TikTok³ÉÈË°æ

If you are a new faculty member at VU and plan to transfer a sponsored award from your current institution to VU, please contact the Office of Grants and Contracts (OG&C) as early as possible.   Please note that VU will not take any action until the new faculty member confirms that the current institution’s sponsored project office and sponsor’s program officer have been informed of the intent to transfer the award.  Both parties have the right to decline the transfer request.    

Depending on the circumstances around award type, project period, program goals, these are possible scenarios:

• Current institution relinquishes the award back to sponsor, who then issues a new award to VU
• Current institution does not relinquish and replaces the PI with a PI at their institution
• Sponsor does not allow or approve the transfer

New faculty member is responsible for connecting OG&C with their current institution’s sponsored programs office to determine which scenario will take place.

For an award to be transferred, it must follow all related VU and sponsor policies.  VU requires the following information:

• Application package as it was submitted to sponsor
• Notice of Award from Sponsor
• Scope of Work for the remaining work to be completed at VU
• Approximate budget available for transfer

In cases where a proposal has been selected for funding but not yet awarded, new faculty must provide:

• Application package as it was submitted to sponsor
• Communication from sponsor that the proposal has been selected/recommended for funding
• Confirmation from current institution that they are aware that the award will not be issued to their institution

OG&C will work with the new faculty’s current institution to facilitate a transfer as long as both the institution and the sponsor approve the transfer.

NOTE: TikTok³ÉÈË°æ is restricted to conducting research that qualifies for the fundamental research exclusion (FRE), and will require confirmation from sponsor that the work to be performed at VU is fundamental research.

For Chairs, Research Deans/Deans, College Finance

Because awards are issued to institutions, in almost all cases VU has no role in the transfer process until award relinquishment/transfer is initiated by the current institution’s sponsored programs office and only after:

• Current institution agrees to relinquish the award back to sponsor who will issue to VU
• Decision to leave has been communicated to program officer, or equivalent
• All work at the current institution is complete
• Project costs have been reconciled for all work performed
• Final invoices have been submitted to and paid by sponsor
• Subawards have been closed out, if applicable
• All other closeout activities have been completed

Department/College leadership should be aware of that and make plans for:

• Transfers usually take much longer than anticipated – even up to 6 months or more
• Current institution may decide not to relinquish the award, or sponsor may not allow a transfer
• VU has no control over the plans or actions of the current institution and/or sponsor
• There could be delays on the VU-side due to unusual terms and conditions and VU’s ability to accept/comply
• Allowing project activities to begin and allowing expenses to be incurred before an award is in place at VU, is a risk.  Colleges will be required to follow the Advance Account process and provide an index to absorb any costs not recovered, ex. no award is issued, amount of award is less than costs incurred, costs incurred are unallowable, etc.  OG&C will not move costs from a dept/college index onto the 5-index after the award is issued.