Progress Reports / Final Technical Reports

Guidance for Principal Investigators

The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for the submission of all technical reports required under the terms of an award in the form required by the sponsor. Most sponsors will require an annual progress report as well as a final technical report. PIs should consult their award terms to determine what reports are required and when the sponsor expects to receive these reports.

The PI also needs to know where and how the sponsor expects such reports to be submitted. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) now expects the PI to use Research.gov (instead of FastLane) to meet all NSF project reporting requirements, including submission of final, annual and interim project reports and the Project Outcomes Report. However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires grantees to submit Research Performance Progress Reports (RPPR) and final technical reports through the eRA Commons.

In short, each sponsor has guidelines about how, when and where progress and final reports should be submitted. PIs always should read the “Reporting” requirements of their award carefully and not assume that simply submitting a progress or final report to a program officer will meet the sponsor’s requirements.

Failure to comply with the reporting requirements of the sponsor can have significant repercussions. For example, the PI’s future funding from the sponsor can be jeopardized. A sponsor also may hold up all new awards to Berkeley just because of one PI’s delinquent technical report.

Please note: When submitting a progress or final technical report to a sponsor, PIs are advised to keep a copy of the report and documentation that the report was submitted in case the sponsor fails to record the receipt of the report accurately.