Change of Principal Investigator

Purpose

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

Procedure

When a PI will be absent from a project for three or more consecutive months, grantees must request NIAID approval to appoint a permanent replacement or an interim PI who will step down when the original PI returns.

To approve a new PI request, NIAID issues a revised Notice of Award with the new PI.

If NIAID denies a request, it gives its justifications for the rejection. Grantees can either fix the problems with their proposed new PI or nominate another investigator, but if they can't find an acceptable replacement, they must ask NIAID to terminate the grant.

In response, NIAID issues a revised Notice of Award with a new project period end date.

Principal Investigators

• Request a change in PI by sending a letter or email to the grants management specialist listed on your Notice of Award. Include the following information:
  • Reason for the change.
  • Date the original PI will return, if applicable.
  • Biographical sketch of the proposed new PI.
    • For permanent replacements, include birth date, social security number, and other sources of support.
    • For interim PIs, include only other sources of support.
  • Certification of human subjects training if the proposed new PI will be working with human subjects.
  • Budget changes resulting from the change in PI.
• For a change of PI of a construction grant, make sure the proposed PI has the following roles:
  • Dean or equivalent level within the institution.
  • Responsibility for research activities at the grantee organization.
  • Authorization to commit institutional funds and resources.
• Sign the request.
  • For letters, include signatures from the proposed new PI and your institutional business official.
  • For emails, include your institutional business official's signature block to indicate institutional support of your request.
• If NIAID does not approve a change of PI, your business official has to notify Mary Kirker, director of our Grants Management Program, in writing that the grant should be terminated.
  • Send email or letter to:

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 new project period end date listed in the revised Notice of Award.

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

Program Officers

• Refer grantees to the appropriate grants management specialist.
• Review requests to determine if a proposed new PI has enough expertise and time to devote to the project.
• Recommend approval or disapproval of the request 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 in the Excluded Parties List System.
  • Proposed budget changes are acceptable.
  • Total time and effort will not exceed 100 percent.
  • Certification of human subjects training, if applicable, is included.
• Complete a change of PI request within 30 days.
• If the request is for an interim PI, send written approval to the grantee. An email will suffice.
  • Do not issue a revised Notice of Award.
  • Make sure the interim PI has the appropriate qualifications and available time and effort.
• If the request is for a permanent replacement, or you cannot approve the interim PI, follow the instructions on GMP's Change of Principal Investigator SOP.

For more information, read the Change of Principal Investigator section of the How-To Page of the Grants Management Infonet.

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