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Award Change Requests

Where essential or appropriate, a principal investigator may initiate changes to an award. The Office of Sponsored Programs has implemented an award change request (ACR) process to address principal investigators' needs in a streamlined manner, providing full transparency to the investigator and department throughout the process. 

Instead of emailing a post-award specialist to request a change, researchers should submit an Award Change Request directly in Summit Agreements. Award change requests include modifications to an award at an internal Virginia Tech level and/or at an external sponsor level.

Learn more about a specific award change request and how to submit a request via Summit Agreements from the below information.

No-Cost Time Extension

A no-cost time extension (NCTE) extends the end date of an award/fund without additional funding from the sponsor.

To expedite a no-cost time extension, researchers should have the following information before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

  • Proposed extension end date
  • Justification for the extension
  • Programmatic work to be performed
  • Balance available during extension period (total direct + indirect)
  • Planned use for funds
  • Explanation for changes in the effort of key personnel during the extension period (federal awards only)

Resources:

Re-budget within the Same Fund

A re-budget moves project funding between allowable cost categories to complete the proposed scope of work.

To expedite a re-budget within the same fund, researchers should have the following information before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

  • Justification for the re-budget
  • Budget category you are reducing--account code(s) or account description and amount
  • Budget category you are increasing-- account code(s) or account description and amount

Resources:

Request a New Subfund

A request for a new subfund initiates the setup of an additional project fund to allocate funding to a co-principal investigator in a different department.

To expedite a new subfund, researchers should have the following information before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

  • Justification for the request for a new subfund
  • New subfund name
  • New subfund start date and end date
  • New subfund financial manager
  • New subfund organization
  • Budget for the new subfund-- account code(s) or account description and amount
  • Re-allocations for the new subfund—fund number, account code(s) or account description, amount

Resources:

Request a Subaward

A request for a subaward allocates a portion of the proposed work to be carried out at another institution.

To expedite a subaward request, researchers should have the following documents prepared before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

  • Revised Virginia Tech budget showing new budget categories
  • Subrecipient Data Sheet
  • Subaward Budget
  • Subaward Budget Justification
  • Subaward Statement of Work
  • Subaward Letter of Intent

Resources:

Transfer Budget Between Funds

Transferring budget between funds re-allocates obligated project funding between existing funds.

Researchers should submit the following information:

To expedite a transfer between funds, have the following information before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

  • Justification for the request for transfer of budget between funds
  • Budget transferring FROM—fund, account code(s) or account description, amount
  • Budget transferring TO—fund, account code(s) or account description, amount

Resources for how to submit a Transfer Between Funds Award Change Request

Other Award Change Requests

Other types of award change requests are listed below with the required information to modify an award. To expedite, researchers should have the following information before beginning the request process in Summit Agreements:

Change effort of key Virginia Tech personnel

  • Effective date of the effort change
  • Reason or justification for the effort change
  • Impact on programmatic work scope

 Change in Principal Investigator or add Co-Principal Investigator

  • Justification for the change
  • CV for new principal investigator or co-principal investigator
  • Current and pending for new principal investigator or co-principal investigator

 Continuation/supplemental funding

  • Summit Proposal Number

 Principal investigator transfer

  • Last day of employment/effective date of transfer
  • Will the project stay at Virginia Tech or move with the principal investigator to the new institution?
  • Approval letter from department head
  • If principal investigator is changing, upload CV for new principal investigator
  • Add subaward to principal investigator’s new institution
  • Revised Virginia Tech budget

Resources

Change in Scope

Awards are issued by sponsors based on a number of factors including the proposed statement of work, the expertise of particular principal investigators, the length of the period of performance, and the cost of the project. When changes to these or other factors occur within the life of the project, sponsors usually issue award modifications—documents that contractually alter the obligations of the awardee based on a revised condition of performance. Award modifications are typically received through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) since Virginia Tech, and not individual principal investigators, is the legal entity to whom grants and contracts are awarded. Principal investigators should forward documents to their post-award specialist as soon as possible so that the award can be legally modified by the signing official in OSP.

Some sponsors issue modifications that incorporate a scope of work beyond that originally proposed by the principal investigator. In such cases, OSP may require the principal investigator to submit to the pre-award administrator an additional proposal and budget to cover the expanded scope of work before such modifications can be processed in post award. Pre and post-award specialists can help principal investigators through this process.

Any change that significantly alters the research goals outlined in the original proposal is usually considered a change in scope. Such changes usually require approval of the sponsoring agency.  Because the policies and procedures for modifying a scope of work vary widely depending on the sponsor, the principal investigator should coordinate scope of work change requests with their post-award administrator.   

Scope of work changes that normally require sponsor approval include, but are not limited to:

  • Revisions to the specific goals of the project
  • Shifting the project’s emphasis from one area of research to another
  • Conducting human or animal subjects research not  included in the original proposal
  • Use of a new research technology
  • Rebudgeting of funds into or out of budget categories by more than 25% of total award amount
  • Changing the principal investigator or other identified key personnel
  • A principal investigator leave of absence exceeding 90 days
  • Outsourcing portions of the programmatic effort to subcontractors not originally identified in the proposal