The Critical Link Between Grant Closeout Reports

and iEdison

 

The closeout process for inventions resulting from federally funded research is a critical step that often does not get the attention it deserves. If the final invention report is inaccurate and returned to you for amendment and re-submission it may become delinquent, which can affect grant renewals and future funding. Here’s where the tech transfer and sponsored programs offices need to work together to assure that grant terminations are done correctly.

 

In most institutions, the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) is responsible for submitting a final invention reports to the appropriate federal agency.  Some reports require the signature of the PI, while others require a signature from an official from the OSR.  The Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) maintains data on patents and inventions.  It is important for the OTL and the PI to approve the final invention report prior to submission by the OSR.  When Agency and Institute grant offices receive the final invention report, they check in iEdison to make sure that the data matches what is on the final report. For example, sometimes there may be additional information that needs to be added to IEdison (and to the final invention report), which was not previously submitted to the OTL.  If the data doesn’t match, the final report will be rejected and sent back to the OSR to be amended, which could lead to a late submission.

 

Building the right relationships between the Sponsored Programs Office and the Technology Licensing Office is fundamental to an efficient and effective compliance program. If you agree on the protocol for how interdepartmental communication will support the approval process for invention reports, I have no doubt you’ll see fewer rejected (and potentially delinquent) invention reports.