Awards usually require submittal of periodic progress reports and a final technical report. There might be additional or special requirements for the final reports and closeout. For more information, consult our Award Closeout webpage.
Also see the National Institutes of Health Grants Policy Statement on reporting.
Research Performance Progress Reports
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) and their and other sponsors' progress reports are subject to stringent deadlines. Check the contract or sponsor grants policy for further information.
For federal awards, check eRA Commons for a list of reports and due dates. Please note that the NIH assigns some but not all grants to Streamlined Noncompeting Award Procedures (SNAP). The Notice of Award (NOA) will indicate whether or not the grant is subject to SNAP and thereby has a deadline of about 45 days prior to the next budget period start date. If it is not subject to SNAP, the RPPR is due about 60 days prior to the next budget period start date.
Technical and scientific progress reports highlight activities and progress toward completing objectives identified in the research plan. It includes:
- progress reports from subrecipients and vendors/contractors,
- minor deviations that may require notification of sponsor,
- major deviations that require formal request and sponsor approval, and
- outlines the current financial status of the project by confirming that spending is in line with funding commitment and approved budget, and that spending is within deviation allowance, anticipated unobligated balance, budget for spending carry forward funds and next year allocation
Non-competing Continuation
Multi-year awards often require a continuation proposal consisting of a report of activities for the current year and plans for the upcoming year. Called non-competing continuation progress reports, these proposals do not compete for new funding since funds were previously obligated to the entire, multi-year award.
Steps in the Process
Step 1: SPA generates a report of upcoming progress report deadlines using eRA Commons and eHandbooks
Step 2: SPA sends a reminder to the PI/PD and department administrator one month prior to the deadline
Step 3: The PI/PD and DA prepare the report and confirm the unobligated balance with the SP Financial Analyst (FA).
Step 4: SPA sends a second reminder to the PI/PD and DA two weeks prior to the deadline.
Step 5: The PI/PD and DA routes the RPPR to SPA five business days prior to the deadline for review and approval.
Step 6: SPA reviews and submits the report on behalf of the PI/PD and BMC prior to the deadline.
Step 7: SPA uploads submitted report to InfoEd, BMC's SP administration system of record.