Investigator-Initiated or Unsolicited Administrative Supplements (DCCPS Guidance)

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Administrative supplements are additional funds provided to active awards to conduct or support further research within the scope and timeline of the current award. In the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS), most investigator-initiated supplements come through the PA-20-272: Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) announcement. There may be other investigator-initiated administrative supplement notices of funding opportunity and non-supplement announcements that can be found here. For additional information regarding solicited administrative supplements, see the bottom of this page.

Eligibility

The award of an administrative supplement depends on several factors, including alignment with NCI expectations and priorities, documented need, gaps in the portfolio, addressing new findings in parent awards, and availability of funds.

Eligibility Criteria

  • The grantee must have an active, funded NCI grant. We will also consider applications from grants that NCI has co-funded.
  • The proposed supplement must be within the general scope of the peer-reviewed activities and aims approved for the parent grant (see What Constitutes a Change in Scope for more information).
  • There must be sufficient time remaining on the parent grant to complete the work proposed. The proposed period for the supplement cannot extend beyond the project period of the parent grant.

DCCPS will not consider supplements with the following:

  • Grants that will be in a no-cost extension (or needing a no-cost extension to be eligible) at the time the award is to be made.
  • Grants that intend to use the supplement to
    • Restore NCI standard policy reductions or Institutional Research Grant (IRG) recommended reductions.
    • Pay for increased costs due to an investigator's change of institution or promotion.
    • Support meetings/workshops.
  • Grants where the grantee can rebudget available funds to complete the work being proposed. Or if the program determines the grantee has sufficient funds in the current award, that can be rebudgeted to complete the work being proposed.

DCCPS Guidance on Supplement Budgets

Administrative supplements are for different types of work, including additional analysis, an unanticipated challenge or opportunity, or unexpected needs after the competing application was funded (e.g., replacing a freezer, computers). If your supplement request is to a DCCPS-funded grant and would exceed $150,000 in total costs, please contact your program director before starting your application. Within DCCPS, supplement requests should not include principal investigator (PI) salary, travel, publication costs, and costs to support specific aims originally proposed in the parent grant.

DCCPS Timeline

DCCPS normally accepts and reviews administrative supplement applications on a continuous basis until April 1 of each fiscal year. Earlier submission is strongly encouraged.

For specific questions regarding eligibility, timeline, or the science to be proposed, please contact the program director assigned to the parent grant. Please note that funding for supplements is highly competitive and limited.

DCCPS Submission Guidance

All supplement applications should be submitted electronically through grants.gov using NIH ASSIST, grants.gov Workspace, or institutional system-to-system solutions. To submit, please follow the instructions provided in PA-20-272 Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional).

DCCPS Additional Guidance for Administrative Supplement Application Review, Selection, and Funding

Is the parent grant suitable for an administrative supplement?

 

 There will be additional scrutiny for grants
  • In the first year of funding
  • With a large unobligated prior-year balance or a history of large carryovers (>25%) and/or questionable progress
  • That have received more than one supplement in the same fiscal year, regardless of funding source (DCCPS, other NCI or NIH award), as well as grants with multiple supplements already awarded
What costs are generally not supported through an administrative supplement?
  • PI salary, travel, publication costs, and costs supporting specific aims originally proposed in the parent grant
  • Restoration of funds from policy or programmatic/IRG reductions, or additional costs as a result of a grant transfer to a lower indirect-cost institution
How should the supplement applications be submitted?

 
What should be included in the supplement application? The PI should follow the instructions in the NIH Administrative Supplement Parent FOA (PA-20-272).

Solicited Administrative Supplements

There are also solicited administrative supplements developed to address specific priority gaps. Examples include the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health and the NCI Center for Cancer Health Equity/disease-specific initiatives (e.g., NIA’s Alzheimer supplements) through notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs) and/or notices of special interest (NOSIs). Because these opportunities open and close frequently, interested applicants are encouraged to subscribe to the NIH Guide updates to keep track of what’s active. In addition, each supplement NOFO will contain specific information about the submission and review process. For a specific solicited administrative supplement opportunity, the best way to get started is to search for active NOFOs, follow the specific instructions and requirements included in that opportunity, and email the scientific contact(s) listed in the opportunity when you have developed specific aims for potential discussion. In addition, each supplement NOFO will contain specific information about the submission and review process.

Last Updated
October 24, 2024