§ 1260.13 - Award procedures.

(a) Award instruments are classified as follows:

(1) Annual grants are grants awarded for a short term (e.g., on an annual basis).

(2) Multiple year grants support research projects that may span several years. NASA policy is to make maximum use of multiple year grants. A Multiple Year Grant is generally selected for a period of three years in keeping with NASA's policy calling for research to be peer reviewed at least every three years. Grants with periods of performance in excess of three years may be appropriate when the NASA technical office determines at the inception of the grant that a period of performance in excess of three years is necessary to complete a discrete research effort. However, grants that will exceed $5 million and have a period of performance in excess of 5 years shall require the approval of the Assistant Administrator for Procurement (Code HS) prior to award. Requests for approval shall include a justification for exceeding 5 years and evidence that the extended years can be reasonably estimated. Requests for approval are not required when the 5-year limitation is exceeded due to a no cost extension.

(i) If the decision to provide multiple year funding to a research proposal is made, the special condition at §1260.52, Multiple Year Grant or Cooperative Agreement, will be included in the award.

(ii) Periods approved under the Multiple Year Grant or Cooperative Agreement special condition at §1260.52, and funded at the levels specified in the special condition, are not considered to be new awards. Therefore, new proposals, new proposal-related certifications (such as Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, and Debarment and Suspension), new technical evaluations, and new budget proposals are not required, as long as this information for the multiple year period was reviewed and approved as part of the original proposal.

(iii) If NASA program constraints or developments within the research project dictate a reduction in the funding level specified under a Multiple Year Grant period, research may continue at the reduced level under the terms of the provisions; however, the recipient may rebudget under the grant provisions to keep the project within the funding actually provided.

(3) An augmentation to a grant may be issued as a supplement at any time when work is introduced which is outside the scope of the approved proposal or when there is a need for substantial unanticipated funding. The grant officer must first determine whether the augmentation requires a separate approval as a non-competitive addition to the work to be performed under the grant. Augmentations require the submission of revised budget proposals and technical evaluations covering the additional work. Since augmentations will be performed within the existing period of performance, certifications will not normally be required.

(4) A grant extension may be placed to extend the grant beyond the expiration date, in accordance with the provision at §1260.23, Extensions, if additional time beyond the established period of performance is required to assure adequate completion of the original scope of work within the available funding.

(5) Grant renewals provide for continuation of research beyond the original scope, period of performance and funding levels; therefore, new proposals, certifications and technical evaluations are required prior to the execution of a grant renewal. Grant renewals will be awarded as new grants. Continued performance within a period specified under the Multiple Year Grant provision does not constitute a renewal. For research originally awarded through a competitive NRA, CAN, or other competitive announcement that has completed its period of performance, peer review of a proposal to continue the research should be accomplished prior to selecting the research grant for renewal. If the effort was originally awarded through an unsolicited proposal, a new justification to accept the unsolicited proposal would be required (however, also see §1260.12(f)(1)). Multiple year grant special conditions may be incorporated into renewals.

(b) While NASA normally provides full funding support for research grants, alternate methods of grant funding are as follows:

(1) Since NASA grant recipients usually gain no measurable commercial or economic benefit from grants, other than conducting research, cost sharing for research grants is not generally required. NASA may, however, accept cost sharing when voluntarily offered. Additionally, in instances when the grant officer determines that the recipient will benefit from the research results through sales to non-Federal entities, cost sharing based upon this mutuality of interest will apply. See §1260.123. When cost sharing is used, the grant officer shall insert a Special Condition substantially as shown in §1260.54, Cost Sharing. (See 14 CFR part 1274 for grants and cooperative agreements with commercial organizations involving cost sharing.)

(2) NASA may provide partial support for a research project or conference where additional funding is being provided by other Federal agencies. If the grant also involves cost sharing by the recipient, the grant officer will ensure that the recipient's share does not include any Federal funds.

[65 FR 62900, Oct. 19, 2000, as amended at 68 FR 14535, Mar. 26, 2003]