eRA Information: Final RPPR To Be Used Effective Jan. 1, 2017

The Final Research Performance Progress Report (F-RPPR) will replace the Final Progress Report (FPR) for grants closeout, effective January 1, 2017.  The F-RPPR will be available for use in eRA Commons on January 1, 2017.  

NOTE: For small businesses, the new F-RPPR will be in effect at least 2 months later, due to the unique final reporting requirements that they face under the SBIR/STTR policy directive. 

What This Means for You
If you have a final progress report due, and you wish to use the old FPR format of an uploaded document, you must submit the FPR before January 1, 2017. NIH will no longer accept any of the old format FPRs on or after January 1, 2017.  

The Format
The format of the Final RPPR is very similar to that of the annual RPPR. The notable differences being the F-RPPR does not have sections D (Participants), F (Changes), and H (Budget). The F-RPPR does have a new section: Section I (Outcomes).   

Project Outcomes (Section I) will be made publicly available, allowing recipients the opportunity to provide the general public with a concise summary of the public significance of the research. 

Deadline Remains Unchanged
The deadlines for submitting a Final RPPR remain the same – no later than 120 days from the project end date.

The Effect on Delegation to Submit RPPR
NIH will maintain the business rule that allows the Signing Official (SO) to delegate the submission of the Final RPPR or Interim-RPPR to a Program Director/Principal Investigator (PD/PI). 

More Information
See Guide Notice NOT-OD-17-022.  Visit the NIH RPPR web page, and check out November’s eRA Items of Interest article Please Call it “Final RPPR”.