Funding agencies will generally allow no-cost time extensions on projects.  Depending on its policy, an agency may allow NDSU to approve a time extension, or the granting agency itself may need to approve the time extension. Some agencies also require that extension requests be submitted a specified amount of time in advance of the award expiration date. Consult your grant agreement or grant agency policy to verify eligibility of a project for an extension and for additional instructions.  Requests for no-cost extensions should be routed to Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA).  SPA will make the formal request for the extension to the sponsor.

To request a no-cost time extension on an award, complete and e-mail a No-Cost Time Extension Request Form located on the Forms page to ndsu.research@ndsu.edu. SPA will review and request agency approval when necessary.

There are some variations to the above procedure:

1. The National Science Foundation (NSF) uses an electronic submission process called Research.gov. All extension requests for NSF grants should be initiated on this system and are required to be submitted 45 days prior to the grant end date. Once initiated, the extension will be sent electronically to SPA for review and submission to the NSF.  

2. The Agricultural Products Utilization Commission (APUC) requires requests to be submitted by the PI. In order to maintain compliance with NDSU policy that requires SPA to submit all requests for extensions to sponsors, the PI should submit a letter to SPA identifying the need for an extension of their APUC project.  SPA will put the letter on SPA letterhead and route for signatures.  Once fully signed, the letter will be submitted to APUC with a copy to the PI.  The letter request should include all pertinent details such as the APUC grant number, NDSU award number, title of the project, current and new end dates, and reason/justification for the extension.  The letter should be e-mailed to ndsu.research@ndsu.edu.  Requests may only be for 6 months and should be submitted near the end of the project or when the reminder for the final report is received.

 3. The North Dakota Department of Agriculture requires requests for an extension to be submitted on its Extension of Grant Agreement form.  This form should be completed and e-mailed to ndsu.research@ndsu.edu.  SPA will review the request and submit it to the sponsor.  Contact SPA to request a copy of this form.

As a general guideline, requests for a no-cost extension should be submitted at least 30 days prior to an award's end date, unless the sponsor, such as NSF, requires an earlier submission.  Justification for the request should reference the remaining work to be completed in accordance with the approved work plan, and provide sufficient detail to support the need for additional time to complete the work.  Having funds remaining at the end of the expiration date is not an acceptable justification.  Questions regarding no-cost time extensions on awards should be directed to SPA, phone 231-8045.