Prior Approval

It is the responsibility of the PI to adhere to the conditions of the sponsored award. Occasionally, the PI identifies a need to change or deviate from the sponsor-approved proposal. In some instances, these changes require prior approval from the sponsor. In other cases, prior approval from the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is sufficient. The level at which approval may be granted depends upon the type of grant and the sponsor’s specific policies.

Prior Approval Requests to the sponsor must be submitted for institutional endorsement via OSPweb and include a formal correspondence addressed to the sponsor from the PI outlining the changes requested along with the applicable information below.

Carryover Requests

  • Amount of funds requested for carryover
  • Provide explanation of why available funds were not used
  • Plan for use of carryover funds (attach budget or list items)
  • Programmatic justification for why funds are needed for carryover

Change of scope or research objectives

  • Explain and justify the proposed changes
  • Indicate any changes in funding and/or categorical reallocations

Change in PI/Key Personnel

  • CV for proposed PI/Key personnel
  • Justification
  • Other support information

Agency-Approved Rebudgeting Requests

  • Amount of funds to be rebudgeted
  • Budget category funds are moving from
  • Budget category funds are moving to
  • Will there be a change in scope?
  • Programmatic justification for rebudgeting