Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR)

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The Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) is a federal-wide uniform progress report format for use by federal agencies that provide sponsored funding. Directions on how to prepare RPPR’s are here available from the NIH.

Types of RPPRs

• Annual RPPR – The Annual RPPR is used to describe a grant’s scientific progress, identify significant changes, report on personnel, and describe plans for the subsequent budget period.
• Final RPPR – The Final RPPR is used as part of the grant closeout process to submit project outcomes.
• Interim RPPR – The interim RPPR is used when a competing renewal (Type 2 application) has been submitted. If the competing renewal is not funded, the Interim RPPR will serve as the Final RPPR for the project and no other report is required. If the renewal application is funded, the Interim RPPR will serve as the annual RPPR for the final year of the previous competitive segment.

Principal Investigator Role:

• Only the project director/principal investigator (PD/PI) or their PD/PI delegate can initiate RPPRs.
• The PI can delegate “Progress Report” to any eRA Commons user in their organization with the Assistant (ASST) role. This delegation provides the ASST with the ability to prepare Annual, Interim and Final RPPRs on behalf of the PI.
• All personnel listed in the RPPR must have an eRA Commons User ID.  If personnel do not have a User ID, please contact Jean McCullough so that OSP can establish User IDs. (This includes Grad students and undergrad students).
• In cases where the project includes human subject research, NIH requires updated inclusion enrollment data, using a two-step process.
  • Initiate the RPPR in eRA Commons.
  • If inclusion enrollment updates are needed, first save any RPPR data entered thus far, then click the G Special Reporting Requirements.
  • Under G.4b Inclusion Enrollment Data, click the Human Subjects link – this will open a new window in ASSIST.
  • Complete the enrollment data in ASSIST and route to OSP for approval.
  • Note that although the system allows you to complete and submit the RPPR before OSP’s submission of the ASSIST document, this action should not be taken until after OSP has submitted the Inclusion Enrollment data to NIH.
  • After notification from OSP of submission to NIH, return to your saved RPPR to complete and submit.
• Once the RPPR is complete in eRA Commons, the PI should utilize the “Check for Errors” feature to check the RPPR for errors and warnings. All errors must be corrected prior to submission. If no errors are identified, route the RPPR to the signing official. Separately, email the OSP Signing Official (via spauri@etal.uri.edu) with ASSIST portion RPPR ID to notify OSP for submission.  The ASSIST portion of the RPPR (this involves human subjects should be submitted prior to ERA Commons RPPR.
• Please allow enough time for the OSP signing official(s) to submit the RPPR.
• NOTE: RPPRs are not routed in InfoEd.

Sponsored Projects Role:

• The Office of Sponsored Project Signing Official submits the Annual, Interim, and Final RPPRs. The signing official for URI is Elizabeth A. Buchanan.
• OSP staff will compare FCOI forms to Other Support information.

Instructions:

• There is no RPPR form available for download. Submit RPPR data through eRA Commons. The links for each type of RPPR are accessed through the Commons Status tab. The Interim RPPR link will also be accessed through the Commons Status tab. It will appear one day after the project segment end date., but before it has moved to closeout. The Final RPPR link will become available through the closeout module one the grant is eligible for closeout.
• Follow the instructions in the RPPR User Guide to submit the RPPR, Interim RPPR or Final RPPR. The User Guide includes instructions for how to submit your RPPRs in the eRA Commons, how to complete the web-based forms, and what information is required.
• As each award may have specific requirements depending on the NIH award mechanism, please consult the NIH RPPR Instruction Guide to determine the exact items needed for a specific project’s RPPR. At a high level, the following is needed for nearly every RPPR:
  • Date due to sponsor.
  • An eRA Commons username and delegate access to the project director/principal investigator’s (PD/PI’s) project in eRA Commons.
  • Accomplishments – NIH requires up to two pages of accomplishments exclusive of graphs and charts.
  • Participants – Names and effort of all personnel that have worked at least one person-month on the project during the reporting period, regardless of the source of compensation. The PD/PI’s effort must be listed regardless if it was less than 1.0 calendar month. As a reminder, all PD/PIs on NIH awards are required to have measurable effort.
  • eRA Commons usernames of all scientific staff reported on the RPPR (grad student, postdoc, PI).
  • Changes in Other Support – If there have been changes in the active Other Support of Senior/Key personnel since the last reporting period, an updated Other Support page is required. Examples include if a previously active grant has terminated and/or if a previously pending grant is now active. Any changes from the previous reporting period must be annotated so it is clear what has changed from the previous submission (please note this is not needed for a Final RPPR). As of 5/31/21, NIH has updated its application forms and instructions to support the need for applicants and recipients to provide full transparency and disclosure of all research activities, foreign and domestic. This includes but is not limited to: resources and/or financial support from all foreign and domestic entities, consulting agreements, when the PD/PI or other senior/key personnel will be conducting research as part of the consulting activities (non-research consulting activities are not Other Support), and in-kind contributions, e.g. office/laboratory space, equipment, supplies, or employees or students supported by an outside source. Details can be found at Notice NOT-OD-21-073. The updated format pages and instructions for Other Support can be found here.
  • Changes in Level of Effort – It must be reported if there will be, in the next budget period, either a reduction of 25% or more in the level of effort from what was approved by the agency for the PD/PI(s) or other Senior/Key personnel designated in the Notice of Award, or a reduction in level of effort below the minimum amount of effort required by the Notice of Award.
  • Unobligated Balance/Carryover greater than 25% – It must be reported if there will be an anticipated estimated unobligated balance (including prior year carryover) greater than 25% of the current year’s total approved budget.
  • Publications and Inventions – Publications (compliant with NIH Public Access policy), conference papers, presentations, website(s) or other Internet site(s), reportable technologies or techniques or inventions, patent applications, and/or licenses should be listed on the RPPR.
  • Training and Professional Development – Any opportunities for training and professional development on the project should be described.
  • New Senior/Key Personnel – If you have new Senior/Key personnel to report, a biosketch for the new Senior/Key personnel is required.
  • Changes in any human, animal, biohazard, select agent research, or foreign components, as applicable.
  • There are questions about foreign components. This section is currently receiving increased scrutiny. Foreign component is defined as significant scientific activity that was performed outside of the United States, either by the grantee or by a researcher employed by a foreign organization, whether or not grant funds were expended.