The end date of the project period of a grant, grant agreement or incoming subaward determines the timeframe in which the research or project should be complete and the closeout process should begin.
Generally, for federal and federal pass-through awards, the closeout period is 90 days after the end date, but award terms may vary and should be checked to verify the requirements of each award. State and private agency deadlines also vary. The Department Business Office (DBO) working with the Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for ensuring the award is prepared for closeout. Commonly, there are technical or progress and financial reporting obligations to the sponsor, financial reconciliations, forms and reports for the institution, and account closeout tasks which must be completed.
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) can assist you with any questions regarding the completion of final technical or progress report requirements. When an authorized institutional signature or confirmation is required, your OSP Award or Contract Manager will be responsible to sign the documentation and submit to the sponsor. Additionally, when there is a requirement for reporting final inventions, the OSP will work with Yale Ventures (formerly the Office of Cooperative Research) to confirm any inventions. OSP also assists with the filing of final financial reports.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The requirement for timely closeout is a grantee responsibility. Failure to submit timely and accurate closeout documents may affect future funding to the organization. NIH may impose sanctions on institutions that fail to correct recurring reporting problems. Such sanctions may include, but are not limited to, corrective actions, removal of authorities, and/or delay or withholding of further awards to the project or program. NIH will close out a grant as soon as possible after expiration if the grant will not be extended or after termination as provided in 45 CFR parts 74.71 through 74.73 and in 45 CFR 92.50. Closeout includes ensuring timely and accurate submission of all required reports and adjustments for amounts due the grantee or NIH. Closeout of a grant does not automatically cancel any requirements for property accountability, record retention, or financial accountability. Following closeout, the grantee remains obligated to return funds due as a result of later refunds, corrections, or other transactions, and the Federal government may recover amounts based on the results of an audit covering any part of the period of grant support.
Grantees must submit a final FFR, final progress report, and Final Invention Statement and Certification within 90 calendar days of the end of grant support.
Final NIH Progress Report: Please refer to NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 8.6.2
Final Invention Statement and Certification: Please refer to NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 8.6.3
Submission of Closeout Documents:
Use of the Closeout link feature in the eRA Commons is required.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant closeout is the process by which NSF determines that all applicable administrative actions and all required work of the grant have been completed. Grants will be financially closed based on final costs reported on the Federal Financial Report (FFR) one full quarter after the expiration of the grant. During April, 2013 NSF will implement the Award Cash Management $ervice (ACM$) and stop using the FFRs. Under ACM$ grants will be financially closed 3 months after their award expiration date based on the costs recorded at that time. Grants are administratively closed after receipt of the Final Project Report and after determination that any other administrative requirements in the grant have been met. In the event a final audit has not been performed prior to the closeout of the grant, NSF reserves the right to recover appropriate amounts after fully considering the recommendations on disallowed costs resulting from the final audit.
PIs must submit final technical reports within the time period specified. Failure to provide these reports on a timely basis will delay NSF review and processing of pending proposals for all identified PIs and co-PIs on a given award
Final NSF Technical Report: Please refer to NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide, Section II.E.2
Non-Federal
Please review the terms and conditions of the Award notice. Contact your OSP Award or Contract Manager for any questions you may have in determining the requirements of the sponsor.
Incoming Subawards (Yale as subrecipient):
The Yale University PI is responsible for submitting any required technical and invention reports and/or any other required deliverables specified in the subaward or subcontract to the awarding institution. SPFA is responsible for preparing and submitting final financial reports to the awarding institution, in cooperation with DBO.
If you have any questions about the terms related to the reports or deliverables under a subaward or subcontract, please contact your OSP Award or Contract Manager.
Outgoing Subawards (Yale as Prime awardee):
The Yale University PI is responsible for ensuring that each subrecipient under a prime award has submitted all required reports and deliverables to Yale prior to submission of final technical or progress reports to the sponsor. The PI should also ensure all financial reports have been received and the final invoice submitted for payment. Any subawards or subcontracts under a prime award are financially closed by OSP as part of the primary award closeout process. For information on the financial subaward closeout process, see OSP.