Progress Reports

When is the RPPR due?
Annual RPPRs are due the first of the month preceding the month in which the budget period ends (e.g., if the budget period ends 11/30, the due date is 10/1).

If a competitive renewal (Type 2) application has been submitted, the recipient must submit an Interim-RPPR 120 days from the project period end date. In the event the Type 2 is funded, NIH will treat the Interim-RPPR as the annual performance report for the final year of the previous competitive segment. If the Type 2 is not funded, the Interim-RPPR will be treated as the Final RPPR.

Final RPPR is required for any grant that is terminated and is due within 120 calendar days of the end of the project period.

What period is covered in the progress report?
The first progress report should cover the period from the Notice of Grant Award to the time of writing/submitting the report. Future year progress reports should include information from the date of the previous progress report.

Do I need to include the program evaluator report in the RPPR?
The program evaluator report is for the use of the PI and the institutional team. Do not include evaluation report in the RPPR.

The SF424 instructions say to list all publications (full citation) for each trainee that resulted from work done during their training. How should this information be provided?
NIH provides a sample table format for trainee publications (see Data Table 5 [DOC]).

For competing renewal applications, this should include publications for ALL trainees who were supported by the T32 at any time during the past grant period, or up to 10 years if beyond the first competing renewal. Include all trainees, even those with no publications (designate "no publications").

Summarize these data in the body of the application, including, for example, the average number of publications, how many students published as first author and how many students completed doctoral training without any first-author publication resulting from their graduate research.

Public Access Policy requires that any publications of individuals supported by a T32 be linked to the grant and have a PMCID. More information can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/forms/data-tables.htm.

Note that if your application is selected for funding, NIH will request a Just-in-Time My Bibliography PDF compliance report for the most recent year of trainee publications.

What information should be included in RPPR Section B4 “What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?
Per RPPR Instruction Guide:
“Describe opportunities for training and professional development provided to anyone who worked on the project or anyone who was involved in the activities supported by the project. Training activities are those in which individuals with advanced professional skills and experience assist others in attaining greater proficiency. Training activities may include, for example, courses or one-on-one work with a mentor. Professional development activities result in increased knowledge or skill in one’s area of expertise and may include workshops, conferences, seminars, study groups, and individual study. Include participation in conferences, workshops, and seminars not listed under major activities.”

As the above opportunities and activities need to be described for all trainees, it is strongly encouraged to provide a brief paragraph description for each trainee supported by the award during the reporting period.  It is suggested to include the following information, as applicable:

• Degrees working toward or held
• Mentor(s)
• Description of the participant’s research project and progress
• Coursework
• Conference presentations
• A description of the participant’s role in any planned or published papers resulting from research conducted while supported by this award
• Fellowships or other support
• Workshops attended
• Career development activities

This description should be sufficient to allow evaluation of the appointees’ progress towards the goals of the training grant.

Example descriptions (Trainees appointed to the program in the past reporting year):
Jane Smith graduated with a B.S. magna cum laude from XX university in 2018. She is currently a second-year graduate student in the PhD program the Department of XX. Her research on xxxxx is directed by her mentor Dr. xxx xxxxx, Professor of Genomics. Her research was presented in an on-campus venue, Society for xxxxxx, and at the Annual NHGRI Training Meeting held at xxxx. She is listed as a co-author in one publication which was published in the current reporting year.  Ms. Smith attended various workshops such as xxx.

Jane Smith is a senior working towards her B.S. Expected graduation date is May 2020. Her research on xxxxx is directed by her mentor Dr. xxx xxxxx, Professor of Genomics. Her research was presented in an on-campus venue, Society for xxxxxx, and at the Annual NHGRI Training Meeting held at xxxx. She is listed as a co-author in one publication which was published in the current reporting year.  Ms. Smith attended various workshops such as xxx.
She is currently applying to PhD programs at xxxxxxx, xxxxxxx, xxxxxxxx.

NOTE: View additional FAQs for NIH training grants.