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Project Modifications

The Office of Sponsored Programs may receive sponsor modifications for your project throughout the life of an award. These modifications may be to execute such actions as extending the project end date, extending and increasing the funding, and/or changing the terms and conditions of the award. Typically, these modifications are sent to the Post Award Administrator.  If you receive any modification you should send them to your assigned Post Award Administrator for review and processing.  Principal Investigators cannot sign on the behalf of the university in regards to sponsored agreements. 

The Post Award Administrator will carefully review the changes and determine if further review is needed by a Pre Award Administrator. If the modification is to change the terms or conditions or the funding is less than what was expected based on the scope of work or this is new funding (new proposal number) and the additional funding is not a part of the original proposal then the modification must be reviewed by the Pre Award Administrator BEFORE execution.

Remember that all funding must be connected to a proposal and proposal number. If an amendment comes to Sponsored Programs that is above and beyond the scope of the first proposal in amount and/or scope of work then Pre Award will need to review and obtain the proper paperwork from the PI in order to properly process the amendment and account for the funding in our accounting system. In this case, the Pre Award Administrator will obtain a budget, scope of work, proposal approval form, and any other documents needed to properly process the amendment.

Change in Scope

A change in a research award or contract’s Scope of Work is normally deemed to be any change that significantly alters the research goals outlined in the proposal.
Such changes in scope usually require approval of the sponsoring agency.  Because funding agencies vary widely with respect to the procedures to be followed and the forms to be completed in requesting changes in the overall project plan, it is recommended that Principal Investigators coordinate scope of work change requests with the appropriate OSP Project Administrator.  

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

  • Changes in the specific goals of the project
  • Shifting the project’s emphasis from one area of research to another
  • Including research animals or human subjects not originally included in the 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
  • Having the Principal Investigator on a leave of absence exceeding 90 days
  • Outsourcing portions of the programmatic effort to subcontractors not originally identified in the proposal  

PI Transfer/Change

The process of transferring awards from one institution to another is not a simple task and requires negotiation between the sponsoring agency, the old institution and the new institution.  The arrangements are made by the two Sponsored Programs offices in consultation with the principal investigator and his/her department at both the old and new institution.  Matters of concern are the form of transfer, determination of the unobligated balance, differences in facilities and administrative (F&A) rates and the funding gaps created by the time required to closeout and re-issue the project.  The transfer process can take several months depending on the complexity of the project being transferred and the number of parties involved.

Remember:  Grants are awarded to institutions, not individuals; therefore the grantee institution must “relinquish” the grant.  The sponsor must approve all grant transfers from one organization to another. 

Rebudgeting

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) understands that under various circumstances and over time the scope of work on the project or the budgetary needs of the Principal Investigator may change.  If this occurs your assigned Post Award Administrator will be able to assist you with a request to the sponsor to rebudget the funds.

The Post Award Administrator will review the policies and award guidelines of the sponsor and determine if sponsor approval is required for a rebudget. In instances where the sponsor approval is required, the Principal Investigator should provide a letter with concise justification for the rebudget and outline how the funds will be spent in the amended line items. Endorsement by OSP is required prior to submission to the sponsor to ensure that the request conforms to University and OMB Circular standards. It is important to note that many projects collect Facilities and Administrative Costs (F&A or Indirects) which may affect the calculation of the revised budget. Your assigned Post Award Administrator will be familiar with these rates and will be able to verify the correct calculations.

If it is determined that rebudgeting approval has been delegated to Virginia Tech, no letter to the sponsor is required. However, a justification and a budget to your Post Award Administrator is required to document the change for auditing purposes. The Post Award Administrator will then make the appropriate notification to the sponsor with a revised Virginia Tech Project Award Notice (PAN) to follow to the department.