Administrative Supplements

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Learn the basics of administrative supplements and how to find related funding opportunities.

How are administrative supplements used?

Administrative supplements are additional funds provided to active awards in order to conduct or support further research within the scope and timeline of the current award. They can be awarded via applications to the “parent,” investigator-initiated administrative supplement notice of funding opportunity or via specific, solicited notices of funding opportunities themselves.

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Finding Administrative Supplement Funding Opportunities

Find active administrative supplement funding opportunities that NINDS has issued or is participating in.

Guidance for Common Administrative Supplements

General Administrative Supplements

Used for unanticipated increases in costs or opportunities that are within the scope of the approved award. Some potential examples could include:
- Loss of equipment originally available to the project
- Increased cost of equipment and related services
- Dissemination and/or preservation of a unique research material or resource
- Addition of animals, patients, or other populations to a protocol to ensure an adequate sample to address the study aims
- Provision for the orderly termination or temporary continuation of support to prevent loss of research resources (e.g. preservation of a rare animal model or novel tool).
- Taking advantage of serendipitous or unanticipated opportunities to increase the value of the project consistent with the peer-reviewed objectives

Diversity Administrative Supplements

In-depth information for determining eligibility and how to apply can be found on our Diversity Supplement page in the NINDS Training & Career Development section.

Promoting Continuity and Retention of K Award Recipients and and First Time Research Project Grant Awardees

Administrative Supplements for K Award Recipients
- Intended to help provide additional funds to ensure continued research progress for recipients of NINDS mentored career development (K) awards whose research program is impacted by a critical life event.
Administrative Supplements to Promote Research Continuity and Retention of NIH First Time Recipients of NIH Research Project Grant (R) Awards
- Intended to help provide additional funds up to $50,000 in direct costs as a one-time supplement to ensure continued research progress for first-time recipients of NINDS Research Project Grant awards whose research program is impacted by a critical life event.

Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship Administrative Supplement

Awardees will receive $100,000 (direct costs), in the form of a supplement to an existing NINDS grant, to support their efforts to foster the career advancement of additional trainees. For more information, see the NINDS Landis Award page.

Additional Solicited Administrative Supplements

For specific, solicited administrative supplement NOFOs, the best way to get started is to look for active NOFOs and/or NOSIs using the guidance above, and then follow the specific instructions and requirements included in that NOFO.

In addition to diversity supplements, other common types of solicited administrative supplements can include those on AD/ADRD and research on women’s health, disease prevention, and more. Because these opportunities open and close frequently, interested applicants are encouraged to subscribe to the NIH Guide to keep track of what’s active.

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BEFORE submitting a request for an administrative supplement, it is STRONGLY ADVISED that you contact your program officer (PO) to discuss the scientific rationale for a supplement request and program eligibility. You can find your PO's contact info in eRA commons

How to Apply

Apply electronically through grants.gov

Use the “Apply for Grant Electronically” button provided in the parent notice of funding opportunity
Administrative supplement requests submitted through this method should be marked as a “Revision” in Field 8 (Type of Application) on the R&R Cover Page.
Some components marked optional in the application package are required for submission of applications for this announcement. Follow all instructions in the SF424 (R&R) Application Guide to ensure you complete the appropriate required and optional components.

Apply electronically through the eRA commons

Log in to the eRA Commons
Access the Admin Supp tab and locate the parent award
Choose Initiate Request
Follow instructions in the eRA Commons Administrative Supplement User Guide(pdf, 2552 KB)

All administrative supplement requests for $100,000 or more direct cost must be approved by the NINDS Council. If you think you will be requesting a supplement this large or larger, reach out to the program officer for the parent award you are considering supplementing (this can be found via your eRA commons account) to determine when to submit your application for consideration in any given Council round.

Note: Requests for Diversity Supplements follow their own application procedures, as well as NIH First Time Recipients of NIH Research Project Grants.

Information To Include In All Supplement Requests

Description of nature of supplement and how it will influence the specific aims, research design, and methods of the current grant
Statement describing efforts to obtain matching institutional funds
Identify impact on research if supplement request is denied
Detailed budget with justification
Indication of why rebudgeting is not possible to cover costs
Evidence that grantee has performed cost comparisons for equipment purchases (at least two price quotes) or explanation of sole source
Official signature of PI and business official

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Want to contact NINDS staff?

Please visit our Find Your NINDS Program Director page to learn how to find and when to contact a Program Director, when to contact a Grants Management Specialist, and to learn more about Program Directors and Health Program Specialists.