Research and Sponsored Programs

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research

No-Cost Extension Request Procedures

Page Updated: April 8, 2026

To request a no-cost extension (NCE) for all sponsored projects, please use the following instructions to guide you through the process. Notably, a no-cost extension must be requested in advance of the end date of the award (but typically not earlier than 90 days before the end date) based on agency requirements. All requests and materials (as applicable) should be routed through RAMP at least 45 business days before the submission deadline, subject to the sponsor requirements.

An initial no-cost extension request might only require that UW-Madison notify the sponsor (known as a grantee-approved no-cost extension). Any requests submitted after the sponsor's designated deadline require sponsor approval and carry an increased risk of denial.

Any second, third, or more no-cost extension request must be approved by the sponsor and may require submission of information such as a progress report and budget/budget justification, in addition to the NCE request itself.

Note that ANY charges incurred after the official end date of the project and before receipt of the Sponsor's final approval are the responsibility of the PI and the Department (similar to expenses on an account-in-advance). See Policy UW-4016, Financial Responsibility for Uncollectable Costs on Extramural Projects..

Reviewing Commitments

With the exception of grant programs that have a specific minimum effort requirement, RSP no longer requires the update of effort commitments when requesting or receiving a no-cost extension. After a thorough analysis of sponsor policies and Federal regulations, it has been concluded that a no-cost extension simply provides additional time in which the originally proposed effort can take place. More information on this can be found here.

Normally, there is no need to adjust commitments during an NCE period. However, there might be rare instances when a commitment is necessary during the NCE period. Specific grant programs may require a specific minimum effort requirement, which should continue in the NCE period. Before preparing the NCE request, review the terms and conditions of your award agreement to determine if a specific commitment must continue.

At this time, RSP is aware of only a few NIH grant programs that require a specific minimum effort requirement. They include NIH award types:

• K awards: PIs are required to devote a minimum of 9 calendar months to the award. Prior approval is required to reduce effort during a no-cost extension period. (See NIH GPS guidance.)
• R35: Minimum effort is described in Funding Opportunity Announcement (search for FOA).
• DP1: Minimum effort is described in Funding Opportunity Announcement (search for FOA).

If submitting a no-cost extension for an award that requires a minimum effort commitment during the NCE period (regardless of whether the NCE requires sponsor approval), please submit a separate prior approval request if you wish to reduce an effort commitment. See instructions.

• For most awards:
• When requesting an NCE, you do not need to address effort commitments.
• RSP will not adjust commitments in RAMP during the no-cost extension period.
• If a minimum commitment is a requirement of the award terms and conditions:
• This should be mentioned in the Comments Tab of the RAMP record.
• In these few instances, RSP will make the update to the commitment in RAMP appropriately.

When awards have outgoing subawards, the NCE between the sponsor and UW-Madison will cover all award/grant lines in RAMP. NCE modifications for subrecipients will still need to be requested in the via the Subaward Portal.

Preparing & Routing the No Cost Extension Request

The RAMP Award Modification Request (AMR) record is to be completed by clicking on the “Request Award Modification” button on the RAMP Funding Award page.

Please do NOT submit RAMP requests to a specialist until Dean's Office/Division Ancillary Reviews have been completed and approved.

How to Request an Award Modification:

After clicking Request Award Modification on the RAMP Funding Award Page, enter the following into the SmartForm that appears:

• Short Title = Create a short title for the modification; include “NCE” in the title
• Date Requested = Automatically fills with current date. Can be edited to reflect sponsor due date, if applicable.
• Full description of requested changes = Enter a description of the award changes being requested (i.e., unobligated balance, sponsor request contact details, etc.)
• Supporting documents = the following documents are required for requests:
• No Cost Extension Request Letter
• Progress Report
• Budget/Budget Justification in a single .pdf document
• and/or Sponsor Approval, if already obtained.
• Request Type = No Cost Extension.
• Sponsor contact details

Additional questions will conditionally appear based on the Request Type selected so please ensure to select the correct type.

• Is this the first no-cost extension? Y/N
• Indicate length of extension (xx months) or requested end date (xx/xx/xxxx)

After selecting Finish, the system returns you to the Award Modification Request Workspace.

• The award modification request is in Draft state.
• The request has not yet been submitted for RSP review.
• If updates are needed, use the Edit Modification Request button.

Managing Ancillary Reviews

All No Cost Extension Modification Requests require an Ancillary Reviews to the Dean's Office or Division. In some cases, you may want to check with the RSP accountant to verify unobligated balance and submit any outstanding/required financial reports.

The Dean's Office/Division AR must be completed and approved prior to departmental submission.

To Request an Ancillary Review to the Dean's Office or Division:

1. Click the “Manage Ancillary Reviews” button.
2. Click Add.
3. For Reviewer, select either an organization or a person:
• The appropriate Dean's Office as an Organization or
• The appropriate individual according to Division guidance.
4. Review Type = Dean/Division Signoff
5. Response Required = Yes.
6. Comments = Add details as appropriate (see note below)
7. Supporting documents = Add documents as appropriate.
8. Click Ok and Click Ok. This sends the Ancillary Review request.

If Necessary, Request an Ancillary Review to the RSP Accountant::

• After the first Ancillary Review is sent, repeat steps 1-8 above to submit a second Ancillary Review request.
• For question 3. Reviewer, enter the name of the RSP Accountant.
• For question 5. Response, Required = No
• For question 6. Comments, ask the accountant to verify the unobligated balance and to submit any required/outstanding financial reports.

No Cost Extension Letter Download Letter Template

The following bulleted list must be addressed in the no-cost extension request and should be entered into the request letter which needs to be uploaded into the RAMP record. Please use the Letter Template and put the letter on departmental letterhead. Once prepared, please convert the document to PDF.

Letter Template

• Agency grant reference number and UW Madison Grant ID (AWD#)
• Principal investigator name and contact information
• Project title
• Current grant period and proposed end date
• Signatures (not required for email or electronic signature if available) from the principal investigator, RSP, and sponsor representative.

The letter/email should also include:

• a clear justification statement
• summary of progress to date
• estimate of the remaining funds
• detailed description of how funds will be used
• a confirmation of continued invoice schedule (if necessary)
• a timetable for completion of the project

Providing accurate and specific details upfront can significantly reduce the need for repeated followup with the sponsor. The more complete and specific the information, the more efficient the review process.

For NSF: Use Research.gov to prepare a new request for a no cost extension (NCE). The PI must be the one to initiate the request. Enter your information for the no cost extension via Research.gov including the justification text and remaining balance. Forward the no cost extension request within Research.gov to the AOR (i.e. RSP). A RAMP record is still required. Enter the NSF Award Number within the Sponsor Reference Number field on the RAMP record General tab. The number of previous NCE submissions for the NSF award will dictate whether or not a letter is also required, see below:

• If this is the first NCE (which is grantee-approved), then a letter is not required.
• If this is the second or additional NCE (which requires NSF approval), a letter is necessary. Attach the letter to the RAMP record.