National Institutes of Health (NIH) is requiring the use of a new federal-wide system, Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR), for the submission of annual or other interim performance reporting on research grant and cooperative agreement awards. The RPPR replaces the eSNAP currently submitted via eRA Commons and is designed to standardize recipient reporting on federally-funded research projects. The RPPR is being implemented throughout federal funding agencies.
Most grants and contracts require the submission of a final report of the research accomplished during the period of performance. Some sponsors also require the submission of interim reports. Such reports may vary from a brief summary and list of publications to a complete compilation of the project and its results. The specific requirements are stated in either the award document, or in the case of many grants, a policy manual referenced in the award. It is the principal investigator’s (PIs) responsibility to prepare and submit the technical/programmatic reports to the sponsor. Copies of technical deliverables may be submitted to Project Administration via email at ProjectAdministration@tamuc.edu or uploaded into the deliverable section of Maestro.
Most sponsors require that discoveries and inventions be disclosed to the sponsor upon conception or reduction to practice. Many sponsors require reports of inventions at regular intervals, generally annually. The PI is responsible for adhering to a sponsor’s invention reporting requirements and to The East Texas A&M University System policies regarding the disclosure of inventions.
At the completion of a project it is often necessary to certify whether or not an invention has been made during the course of the project. Project Administration will notify the PI when invention reports are required and will supply the necessary forms from the sponsor. However, it is the responsibility of the PI to report an invention to Research Compliance at the earliest possible time to avoid premature public disclosure.
All federal contracts and many grants require a final inventory of equipment purchased, fabricated, or furnished by the sponsor during the period of the project. Non-federal sponsors may have other requirements.
Interim financial reports may be required by the sponsor. The award notice will provide such instructions.
For grants specifically included under provisions of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not require interim financial status reports; rather, NIH requires a final financial report.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) does not require interim financial reports nor does it require final financial reports; however, NSF may require interim reports for cost sharing. Such expenditures are reported quarterly via Awards Cash Management (ACM) using the Federal Cash Transaction Report. Monitoring of expenditures requires active grant management throughout the life of the award.
Project Administration is responsible for preparing and submitting all final financial reports and final invoices, where required. However, the PI and their department play a vital role in assuring that the report (and final invoice, if necessary) is accurate and submitted on time. In addition, for awards that required cost sharing, an accounting of the cost-shared amounts will need to be provided.