Post Award – No-Cost Extensions

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No-Cost Extensions

If project work is ongoing and funds remain available to cover project expenses, it may be appropriate to request an extension of the project period. Considerations include funds, timing, and approvals required.

No-Cost Extension Request Form 

A no cost extension (NCE) is the extension of a project period without additional funding from the sponsor. If a project’s end date is approaching but the principal investigator (PI) identifies that the research needs to continue, a NCE allows the end date to be extended.

A NCE request is an amendment to the award agreement and must be formally submitted to the sponsor for official approval through OSP.

 Timing: Request a NCE three to four weeks before the award expiration date. Make the request earlier if sponsor approval of the extension is required. Award terms usually state whether or not sponsor prior approval is required for a NCE or for modification of an agreement.

Justification: Appropriate reasons for an extension include: time for completion of original project objectives, continuity of support while a competing renewal application is under review, or time to complete phase-out of a project that will not receive continued support.

Approvals:

Federal Grants: Many grants from federal agencies allow URI to approve, internally, ONE extension of up to 12 months. It is recommended to request the full 12 months. Subsequent extensions require agency approval. The extension request must justify the extension. NOTE: if an agency online form is required, this form will need to be routed to your OSP Pre Award team member in addition to the internal form (linked above).

• NIH: NIH No-Cost Extension Guidance
• NSF:  NSF No-Cost Extension Guidance  
• NOAA: NOAA No-Cost Extension Guidance
  • No-cost extension guidance for NOAA FAQs

Non-Federal Sponsors: Formal modification of the award document is required to extend the project dates for many awards, including subawards and corporate agreements. To request sponsor approval, the PI typically drafts a letter or email to the sponsor making and justifying the request. Forward the PI’s request to your OSP Pre-Award Team member for institutional official signature and submission to the sponsor.

Approved extension: If you receive approval documentation from the sponsor, forward it to OSP at spauri@etal.uri.edu. The email to OSP should include the project, sponsor, PI, and new end date. OSP will request additional information if required. Once sponsor approval has been obtained, OSP will process and update in PeopleSoft.

Extension of subawards issued by URI: If desired by the URI PI and after the project has been extended in PeopleSoft, initiate an Advice of Change in PeopleSoft to begin a no-cost extension of the subaward.