The National Palliative Care Research Center

Grant Acceptance

Acceptance of a grant from NPCRC carries with it the responsibility of funded investigators to be aware of and comply with the terms and conditions of the award.

All investigators will have a Grant Acceptance Form with the Center that specifies the following:

1. Annual funding level;
2. Effort expected;
3. Personnel needed;
4. The nature of the scientific work that should be done during the period of funding;
5. The requirement for the Principal Investigator and the Primary Mentor (Junior Faculty Career Development Award Recipients only) to attend the Annual Retreat and Research Symposium meeting;
6. The requirement for the Principal Investigator to participate in quarterly conference calls with the NPCRC;
7. A requirement for a regular summary report on ongoing research that is not supported by the Center.
8. A requirement that the grantee acknowledge NPCRC funding in presentations and publications. 

**The Principal Investigator, the Grant Officer, and the Financial Officer are required to sign the Grant Acceptance Form prior to the award of a grant.

In the event of any breach of the Grant Acceptance Form by the Principal Investigator or Sponsoring Institution, the NPCRC shall have the right to terminate the applicable Grant Acceptance Form and obtain a refund of certain Grant Funds.

Project Monitoring

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will coordinate the advising and monitoring of Center junior faculty investigators and the advising and monitoring of all ongoing studies. The SAC will base decisions about resource allocation, continued ongoing funding, and renewal of funded projects on assessments of the investigator and study progress. If a funded project is encountering difficulties, the SAC will work with the investigator to resolve these difficulties and if this is not possible, with making a decision about terminating funding.

Annual Kathleen Foley Palliative Care Retreat and Research Symposium

Center Investigators and Mentors for the career development awardees are required to attend the Annual Kathleen Foley Palliative Care Retreat and Research Symposium meeting. This joint meeting sponsored by the NPCRC, American Cancer Society, and AAHPM College of Pallaitive Care will be held in a location to be determined each year. Grants are subject to cancellation if an investigator fails to attend the requisite scientific meeting.

The purpose of the retreat is to review current progress in palliative care research, review the Center's strategic plan and priorities, and develop ideas and consensus on new priorities. This retreat is attended by the NPCRC Scientific Advisory Committee, the Principal Investigators on the NPCRC and American Cancer Society Pilot/Exploratory Project Grants, the recipients of the NPCRC Career Development Awards and their mentors, the Scholars of the AAHPM College of Palliatve Care, and staff from all three sponsoring organizations.

The annual research symposium brings Center Investigators together to present and discuss their ongoing research. This symposium, in contrast to the retreat, focuses on the scientific findings of the Center investigators and reviews and discusses other major findings in the field. The research symposium provides an opportunity for interdisciplinary palliative care researchers to come together on an annual basis to network, learn from each other, discuss the science of palliative care, and develop new research ideas and collaborations.

Annual Progress and Final Reports

All NPCRC-funded investigators are required to submit annual progress and final reports that will be reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee.

These brief 5 page reports should:

1. Report study progress;
2. Compare progress to that detailed in the original proposal;
3. Explain any protocol changes or difficulties;
4. Present preliminary data;
5. Detail publications related to the funded research;
6. Summarize ongoing research that is not supported by the Center;
7. Provide an Interim Expenditure report (Annual Progress Reports only) or Final Expenditure Report (Final Reports only).
8. Detail how the research has led to subsequent larger projects (Final Reports only).

The Annual Progress Report is due from the grantee within 30 days prior to the anniversary of the start date of the grant.

The Final Report is due within 60 days of the completion of the project.

Grant payments are dependent on the receipt and approval of these reports by NPCRC. The Principal Investigator and Financial Officer must sign all expenditure reports.

Extensions and Amendments

Any proposed changes to the agreed-upon terms of the grant, as laid out in the Grant Acceptance Form – including grant period, personnel, budget, and location – must be submitted to the NPCRC, at least 30 days in advance of the proposed change.

All requests must be emailed by the Principal Investigator (PI) to the NPCRC atnpcrc@mssm.edu and should detail the reason(s) for the change. Agreement to any extension or amendment request must be acknowledged by the NPCRC to be considered binding. 

No-Cost Time Extensions

Principal Investigators are expected to complete a project within the original grant period. However, PIs may request additional time for their project if the proposed research cannot be completed within the original award period and if no additional funds are required. A No-Cost Time Extension is not granted just because there are funds remaining at the end of the project.

The following information must be submitted using the Request for Project Changes form:

1. Progress of the grant to date;
2. A brief explanation as to why the project will not be completed as outlined in the original proposal;
3. Number of months requested to complete the work (not to exceed 12 months);
4. Budget for the extension period (requests for salary support not allowable);
5. An updated approval form for the use of animals and/or humans in the conduct of research from the institution's regulatory assurance panel or board (if applicable).

Once the request is sent to the NPCRC it will be reviewed to ensure the above criteria are met. If the request is complete, then the PI will be notified by email that an extension has been approved.

Personnel Changes

Written requests for replacement of the Principal Investigator, Financial Officer, or any other personnel must explain why the change is being made and who the replacement person is along with his/her contact information and biosketch.

Budget Changes

The total amount of the grant cannot be increased. You may, however, make minor changes within categories of your approved budget.  You must indicate the amount of funds to be re-budgeted; explain where the funds are being moved from and the implications; and explain any changes in the scope of work.  You must also provide assurance that the rest of the budget will not be affected.

Location Changes

The NPCRC must be notified if the Principal Investigator intends to leave the sponsoring institution at any time during a funded project period. The NPCRC requires that the following three letters be received in order for the request to transfer grant funds be considered:

1. A letter from the grantee indicating why, when, and where he/she is moving;
2. A letter from the current sponsoring institution that acknowledges the grantee's move and indicates that they will transfer the grant funds to the new institution; 
3. A letter from the new sponsoring institution agreeing to accept the grant and fiscal responsibilities for it, and providing the name and contact information of the new Financial Officer.

Ownership and Credit

Publications and Publicity

Grant recipients and their sponsoring institutions are expected to work together with the NPCRC in announcing the awarded grants. The NPCRC will provide grantees with a template statement that can be used as an announcement within their sponsoring institution and other relevant venues about the grantee receiving an NPCRC grant.

Grantees are required to submit to the NPCRC for approval all project-related promotional materials, press releases, and other statements prior to printing, distribution, publication, display, or use. Additionally, grant recipients are to submit to NPCRC re-prints of any project-related articles.

All published material, presentations or other forms of media containing Grant Information must acknowledge the support of the NPCRC. In crediting the Center, the following language must be used, "Supported [in part or by full] by a [insert title of grant] Grant from the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC)."

Equipment and Supplies

All allowable equipment and supplies purchased with NPCRC grant funds that remain at the end of a grant period shall become the property of the grantee's sponsoring institution.

NPCRC Disclaimer

The NPCRC will assume no responsibility for any of the activities of the Principal Investigator and/or Sponsoring Institution other than the payment of Grant Funds in accordance with the terms set forth in the signed and approved Grant Acceptance Form.