Supplements -- Recovery Act Questions and Answers
<< Recovery Act Q&A Index · NIAID and the Economic Recovery Act
This page is meant as an interactive resource, often based on actual questions from the research community and NIAID staff. We link to more in-depth information in other sections of the NIAID and the Economic Recovery Act and Research Funding site.
Note that these answers may be true only for NIAID; other NIH institutes may take a different approach.
Table of Contents
- Is NIAID awarding any supplements?
- Is there a dollar limit to how much I can request for an administrative supplement?
- If my institution submitted my request several weeks ago, how do I know that it is being processed?
- Can I get more than one supplement for a grant?
- Are small businesses eligible for ARRA funds including supplements?
- Are R56-Bridge awards eligible for ARRA supplements?
- Can career awardees get ARRA supplements?
- Is NIAID awarding ARRA supplements for career reentry R01s?
- If I get an ARRA R01, can I apply for a diversity supplement?
- Can medical students be supported through the NIH summer intern notice?
- If I have an ARRA award, can I apply for an administrative supplement?
- Can I request an administrative supplement if I am toward the end of my grant?
- For equipment that I need immediately, may I purchase it from the parent grant now and pay with the supplement later?
- I have an ARRA administrative supplement to retain a postdoctoral fellow. Can I hire a research technician if the postdoc moves to a new position?
- What do you mean by significant unexpended balances for administrative supplements? Is a balance greater than 25 percent of the current year's total approved budget significant?
- Does an administrative supplement request have to stay within the scope of the research of the grant?
- If I submit a request for a one-year administrative supplement, does the year period have to end on the same date as the parent grant?
- If I submit my supplement application for the July 17, 2009, due date, what start and end dates should I use?
- What is the page limit for requesting a supplement?
- Are references included in the five page limit for the research plan for administrative supplements?
- For an R01, can an administrative supplement support a PI’s salary or can it cover only salary for newly hired employees?
- Are equipment purchases through ARRA supplements subject to the Buy American Act?
- If I received $50,000 in 2009 for a K award supplement, will I get another $50,000 in 2010, or do I have to reapply?
- What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?
Other ARRA Question and Answer Pages:
Can't find your question? Try one of these other ARRA Q&As:
Supplements
Is NIAID awarding any supplements?
In FY 2009, we awarded a limited number of administrative supplements through NOT-OD-09-056 (the general notice) and NOT-OD-09-060 (summer interns).
We will likely award additional administrative supplements in FY 2010.
For details, see NIAID Supplements Through the Economic Recovery Act and these two subpages:
Is there a dollar limit to how much I can request for an administrative supplement?
We have limits for equipment purchases, but otherwise, there is no limit to how much you can request. See Details on NIAID's ARRA Administrative Supplements.
Please remember, we will fund only administrative supplements that fit within the scope of the research.
If my institution submitted my request several weeks ago, how do I know that it is being processed?
Contact your program officer to find out the status of your request. We're now reviewing our many ARRA supplement applications, which is taking some time. We are making awards as quickly as we can.
Can I get more than one supplement for a grant?
Yes.
Are small businesses eligible for ARRA funds including supplements?
Yes.
Are R56-Bridge awards eligible for ARRA supplements?
Yes.
Can career awardees get ARRA supplements?
We may fund additional supplements in FY 2010. Stay tuned.
Is NIAID awarding ARRA supplements for career reentry R01s?
We may fund additional supplements in FY 2010. Stay tuned. Read more at Research Supplements.
If I get an ARRA R01, can I apply for a diversity supplement?
Yes. Read more at Research Supplements.
Can medical students be supported through the NIH summer intern notice?
We may fund additional supplements in FY 2010. Stay tuned.
If I have an ARRA award, can I apply for an administrative supplement?
Yes.
Can I request an administrative supplement if I am toward the end of my grant?
Keep the following in mind:
- You may receive a supplement only if you have time remaining on the grant, unless you can process a no-cost extension to extend the award.
- If you have only a few months remaining before the grant ends and cannot do a no-cost extension, we cannot give you a supplement because we will not have enough time to process your request in time for you to spend money productively.
- If you have money left over and need a no-cost extension, you may request a supplement during that time.
For equipment that I need immediately, may I purchase it from the parent grant now and pay with the supplement later?
You can purchase equipment with money from your parent grant. However, we can’t give you a supplement to pay for equipment you have already purchased. In this case, we would reduce your supplement by the amount you spent on the equipment.
Keep in mind that ARRA administrative supplements are very competitive and we have limited funds. If you have an immediate need for this equipment, we suggest you contact your program officer to discuss your situation.
I have an ARRA administrative supplement to retain a postdoctoral fellow. Can I hire a research technician if the postdoc moves to a new position?
You can use your supplement to hire a technician as long as the technician does the same work that the postdoctoral fellow was doing.
If that is not the case, contact your grants management specialist.
What do you mean by significant unexpended balances for administrative supplements? Is a balance greater than 25 percent of the current year's total approved budget significant?
We don't define a number for a significant unexpended balance. When judging whether a balance is significant, we consider the nature of the work and the amount of the supplement.
For your example, if you ask for a supplement of 5 percent, we might consider a 25 percent unexpended balance significant and ask you to rebudget instead. But if you ask for a supplement of 60 percent, we might not. It depends on the work you’re doing.
Keep in mind these are just examples, not actual situations, and we look at the entire request. If you’re looking into a supplement from Recovery Act funds, contact the grants management specialist listed on your Notice of Award for advice. And please be patient while waiting for a response -- it's likely that person is inundated with work.
Does an administrative supplement request have to stay within the scope of the research of the grant?
We will look closely to make sure that it fits within the scope of the project.
If I submit a request for a one-year administrative supplement, does the year period have to end on the same date as the parent grant?
No. The two-year clock starts with the beginning of the supplement. For example, if you request a supplement to start on July 1, 2009, the end date will be June 30, 2011. We may prorate the support if the parent award's project period will end before the two years are over.
If I submit my supplement application for the July 17, 2009, due date, what start and end dates should I use?
You should extend the project only if you still have funds and work left on the award that can be accomplished during the extension.
The start date and end date depends on when you would like the work to begin and when the supplemental project will end -- at the most two years. The end date should not be after the end of the current project period unless you are in your last year and plan to extend the project up to one year.
What is the page limit for requesting a supplement?
It is a short request, and you can even email it. Our Administrative Supplements to Grants and Cooperative Agreements SOP tells you what documentation you need. In general, follow the SOP. You need the administrative supplement Guide announcement, NOT-OD-09-056, only for ARRA-specific requirements.
Are references included in the five page limit for the research plan for administrative supplements?
No. You do not need to include references when requesting an administrative supplement.
For an R01, can an administrative supplement support a PI’s salary or can it cover only salary for newly hired employees?
It depends on the purpose of the supplement. If it is to accelerate the tempo of the research, a small increase in the PI salary may be necessary. You would need to justify any request for additional support.
Are equipment purchases through ARRA supplements subject to the Buy American Act?
No. If you want to learn more about the Buy American Act, see Title 41.1, Sections 10a to 10d, of the U.S. Code.
If I received $50,000 in 2009 for a K award supplement, will I get another $50,000 in 2010, or do I have to reapply?
The $50,000 supplement for your career development award is for this year only. It is possible we may do this again next year, but we have not decided yet. When we do, we will announce it in NIAID Funding News and the Research Funding Web site.
What if my question wasn't answered here, or I'd like to suggest a question?
Email deaweb@niaid.nih.gov with your question or comment. We answer questions by email and post them here. Thanks for helping us clarify and expand our knowledge base.
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