No-Cost Extensions

Federal No-Cost Extensions

A no cost extension 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 no-cost extension allows the end date to be extended.

A no-cost extension request is an amendment to the award agreement and must be formally submitted to the sponsor for official approval through OSP.

Note: Funds remaining in the account is not an acceptable justification for requesting an extension. Extensions may be requested only for programmatic reasons. However, sufficient funds must be available to support the project for the additional period of time, including the support of committed effort. Some sponsors may request information about the amount of funds remaining in the account and others may request a budget indicating how funds remaining at the end of the original project period will be spent during the extension. Please consult the original award notice and your OSP Award Manager for sponsor-specific requirements.

Most federal agencies have delegated the authority for approving a no-cost extension for grants to the grantee institution. This authority permits OSP to internally approve a one-time no-cost extension, extending the end date of the project period up to an additional 12 months.

Note: For additional information, review the Prior Approval Matrix.

Procedure for internal approval: PI must route an email through his/her Business Office to the appropriate GCAT mailbox requesting the no-cost extension (NCE). The email should contain the following information:

PI’s name
Department
Telephone number
Sponsor name
Sponsor award number
IRES proposal number
Award title
Current expiration date
Requested termination date
Justification for the extension
Amount of anticipated funds after commitments
Inclusion of subaward institutions to which Yale will execute an Amendment for a NCE, if any

In addition, for NSF awards only: the NSF requires that notification of extensions be submitted via Research.gov. The PI or department administrator should initiate the notification procedure through Research.gov. Once the submit button is clicked, OSP is alerted that a notification is waiting to be processed. An email should also be sent to the appropriate OSP Team mailbox to alert the team of this request. Once the request has been processed, OSP will forward the notification to NSF via Research.gov.

Timing for NSF requests: The agency must be informed about the extension at least 45 days prior to the original expiration date of the award. To allow time for processing by your award manager, all requests must be received in OSP 10 days prior to the sponsor deadline.

Timing for NIH requests: The link for accessing the NCE feature is available 90 days before the project end date and is removed at midnight on the project end date. To allow time for processing by your award manager, all requests must be received in OSP 10 days prior to the sponsor deadline.

Second No-Cost Extensions: Please contact your OSP Award Manager for more information on requesting a second no-cost extension.

Second No-Cost Extensions

All requests should be sent to your GCAT mailbox with a Cc: to the appropriate OSP manager. Create the request on PI’s letterhead and include the following information:

Date
Full Name and Address of GMS
Sponsor grant number inserted in the subject line
Include in the opening sentence “seeking prior approval for a second no cost extension for an additional (specify period of months)
A description of why a second NCE is needed and how the project can be completed within the new end date
Add a Progress Report, maximum one-page
Include effective date/period of request change (i.e., 6/1/21-5/31/22), up to 12 months
Add supporting documents, budget, budget justification, etc. to include Certification and Assurances, IRB or IACUC protocol(s) as applicable, (a copy of the current IRB approval to cover the extended period)
Amount of anticipated funds after commitments
Inclusion of subaward institutions to which Yale will execute an Amendment for a NCE, if any

Timing for NSF requests: the agency must be informed about the extension at least 45 days prior to the original expiration date of the award. To allow time for processing by your award manager, all requests must be received in OSP 10 days prior to the sponsor deadline.

Timing for NIH requests: the link for accessing the NCE feature is available 30 days before the project end date and is removed at midnight on the project end date. To allow time for processing by your award manager, all requests must be received in OSP 10 days prior to the sponsor deadline.

Non-Federal No-Cost Extensions

To request a no-cost extension from a non-federal sponsor, the PI should write a letter addressed to the Program Support person stating the reason why an extension is necessary. The letter should clearly indicate the sponsor’s award number and the requested expiration date. The letter should be forwarded to the appropriate OSP Team mailbox for review and counter-signature. When approval for the extension is received from the sponsor, OSP will process the award modification.

Explanation: Funds remaining in the account is not a justifiable reason for requesting an extension. Extensions may be requested for programmatic reasons only. Some sponsors may request information about the amount of funds remaining in the account and others may request a budget indicating how funds remaining at the end of the original project period will be spent during the extension. Please consult the original award and your OSP Award Manager.

Timing: The letter requesting approval for a no-cost extension must reach the sponsor well before the expiration date in order to allow the sponsor time to process the request and inform Yale of the approval before the project period ends. Unless sponsor specific guidelines exist for submission of a no-cost extension request, requests for extensions should be processed 30 days before the grant period ends, but no later than 10 days prior.

Second No-Cost Extensions: Please contact your OSP Award Manager for more information on requesting a second no-cost extension.