Principal Investigator (PI) Transfer
All grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements are awarded to the grantee institution on behalf of a Principal Investigator (PI). When a PI plans to move to another institution they will need to determine what will happen to their active projects through discussion with the grantee institution and project sponsor.
Potential Project Disposition Options
- Project ends early or sunsets
- Project fully transfers to new institution
- Project remains at original grantee institution (with a new PI) and the departing PI will no longer be involved
- Project remains at original grantee institution (with a new PI) and a subaward is issued to the new institution for departing PI
- Project fully transfers and the new institution will issue a subaward back to original grantee for some continuing effort (with a different PI)
To initiate a transfer from the current awarded institution, a transfer request must be submitted to the sponsor. If the sponsor approves the request, the sponsor will begin the process of closing out the award.
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.
The transfer of a PI and the disposition of their award portfolio from one institution to another is a complex and lengthy process. Engaging the appropriate contacts as early as possible is essential to ensure a smooth transfer of projects and responsibilities. There may be variations between awards and sponsors, however this page serves as a repository for guidance, information needed, and actions required to assist principal investigators (PIs) and their College Research Offices (CROs) when handling PI transfers.