Grants Management Frequently Asked Questions

The current salary cap is available on NIH’s Salary Cap Summary page.

The NIH Grants Policy Statement has a full list of changes requiring prior approval NIH external link.

For information on how to apply for an administrative supplement and what information needs to be submitted, visit NIH's Administrative Supplements NIH external link page.

To find NIDDK specific supplement information visit NIDDK’s Administrative Supplements to Research Grants page.

See the NIH Grants Policy Statement, section 8.1.2.7 for complete instructions.

You are encouraged to submit documents electronically. View  PA-21-268 NIH external link for more information.

A change of PI requires prior approval from NIH. The authorized organizational representative from your institution must send a signed request to your grants management specialist, as identified in your Notice of Award in the eRA Commons Status Module NIH external link. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement, section 8.1.2.6 NIH external link for more information.

A change of multi-PI to a single PI or single PI to multi-PI requires prior approval from NIH. The authorized organizational representative from your institution must send a signed request to your grants management specialist, as identified in your Notice of Award in the eRA Commons Status Module NIH external link. See the NIH Grants Policy Statement, section 8.1.2.6 NIH external link for more information.

Your request for change of PI will be reviewed by NIDDK program and grants management staff. If your request is approved, you will receive a revised Notice of Award reflecting the change.

If your proposed arrangements, including the qualifications of any proposed replacement, are not acceptable to the NIH awarding office, your grant may be suspended or relinquished. If you wish to relinquish your project because you cannot make suitable alternate arrangements, you must notify your grants management officer in writing, and NIH will forward closeout instructions.

Please see the NIH Grants Policy Statement, section 8.1.2.8 for guidance and instructions.

The authorized organizational representative/signing official at your institution may approve your first no-cost extension for up to 12 months beyond your project’s end date. Your authorized organizational representative/signing official should report this extension in eRA Commons 45 days before the end of your project. Late notification of this extension requires prior approval. For more information view the eRA Commons User Guide, Section 12.9 (PDF, 20.9 MB) .

Any additional no-cost extensions beyond the initial extension of up to 12 months requires prior NIH approval. The authorized organizational representative/signing official at your institution should submit a request for the additional extension to your grants management specialist, and send a copy to your program officer. The requests should include a description of the project activities that require support during the extension and a statement about the funds available to support the extension. The authorized official can also use the eRA Prior Approval module to request an extension, which is contingent on NIH approval.

Additional COVID-19 guidance – In cases where the Prior Approval module is utilized for an additional extension related to COVID-19, recipients should include the justification, number of months of the extension and the unobligated balance on the award. A blank document may be uploaded in the Progress Report and Budget Document Fields. These documents are not required for no-cost extension requests related to COVID-19. The recipient should also provide details on the effects of COVID-19 on the research and describe plans to complete the project.

Follow the required format per NOT-OD-21-073

Information submitted to the NIH on other support for identified senior/key personnel under NIH's Just-in-Time Procedure or in Progress Reports must include all resources made available to senior/key personnel in support of and/or related to all their research endeavors, regardless of whether or not they have monetary value and regardless of whether they are based at the institution the researcher identifies for the current grant, which includes resources and/or financial support from all foreign and domestic entities. As note in NOT-OD-21-073 NIH requires supporting documentation, which includes contracts, grants or any other agreement specific to senior/key personnel foreign appointments and/or employment with a foreign institution for all foreign activities and resources that are reported in Other Support. If the contracts, grants, or other agreement are not in English, recipients must provide translated copies.

Information on active and pending other support is required for senior/key personnel, excluding consultants. For more information see HHS’ Supplemental Grant Application Instructions For All Competing Applications and Progress Reports, Section 1.8 Other Support (PDF, 1.8 MB) .

Information should be submitted only for the PD/PI and for those individuals you consider to be key to your project when there has been a change in active other support. For more information see Other Support.

The RPPR can be accessed from the Status tab or RPPR tab on the eRA Commons menu. Refer to the RPPR Instruction Guide (PDF, 9.5 MB)  for information on accessing and completing the report. NIH must approve the report to continue funding for the next budget period of the project period.

NIH requires grantees to submit RPPRs annually. Grantees can keep track of which RPPRs are due for their institution through the Pending Progress Reports tab NIH external link on the eRA Commons menu.

Only a PI or their delegate can initiate the RPPR. Only signing officials or delegates can submit an RPPR to NIH. The PI and the business office should work together to make sure the report is completed accurately and timely to avoid delays in funding.

If additional information is required after submission, NIDDK may initiate a Progress Report Additional Materials (PRAM) request. Follow the instructions provided in the email you and your institution’s business official received; it includes a link to eRA Commons, where you can submit the additional information requested. For step by step directions, visit the eRA Commons Submitting Agency Requested PRAM

The NIH is mandated by the Public Health Service Act sec. 492B, 42 U.S.C. sec. 289a-2 (PDF, 218 KB)  to ensure the inclusion of women and minority groups in clinical research. The goal is to ensure that individuals are included in clinical research in a manner that is appropriate to the scientific question under study. 

Starting June 9, 2018, the Human Subjects System (HSS) replaced the Inclusion Management System (IMS). The new system will be used by NIH staff, grant applicants, and recipients to manage human subjects information, including inclusion data. Please see guide notice NOT-OD-18-179 for details. View more information about HSS .

You must report all publications that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central NIH external link. See the NIH Public Access Policy NIH external link page for additional details and how to submit.

If requested costs for genomic arrays exceeds $50,000 per year in any year of the project, there are special considerations for facilities and administrative (F&A) reimbursement. Please refer to NOT-OD-10-097 NIH external link for detailed guidance.

View the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy or NIH Genomic Data Sharing website,  and NOT-OD-14-124.