PI Changes and Award Transfers

Overview

Awards are made by Sponsors to Rutgers, The State University in full consideration of the skills and talents of the Principal Investigator (PI) managing the project. Periodically, situations arise when a PI is no longer available to continue the project. For example, a PI may have changed direction in research activity, require a temporary or permanent leave of absence, or accepts another position and is leaving the University. The Sponsor must be informed immediately in writing when such an event occurs. The Sponsor will evaluate the circumstances and determine if another Rutgers PI can meet the project goals or if the project will be moved to another institution to follow the current PI should he/she be leaving Rutgers.

All notifications to Sponsors must be in writing and submitted by our Grants Specialist. Verbal conversations are not considered official notification. Some agencies, such as National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH), have standardized this procedure and require submission of documentation bearing institutional signatures or submitted through the Sponsor's electronic systems.

The PI and the department administrator(s) are advised to gauge spending carefully to avoid unallowable expenses during any such circumstance. When the PI is no longer managing the project, continuing expenses will be questioned by the Sponsor or by the auditors. Not informing the Sponsor of a PI change can have costly consequences to the Department and University financials.

Principal Investigator / Award Changes

Accordion Content

  • When a Rutgers award must be transferred internally from one PI to another, please follow the procedure outlined below:

    1. The PI(s) and/or department administrator(s) involved in award transfer must notify our Grant Specialist of the intended transfer as soon as possible, preferably at least three (3) months prior to the actual transfer date of the award.
    2. The completed and fully executed RU Departmental Grant Transfer Form must be submitted to our Grant Specialist and signed by the Relinquishing and Accepting PIs, as well as their respective Department Chairs and Deans.
    3. A change of PI Letter (or electronic system Notification) Request will be submitted to the Sponsor by our Grant Specialist for review and approval. Additional documentation required to be submitted to the Sponsor includes, but is not limited, to:
      • Biographical sketch of the Accepting PI
      • Current and Pending support of the Accepting PI
      • Justification of why the Relinquishing PI is letting go of the award and identification of the qualifications and capabilities of the Accepting PI to take over the award
      • Other, as specified by the Sponsor’s guidelines and/or the Notice of Award (NOA) / executed agreement. 

    Note:  For NIH grants, the request for PI Change is performed via eRA. For NSF awards, the process is conducted through research.gov.

    The entire process of the award’s internal transfer will be recorded in the respective RAPSS AWD record, as an Award Modification, which is handled by our Grant Specialist and the Award Setup Team.

    Upon receipt of the Sponsor’s approval, the Research Financial Services team will be notified by Research and Sponsored Programs for the necessary changes to the existing ORACLE award or the creation of a new ORACLE award.

    Please refer to the Roles & Responsibilities Matrix for the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved.

  • When transferring an award from another Institution to Rutgers, please follow the procedure outlined below.  Please note that the awarding agency must approve all grant transfers from one organization to another. Therefore, coordinate with your Grants Specialist to contact the Sponsor’s awards officer assigned to the project.

    1. The PI and/or department administrator involved in the award transfer must notify our Grant Specialist of the intended incoming transfer as soon as possible, preferably at least three (3) months prior to the actual transfer date of the award.
    2. Work with the Office of Sponsored Research at the Relinquishing Institution and request the following items:
      • Copy of the relinquishing form submitted to the Sponsor
      • Sponsor’s Contact information
      • Sponsor’s approval of the transfer (depending on the Sponsor)
      • Special instructions specific to your situation (if any)
    3. Prepare and submit the necessary Sponsor forms for award and/or equipment transfer to our Grant Specialist via RAPSS.

      The Relinquishing institution is responsible for submitting the Relinquishment form (if applicable) and the Final Financial Reports (or Final Invoice) to the Sponsor. Awards cannot be transferred from one institution to another until the final financial reports (or the final invoice) are submitted.

      If transferring equipment, check with the Relinquishing Institution to determine its policy for transferring award-related equipment.

      All necessary documents must be submitted to the Research and Sponsored Programs Office via RAPSS (a RAPSS FP must be created) for the Grant Specialist's review and submission to the Sponsor. 

      Note: The Rutgers budget must reflect the unspent/unobligated balance agreed upon by the Relinquishing Institution and the Sponsor and must incorporate Rutgers’ F&A rates.  If there are carry forward balances or the grant is transferring mid-year and the Sponsor will not adjust the F&A rates, please contact your Grant Specialist for consultation prior to the submission.
    4. After review and approval by our Grant Specialist, he/she will submit the Sponsor for approval.

      Note:  For NIH grants, the request for transfer will be submitted in the form of a transfer proposal (SF424 application or via ASSIST.gov) in response to the designated NIH announcement OR via email (see Change of Institution Request (Type 7)  for NIH instructions on award transfers). For NSF awards, the NSF grant transfer process is conducted research.gov (see f. Disposition of a grant when a PI/PD transfers from one Organization to Another Organization for NSF instructions)
    5. Upon receipt of the Sponsor’s Notice of Award (NOA) / Award document, Rutgers will review the terms and conditions (if necessary) and the Final Proposal will be processed in RAPSS for Award Setup. Research Financial Services will be notified to create the ORACLE award, accept the grant transfer and a grant account can be set up with the Research Financial Services team.

    Please refer to the Roles & Responsibilities Matrix for the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved.

  • When transferring an award from Rutgers to another Institution, please utilize the procedure outlined below. Please note that the awarding agency must approve all grant transfers from one organization to another. Therefore, coordinate with your Grants Specialist to contact the Sponsor’s awards officer assigned to the project.

    1. The PI and/or department administrator involved in the award transfer must notify our Grant Specialist of the intended outgoing transfer as soon as possible, preferably at least three (3) months prior to the actual transfer date of the award
    2. Prepare and submit the following information to your Grant Specialist:
      • Estimated unspent / unobligated balance. It is recommended that this balance is double checked with your Research and Financial Services accountant for desired accuracy. The Research and Financial Services team is responsible for submitting final financial reports (or final invoices) to the Sponsor. Grants cannot be transferred from one institution to another until the financial reports (or final invoice) are submitted.
      • End date of the PI’s employment at Rutgers, OR recommended revised end date of the award.
      Note: Deans, Department Chairs, etc. are not authorized to relinquish grants or equipment on behalf of Rutgers.
    3. Complete any additional requirements outlined by the agency or the institution to which the award is being transferred.

      Note:  For NIH grants, please refer to Change of Institution Request (Type 7) for NIH instructions.  For NSF awards, please refer to f. Disposition of a grant when a PI/PD transfers from one Organization to Another Organization for NSF instructions.
    4. After review and approval by our Grant Specialist, he/she will submit the documentation to the Sponsor.

    The entire process of the award’s relinquishment will be recorded in the respective RAPSS AWD record, as an Award Modification, which is handled by the Research and Sponsored Programs Grant Specialist and our Award Setup Team.

    Please refer to the Roles & Responsibilities Matrix for the roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved.

    If you have any questions/concerns regarding any of the information included herein, please contact your Research and Sponsored Programs Grant Specialist for further assistance.