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 (For second no-cost extensions for NIH awards, please contact jlmcc@uri.edu )

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. Ask for the full 12 months. Subsequent extensions require agency approval. The extension request must justify the extension. Use the agency’s online form if available; otherwise use the form (linked above) and submit the signed request to OSP.

• NIH:  No-cost extension guidance for NIH
• NSF:  No-cost extension guidance for NSF 
• NOAA: For research projects, the recipient can grant themselves a one-time NCE for up to 12 months without prior approval from NOAA. For the research projects/prior approval waived, the NCE must be submitted 10 days prior to the period of performance end date. For non-research projects, the recipient can request a NCE through the Grants Online System 30-days prior to the period of performance end date which will require prior approval from NOAA. See NOAA Grants Online Guidance and 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 initiates 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.