Deviations and Waivers to Grant Policies

Purpose

To obtain an exception to grant regulations, policies, or procedures when highly beneficial to either NIH or a project's scientific goals or fiscal stewardship.

Procedure

Grantees submit the following types of requests to their grants management specialists: 1) deviations to NIH regulations, policies, or procedures (from here on referred to as "policy") or 2) waivers to NIAID policy.

Single-case deviation -- an exception to NIH policy involving a single grant or case or multiple grants responding to a request for applications. Examples include:

• Simultaneous change of principal investigator and grantee institution.
• Provision of facilities and administrative costs to a conference grant.
• Administrative transfer of a grant to or between foreign institutions.

Class deviation -- an exception to NIH policy involving multiple grants or a group of grants awarded under an ongoing program with multiple receipt dates. These grants have routine terms and conditions of award. Examples include:

• Limiting reimbursement of facilities and administrative costs for a class of awards.

Waiver -- an exception to NIAID policy. Examples include:

• Change of institution during a no-cost extension.
• Approval of a third no-cost extension.

Grantees

• Business officials submit deviation and waiver requests in writing to the grants specialist for consideration.

Program Officers

• Create a request that states the rationale for deviating from a policy and the unusual circumstances that justify it.
• Address why a deviation is necessary to accomplish the scientific goals or fiscal stewardship of the project or how it will benefit NIH.
• Send your request to the grants management specialists.

Grants Management Staff

• Grants management specialist reviews the request and prepares an email using the standard template and forwards to the GMP division coordinator.
• Division coordinator reviews the request and forwards it toContact for NIAID Staff for approval or disapproval.
• For waivers and single-case deviations from NIH policy, Contact for NIAID Staff approves or disapproves requests. Other types of deviations require higher level approvals.
• Grants management specialists email the grantee with a copy to the program officer and division coordinator stating whether a request is approved. If required, revise the Notice of Award.
• Grants management specialists take appropriate actions following the approval of a deviation or waiver and document the approval process and rationale in the electronic grant file.
• Read GMP's Policy Deviations and Policy Waivers SOP for more staff responsibilities.

Contacts

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.

Staff, see GMP Assignments by Geographic Region and Program Code for the appropriate GMP specialist.

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 Administration Manual, Chapter 4.1.03.203 - Applicability

Single-Case Deviation from PHS/NIH Policy, OER Policy Announcement 1997-02.