Awards Transfers

When planning to transfer a grant to or from the University of Edinburgh please contact your Funder in the first instance to obtain permission for the proposed transfer.  The funder will guide you on the requirements.  

Please ensure you alert all parties that will be involved in the transfer. This includes:

• Your current University department where the grant is held and seek permission from your Head of Department to take on or relinquish the award
• The new University department that will be receiving the grant for acceptance
• Permissions will need to be received from both parties and paperwork will need to be exchanged agreeing the transfer.
• The legal and contract teams at each institution require to cover contractual matters prior to transfer
• Considerations will also need to be made on staffing – retention or relocation for which HR will need to be consulted as early as possible
• Equipment transfers may need arranged which may incur invoicing between the 2 institutions
• Intellectual property considerations will need to be covered in the changes to contracts.

In some cases a novation agreement will be required replacing one institution with another. In other cases the award will be terminated at the existing institution and new Award Letter issued to the receiving institution re-announcing the award, as a revised award letter or amendment to contract. There may also be part transfers where the new institution could become a partner or subcontract so checks must be made on the individual funder’s approach required together with guidance from the legal and contract teams. 

For incoming grants please contact your Research Funding Specialist to set up the award at Edinburgh

Find my Research Funding Specialist

For outgoing grants please contact your local research support and Research Grants Administrator to indicate the intention, timing of transfer and for budget and expenditure information

Find my Research Grants Administrator

Further information will need to be provided to the funder at date of transfer, which generally includes:

• Final expenditure statement
• Final invoice
• Technical reports and report on completed deliverables
• Balance of budget to transfer

There may also be a balance of funding to transfer once final expenditure statements are accepted and confirmed by funder. The balance will be checked and confirmed by your Research Grants Administrator and the financial transfer will be arranged by them.

The execution of the agreement will serve as confirmation of budgets and acceptance of transfer.