Effective immediately, the current NSERC – SSHRC process for COVID grant extensions in-time without funds (C19 time extensions) is being discontinued. As a reminder, this initiative dates back to 2020 as response to the COVID-19 pandemic where requests for extension due to pandemic-related research delays were expeditiously approved for 12 months at a time in the final year of most NSERC and SSHRC grants.
The process for approving these extensions is changing and any new request for extension will be subject to the agencies’ normal process for extension period for the authority to use grant funds, as outlined in the Tri-Agency Guide on Financial Administration (TAGFA). Requests for pandemic-related research delays will automatically be treated as an extension requested due to uncontrollable delays and subject to agency approval based on the justification provided in the grant amendment form.
It is recommended that grant holders ensure a strong justification is included in their grant amendment form.
Other helpful reminders for extension requests:
- Requests for extensions will not be considered if there is an outstanding Statement of Account;
- Requests for extensions must be submitted in the final year of the grant (including any and all previously approved extensions and the automatic extension year, as applicable);
-
Requests will also not be considered for the following circumstances:
- After the end date for grants not subject to the automatic one-year extension, nor to grants whose automatic one-year extension period has ended; or,
- If the grant funds remaining in a grant account have been returned to the funding agency or have been transferred to the administering institution’s General Research Fund.
Reminder: This extension provision is not to be confused with any other grant extension initiative offered by the agencies due to the pandemic-related research delays or other, such as the NSERC Discovery Grants one-time one-year extension with funds due to COVID-19 or other funded extension initiatives, agency scholarships & fellowships provisions, etc.
To request an extension to an active NSERC or SSHRC grant held at the University of Guelph, please complete the Grant Amendment Form and send it to the Tri-Agency Research Financial Services contact at triagency.rfs@uoguelph.ca.