The transfer of an award from one institution to another is a complex and time-consuming action, and a number of potential issues should be addressed prior to the transfer. An award transfer to a new institution is not simply the change of a name on the award or a check sent by UNO to the new institution.
Federal grants and contracts are awarded to the Board of Regents, University of Nebraska d/b/a University of Nebraska at Omaha not directly to Principal Investigator(s) (PI). If a PI wants to change institutions, UNO will determine on a case-by-case basis whether it will retain, transfer, or terminate the award.
As a grantee institution, UNO must approve the relinquishment of the award and formally relinquish the award and equipment to the PI’s new institution. The awarding agency or sponsor must also approve all grant/contract transfers.
To initiate a transfer, UNO Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) first submits, using a process defined by each sponsor, a transfer request. If the sponsor approves the request, the sponsor will begin the process of closing out the award at UNO.
At the same time, the new institution will submit a proposal to the sponsor for the remaining funds. After completing both the closeout and proposal review stages, the sponsor will issue a new award to the new institution. See Process Steps.
This is generally not a quick process, and it can easily take three to six months. It is important to allocate enough time to the transfer process; therefore, the request should be made well prior to the expected start date at the new institution.
As straightforward as this process sounds, there are several factors to consider, including the following:
- Will the grant be transferred, or will a new PI be named at UNO?
- If there are project staff members staying at UNO, will there be a new subaward issued back to UNO from the new institution?
- Are there subawards on the current award? All active subawards will need to be closed out prior to the transfer (Note: Closeout of a subaward requires the receipt of an invoice from the subawardee marked “Final.”)
- What will be the relinquishment date (generally, last day at UNO)?
- What is the unobligated balance to be transferred to the new institution? This is the amount unspent/unencumbered at the relinquishment date and may involve some estimates by the PI. The amount will be verified by OSP Grants Accounting.
- Are there any cost-share obligations under the award?
- Has there been any intellectual property developed?
- Is there any equipment associated with this award that is to be transferred to the new institution?
- Are there any compliance protocols (IRB, IACUC, rDNA, etc.)to close out?
- Will any related project staff members, such as graduate students, transfer to the new institution with the PI?