NHGRI Guidelines for Grantees Requesting Administrative Supplements

A supplement that requests a change in scope may not be submitted as an administrative supplement. Instead, it must be submitted as a competitive supplement or a revision. 

PDs/PIs are strongly encouraged to consult with their NHGRI Program Director (PD) to confirm eligibility, discuss the scope of and need for the proposed supplement, discuss alignment with NHGRI’s research priorities, and obtain technical assistance. 

PDs/PIs must have an active funded NHGRI grant and the proposed supplement may not exceed the original project period end date of the active grant. 

Administrative supplements may be submitted throughout the fiscal year but should be requested at least 90 days prior to the anticipated need and no later than by May 15. Only in rare situations will a supplement request be considered if submitted after this date. Due to fiscal and system constraints, supplements are not awarded in the Oct-Nov timeframe.

Supplemental funds can be requested for emergency or other unforeseen situations that result in unforeseen costs, including to: 

• provide for orderly closeout or provide minimal funding to sustain the final year of a project pending the first re-competition; 
• cover costs associated with natural or manmade disasters that damage the PDs/PIs lab or other research resources; 
• cover the replacement cost of essential equipment that has failed; 
• cover unexpected or increased costs of performing laboratory experiments and analyses; 
• follow up on unanticipated results or to enhance components of the research that have been unexpectedly productive; and 
• update equipment or methodologies that will significantly enhance productivity or efficiency.

In order to be eligible for a supplement to meet unanticipated needs:

• The grantee must have an active funded NHGRI grant and the proposed supplement MUST be within the general scope of the peer-reviewed activities and aims approved for the parent grant (See Change in Scope for more information).
• The grantee must be unable to pay for the requested item or resource by re-budgeting available funds.
• The parent grant's estimated unobligated balance for the budget period must, in general, be less than 20% of the annual award.
• The grant must have a reasonable period of research support remaining at the time of the supplemental award (usually one year or more).
• The supplement must not to be used to pay for increased costs due to an investigator's change of institution or promotion.

The supplement request must be submitted electronically using the Administrative Supplement Parent Announcement.

Review: In general, requests for administrative supplements for NHGRI grant awards do not require evaluation by an initial peer review group or consideration by a national advisory council/board, but are subject to review and approval by NHGRI’s program and grants management staff.

Funding: Funding decisions are contingent upon how well the supplement aligns with NHGRI’s research priorities, urgency of the supplement, and availability of funds.

Contact for general information on NHGRI’s administrative supplements policy:

Jennifer Troyer, Ph.D.
National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health 
troyerj@mail.nih.gov

Contact for availability of supplements to specific grants:

The PD/PI must contact the NHGRI Program Director listed in the Notice of Award.

Contact for financial or grants management policy:

Deanna L. Ingersoll
National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health
Deanna.Ingersoll@nih.gov