Change of Principal Investigator

Purpose

To change the principal investigator (PI) on a grant.

Procedure

Grantees must notify NIH of a change in PI and get approval for a new PI. They receive NIAID's approval through a revised Notice of Award.

Principal Investigators

• Send a request to the grants management specialist listed on your Notice of Award seeking approval to change the PI. Note: For a change of PI involving a construction grant, the new PI should meet the following criteria:
  • Be at the level of dean or equivalent.
  • Have the responsibility and authority for research activities at the grantee organization as well as the authority to commit institutional funds and resources.
• You, the proposed new PI, and your institutional business official should sign the request, which should include the following:
  • Reason for the change. If the request is for approval of an interim PI (the PI will be absent from the project for a continuous period of three months or more), include the dates the PI will be absent.
  • Biographical sketch of the proposed new PI, his or her birthdate, social security number, other sources of support, and any budget changes resulting from the proposed change. Birthdate and SSN are not required for interim PI requests.
  • Certification of human subjects training if the proposed PI will be working with human subjects.
  • Budget changes resulting from the proposed change in PI.
• Email requests must come from your institutional business official and include his or her signature block.
• If NIAID does not approve a permanent change of PI, your business official must do the following:
  • Notify Mary Kirker, director of our Grants Management Program, in writing that the grant should be terminated.
    • Mary Kirker
      National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
      6700B Rockledge Drive, Room 2115
      Bethesda, MD 20892-7614
      Express Mail: Bethesda, MD 20817
      Office Phone: 301-402-6400
      Email: mk35h@nih.gov
• Submit the required closeout documents within 90 days of the project period end date.

Check the NIH Grants Policy Statement for more information on change in PI status.

Program Officers

• Refer grantees seeking a change of PI to the appropriate grants management specialist.
• Review requests to determine if a proposed PI has appropriate scientific expertise and time to devote to the project.
• Document approval or disapproval of the request and email it to the grants management specialist.

Grants Management Specialists

• Review a change of PI request to ensure the following:
  • Proposed PI has a current appointment at the grantee organization.
  • Proposed PI is not on the Excluded Parties List System.
  • Total time and effort will not exceed 100 percent.
  • Any proposed budget changes are acceptable.
  • Certification of human subjects training, if applicable, is included.
• You have 30 days from the time you receive all of the required documents to complete a change of PI request.
• If the request is for an interim PI, provide written approval to the grantee organization. An email will suffice. Do not issue a revised Notice of Award.
• If you and the program officer approve a change of PI request, issue a revised Notice of Award reflecting the new PI's name and the required term of award.
• If you and the program officer do not approve a change of PI request, do the following:
  • Notify the grantee organization in writing that NIAID has not approved the request so that it may submit a written request to either nominate another person or terminate the grant.
  • If a grant is to be terminated, process a revised Notice of Award reflecting the early termination date, and include a term of award documenting the reason for the termination.

Contact

Grantees with questions should contact the appropriate program officer or grants management specialist listed on their Notice of Award. For more information, see Contact Staff for Help.

Contact for NIAID Staff

If you have knowledge to share or want more information on this topic, email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with the title of this page or its URL and your question or comment. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.

Links

NIH Grants Policy Statement on Prior Approval Requirements

Prior Approvals for Post-Award Grant Actions SOP