Introduction

No-cost extensions allow an awardee to extend their project date, without them requiring any additional funding.


Challenges

  • Process must document reasoning for extension.
  • Different individuals may need to approve the request.
  • Stakeholders need to match the request with the initial project and document in one place.


Solutions

There are three different ways to manage no-cost extensions in InfoReady. Below gives a quick comparison, and the Tips section goes more in-depth on each.


1. Award Screen - Use if the initial project was awarded through InfoReady and the approval process is simple (e.g., email between PI and VPR).

2. Progress Reports - Use if the initial project was awarded through InfoReady and the approval process requires more detailed information from the PI before a decision can be made.

3. Separate Opportunity - Use if either the initial project was not awarded through InfoReady (e.g., prior to using InfoReady) OR if the approval process has multiple steps and specific approver reasoning needs to be documented.


Tips


1. Award Screen

2. Progress Reports

  • Build the report to collect any data needed to justify the extension, such as personnel changes, availability of supplies, difficulty recruiting subjects, etc.
  • Assign the report if/when a PI inquires about extending their project.
  • Those that need to approve extension can either be added as Co-Administrators or Viewers

3. Separate Opportunity

  • Create a separate opportunity ("competition") to collect any relevant information. Make sure to include a field (e.g., the Application ID) that helps connect the project to where the initial application "lives", whether within InfoReady or in another system.
  • Build routing steps for the varying levels of approval or review.
  • Use the "Award" notification to communicate if the project extension was granted.

Have more questions about this topic? Go to the Community Forum to pose the question to other users or submit a support ticket to InfoReady.