Hi Michael,

I should have clarified.  This is an NSF award and the PI is still at our
institution and is responsible for project oversight. We have no partners.
A Co-PI who was responsible for assisting with the grant writing and
programmatic aspects of the project (e.g. student recruitment, student
selection, registration of students into cohort classes, coordination of
student activities, and data collection) left the college last fall and the
project is finishing up (although now I hear there is discussion of a one
year extension.)

The tasks outlined in your last paragraph are the responsibility of the PI
as it is an NSF award and the Co-PI was assisting with pulling together the
data for the final report.  A replacement person was hired to replace this
administrator. She does not have the same background in computer science as
her predecessor. Also, when the new administrator was hired (the proposed
new Co-PI), these grant management responsibilities became part of her
full-time job.   In addition, the original award required that all PIs
named on the grant devote no more than one third of their time to
administrative tasks, and two thirds to student activities. In this case
the students will be graduating in May, 2018.

I know, I just made it more complicated. I am thinking that we need to call
the NSF.

Best, Donna

Donna Berger, Ph.D.
Director, Academic Grants
Marist College
Phone: 845-575-3670

-----Research Administration List <xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org>
wrote: -----
To: xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org
From: Michael Spires
Sent by: Research Administration List
Date: 03/28/2018 07:59AM
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] change of Co-PI in the final stages of an award

Good morning, Donna--

First off, you've got to alert the sponsor to the departure of the co-PI.
That's a key position, and most sponsors at least want to know about any
changes in such positions.

Whether or not to replace the co-PI is a conversation to have with the
program staff. If the scope of work assigned to your co-PI has been
completed, with only months to go before the end of the period of
performance, the sponsor may not want to bother. But you didn't specify
whether or not the PI on this project is also at your institution, or if
you're part of a larger collaborative effort. If the award is just for
your institution and the PI is still there, I'd say chances are better
than 50/50 that the sponsor wouldn't want to go to the fuss and bother of
finding a replacement co-PI this late in the game. On the other hand, if
yours is just one institution in a larger collaborative package (and
especially if you're being funded through a subaward from the prime
recipient), then I think the sponsor might insist on naming a replacement,
just so there's a complete administrative chain from the sponsor to each
institution performing work on the project.

If you do wind up having to name a replacement no, that fact does not in
any way diminish the standing of the original co-PI. It's just a response
to the changed circumstances around the award: somebody has got to be
overseeing the project and ensuring that whatever work remains to be done
(including final billing and closeout) actually gets done on-time and
on-budget. If there aren't funds left in the award with which to
compensate the replacement co-PI for her time then yes, that would
constitute voluntary uncommitted cost-share--but it's unlikely to be a
problem for the sponsor. Just remember that when you're replacing a key
person, the replacement needs to have similar credentials and an equal
ability to carry out the work as the originally named individual--and the
sponsor has the right to decline the request or ask for someone different
if they don't feel the nominated replacement is equally qualified to carry
out the work.

Best regards,

Michael Spires, M.A., M.S., CRA
President, National Organization of Research Development Professionals
Research Development Officer, Sciences
The Research Office
Oakland University
256 Hannah Hall
244 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester, MI 48309-4451
(248) 370-2207
xxxxxx@oakland.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List <xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org> On
Behalf Of Donna Berger
Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2018 5:53 PM
To: xxxxxx@lists.healthresearch.org
Subject: [RESADM-L] change of Co-PI in the final stages of an award

Hi Everyone,

I need your advice.  Would you approve a request for a change of Co-PI on
a 5-year award that has only 5 months remaining when the time and effort
for the last year of the award of the original Co-PI  had already been
completed before she left the college?  This is not a research award, but
rather a programmatic grant with a student program and scholarships that
will be completed this May. Our post-award signator has asked my advice on
this. (I direct the pre-award office.)  My concern is that including a
replacement at this stage not only diminishes the standing of the original
Co-PI, as she contributed to the writing of the grant and her work has
been completed. Also, I may be mistaken, but wouldn't adding a new Co-PI
represent a cost share or can we just increase the time allocation for
this
new person?   Am I mistaken to raise such concerns? We are trying to
determine if we should just report that the Co-PI left the college or if a
request for replacement Co-PI makes any sense.

Any thoughts are welcome. Thank you!

Donna

Donna Berger, Ph.D.
Director, Academic Grants
Marist College
Phone: 845-575-3670

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