A DSP Reminder: No Cost Extension Requests

All no cost extensions are created and submitted through UFIRST–Award Modification. Creating a UFIRST Award Modification will facilitate collection of the appropriate programmatic justification, requested new end date, and changes to commitment required for the Division of Sponsored Programs (DSP) to review, approve, or request sponsor approval of a no cost extension.

You must meet the deadlines. No cost extension requests should be submitted through UFIRST to DSP no later than 30 days prior to the grant’s current expiration date. This allows plenty of time to meet federal deadlines, as follows:

This includes no cost extensions of NSF grants. By providing the information in UFIRST as an Award Modification, DSP will enter the information for you in Research.gov (Fastlane is no longer being used for no cost extension requests).

• Upon approval of an internal extension, DSP must provide written notification to Federal Agency’s Grant Officer at least (10) ten days prior to the original expiration date of the award. If this notification deadline is missed, DSP may not exercise its ability to extend the grant, without the sponsor’s approval.

1) No Cost Extensions Approved by DSP

DSP may extend the final budget period of most federal grants, one time, for up to (12) twelve months beyond the original expiration date, as long as sufficient funds are available and no change in the project’s originally approved scope or objectives, and at least one of the following applies:

• Additional time beyond the established expiration date is required to ensure adequate completion of the originally approved project.
• Continuity of grant support is required while a competing continuation application is under review.
• The extension is necessary to permit an orderly phase out of a project that will not receive continued support.

The fact that funds are anticipated to remain unspent is not a sufficient justification for an extension. Awards that have little to no available balance will not be extended.

2)  No Cost Extension Requiring Sponsor Approval

The Principal Investigator should construct a letter or email addressed to the sponsor’s contracting officer that provides a Scientific/Programmatic Justification for the need of additional time and should give an overview of the remaining budget and how the funds will be used during the extension period. In most cases, these requests are required to be countersigned or endorsed by a DSP Authorized official before being sent to the sponsor.

PI’s or Department staff upload the letter to the UFIRST Award modification and execute the Submit for Review activity. DSP will review, sign and forward to the sponsor. DSP recognizes we have a variety of sponsors and some sponsor are less formal than others and will accept reasonable and appropriate documentation from sponsor personnel that acknowledge they concur with the extension.

Upon the sponsor’s approval or concurrence, DSP will complete the UFIRST- Award Modification and transfer the record to C&G Accounting who will extend the myUFL Project’s end date, including any subprojects, as appropriate. The DSP subaward office will generate the no cost extension amendment for any subrecipient needing the additional time.

For more information, see the UF No Cost Extension Requests webpage.

Questions: If you have questions regarding no cost extension, please contact DSP at ufawards@ufl.edu.