Potential U.S. Federal Government Shutdown: Research Continuity Guidance

Closing a project, including financial and non-financial processes. What to do if a project ends early at Cornell. Support for publishing data and results. 

Key Concepts

  • Financial closeout is a shared responsibility between Sponsored Financial Services and your department. Sponsored Financial services reviews and closes project accounts, and submits the final fiscal report to sponsors. 
  • Projects are not officially closed until all final deliverables are met. If you continue to see projects in your dashboards that you think should be closed, your research administrator or department administrator may be able to help you see if a final deliverable has not been submitted. 
  • Compliance protocols and MUAs (IACUC, IBC, IRB) should be closed when a study is complete or the PI is leaving Cornell. For details about closure procedures, contact the IACUC office (animal projects), the IBC office (labs using rs/NA or biohazardous materials), or review IRB Policy #8: Closure of a Research Protocol (human participant projects).
  • Closing a project early usually happens when the PI moves to a different institution. Sponsored Financial Services will help to complete the required forms for the sponsor. 
  • Decommissioning and vacating a laboratory. Laboratories must be properly decommissioned prior to leaving the university to ensure that all hazardous materials have been disposed of and equipment and surfaces are free of contamination. Contact EHS as early as possible to begin the process. Also, contact the IBC to close out your MUA

Tools

  • RASS: Enter the date deliverables are submitted to sponsors. 
  • Cornell Data Services: get assistance meeting Federal and publisher requirements for public access to research results. 
  • Open Science Foundation (OSF): a scholarly web tool that enhances transparency, fosters collaboration, and increases the visibility of research outputs at leading research institutions. A partnership between Cornell University and the Center for Open Science now provides a central hub for Cornell research projects.

Deadlines / Scheduling 

  • The project end date drives the closeout deadlines. Sponsored Financial Services sends reminders about account responsibilities. You can see the project end date in the PI Dashboard
  • 90 days before termination submit a request for an extension
    Note: Extensions are not always granted.
  • Cost transfers that must be recorded in the general ledger must be completed no later than 30 days prior to the deadline, or, if no financial report is due, no later than 60 days after the expiration date of the award.
  • If you're leaving the university, there may be requirements for closing and decommissioning your lab. Contact EHS as early as possible to start the process. 
  • Special Requirements for Clinical Trials (human participants): For all federally-funded clinical trials, the PI must post an IRB-approved consent form used for enrollment purposes to ClinicalTrials.gov. This must be done after the study is closed to recruitment, but no later than 60 days after the last study visit by any participant. For NIH-funded clinical trials, study results must also be posted to the same website. For more information, visit IRB Considerations for Clinical Trials.

Best Practices

Understand the conditions of your sponsored award and abide by the following policies governing research data retention and retention of records.