Grant Closeout Requirements
This section provides details regarding required documentation that must be submitted to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Grants Management within 120 days of the project end date of a grant or cooperative agreement to close out a grant in accordance with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulations and AHRQ policy. A final Federal Financial Report (FFR) is required for all projects. Unless a competitive renewal is funded (AHRQ is not currently using the Interim RPPR), a Final Research Performance Progress Report (F-RPPR) and Final Invention Statement and Certification (FIS) must also be submitted.
AHRQ issued Guide Notice NOT-HS-24-020 that informed the grants community that beginning October 1, 2024, AHRQ will transition to using eRA’s GC module for closeout-related actives of final reports, which is a change from prior instructions for all awards that end after October 1, 2024.
Grant recipients will begin submitting their F-RPPR, which replaces the Final Progress Report for closeout, and FIS directly in eRA’s Commons module, which will enable AHRQ to use eRA’s GC module for closeout.
The final FFR is still to be submitted via the Payment Management System (PMS) as outlined in NOT-HS-21-001. The “Manage FFR” button in the eRA Commons navigates users to PMS.
Review the guide notice for more information and for instructions for Closeout Requirements for awards that end prior to 10/1/24.
Contents
Final Federal Financial Report (FFR)
Final Invention Statement and Certification (FIS)
Final Research Performance Progress Report (F-RPPR)
Submission Requirements
Failure To Comply
Final Federal Financial Report (FFR)
The final Federal Financial Report (FFR) submitted must agree with the final expenditures reported to the Payment Management System (PMS). Use Standard Form 425, form and instructions available online at Closeout—Federal Financial Report (FFR) (nih.gov). AHRQ grantees are to report cumulative expenditure data for this grant award on the FFR; AHRQ grantees may not report expenditures for multiple awards on a single FFR.
All Federal Financial Reports (FFRs) (annual and final) due on or after January 1, 2021, are to be submitted electronically via the Payment Management System (PMS).
Note that FFRs are not required for Fellowship (F31, F32) grant awards. However, a termination notice is required for Fellowships and Training grants, it summarizes the information that must be supplied by Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award recipients on termination of their award and for a limited period thereafter. It must be submitted within 90 days of the fellow or trainee's appointment. This form may also be used to document the termination of appointments to other institutional research training programs, research education awards, and institutional career development awards.
Final Invention Statement and Certification (FIS)
This statement shall include all inventions that were conceived or put into practice during the entire project period. Follow the instructions provided at: Closeout—Final Invention Statement (nih.gov).
Final Research Performance Progress Report (F-RPPR)
The Final Research Performance Project Report (F-RPPR) is needed to describe the results of the research funded by the Agency. Information contained within the F-RPPR may be made available to the public and therefore should not include any copyrighted, private, or proprietary information.
The F-RPPR instructions are available online at Closeout—Final Research Performance Progress Report for NON-NIH Awards.
Submission Requirements
AHRQ issued Guide Notice NOT-HS-24-020 that informed the grant community that beginning October 1, 2024, AHRQ will transition to using eRA’s GC module for closeout-related actives of final reports, which is a change from prior instructions for all awards that end after October 1, 2024.
Grant recipients will begin submitting their Final Research Performance Progress Report, which replaces the Final Progress Report for closeout, and Final Invention Statement directly in eRA’s Commons module, which will enable AHRQ to use eRA’s GC module for closeout.
The final Federal Financial Report (FFR) is still to be submitted via the Payment Management System (PMS) as outlined in NOT-HS-21-001. The “Manage FFR” button in the eRA Commons navigates users to PMS.
Review the guide notice for more information and for instructions for Closeout Requirements for awards that end prior to 10/1/24.
Failure To Comply
Failure to submit the required reports in a timely manner may result in the imposition of a special award provision or the withholding of funding of other eligible projects or activities involving the grantee organization or the principal investigator.
