Grants-on-the-Go

Janus Professor at My Travels in a Two-Body Life this week discusses a tricky topic: how to move your funding with you when you change institutions. Timing, the blogger writes, is everything in this situation. "If you're just at the start of the funding period for an award, then transferring is not too much of a hassle," Janus says, while "if you are towards the end of the funding period, then transferring may be more hassle than it is worth." In the first scenario, Janus writes, an investigator's current institution will initiate the paperwork to transfer appropriate grants to their new place of employment. But "get started early," she warns, adding that "the budget of the award may be recalculated according to the new indirect cost." For those who are nearing the end of their funding period, there are a few options: first, investigators may choose to "spend out" the account or "stay on as an adjunct as Old U and incur costs from the grant remotely," she says. In the event a PI has a student that will remain at 'Old U,' they could choose to leave grant money to fund the student. Investigators may also opt to apply for sub-awards, though "a general drawback with sub-awards is that indirect costs are charged twice — once by New U and once by Old U," Janus writes. Overall, she suggests that grant-funded researchers that are on the move should open lines of communication with both universities via teleconference, and contact their program managers to resolve any grant-transferring issues. "Faculty moves are not uncommon, so program managers will know how to handle it," she says.