institution. Grants from the National Institutes of Health require the completion of an NIH Relinquishing Interests Form.

Grants from NSF require completion of an NSF Grant Transfer Form. Once the grant has been relinquished, the sponsor will re-award the grant to the new institution.