Establishing a Subproject
Subprojects enable the designation of co-investigators in a different academic department/research unit. Learn about when a subproject is needed and how to establish one.
A subproject is a formally designated project grant (P/G) that is subsidiary to a larger project within the University of Michigan. Subprojects, sometimes referred to as subaccounts or Sub PGs, are different from subcontracts, or SubKs, which provide funds to an external subrecipient to perform part of a project. For more information on subcontracts, visit Subawards, Hybrid Agreements and Purchase Orders.
Why establish a subproject
Projects often involve collaboration of two or more investigators. However, only one individual may be designated Sponsor Principal Investigator. Other faculty can be listed on the Proposal Approval Form (PAF) as Participating Investigators.
Co-Investigators can be designated if they will be assigned their own budget and a U-M subproject number for the portion of the study for which they are responsible.
When to establish a subproject
Subprojects are established when an award is received. Subprojects allocate funds, including indirect cost recoveries, to the appropriate academic department/research unit. Upon receiving an award, the Principal Investigator is requested to submit a budget reallocation for each subproject to be established.
The Budget Reallocation Process on the Finance-Sponsored Programs website shows the distribution of funds authorized by the sponsor and identifies the various sources of cost sharing if any. The Budget Reallocation form requires signatures from the issuing department/unit and from the receiving department/unit in order to establish the subproject.
How to request a subproject
Visit Finance-Sponsored Programs for the Request New Sub PG form. In addition, the following tools may assist with requesting a subproject and budget reallocation: