Created 01/2006
Revised 07/2025
Purpose
NIH requires the processing of three closeout documents when a grant ends:
- Final Federal Financial Report (FFR)
- SUBMITTED BY SPA – SPAdhhsgrants@wustl.edu
- Final Research Performance Progress Report (Final RPPR)
- SUBMITTED BY OSRS – researchgrants@email.wustl.edu
- Final Invention Statement & Certification (FIS)
- SUBMITTED BY SPA – SPAdhhsgrants@wustl.edu
The Final Invention Statement (FIS) discloses any inventions that may have been created through the duration of the grant and whether they were reported to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The statement should include all inventions that were conceived or first reduced to practice during work under the grant, from the original effective date of support through the date of completion or termination. The FIS must be submitted within 120 days following the completion or termination of a grant award. To ensure this deadline is met, please submit the FIS in eRA Commons and notify SPA at least 3 business days in advance of the deadline.
Only a signing official (SPA) or a user with delegated report submit authority can submit the reports or other data; the program director/principal investigator (PD/PI) can upload, preview, delete and save the closeout report submission package, but cannot complete the final step to submit.
Procedures
- The PD/PI can follow the steps below to process the FIS:
- Log into eRA Commons.
- Click the “Status” button at the top of the page.
- Use the “Closeout” search type option to look up the grant based on grant number.
- Use the related actions ( ***) to locate the “Requires Closeout” link.
- Click on the “Requires Closeout” link.
- Click the “Process Final Invention Statement” link.
- Complete the FIS.
- To add an invention – type the Name of Inventor, Title of Invention, and the Date Reported to DHHS. Click the “Add Invention and Save” button.
- If the FIS reports an invention(s), e-mail the FIS to the Office of Technology Management (OTM) for approval prior to submitting the information
- To report No Inventions – click “Save with No Inventions”. Verify that the Preview Button says, “No Inventions Reported.”
- To add an invention – type the Name of Inventor, Title of Invention, and the Date Reported to DHHS. Click the “Add Invention and Save” button.
- The Department Administrator will need to notify SPA at SPAdhhsgrants@wustl.edu when the FIS is ready for submission.
- SPA (a Signing Official (SO) or higher) must verify the information on the FIS and complete the final step to submit.
For additional guidance, access the eRA Commons online help guide or contact the Government Grants team at SPAdhhsgrants@wustl.edu.