Research question
A transition between grants changes administrative arrangements, but it does not reset what an intervention has learned. Incoming decision-makers need a record of established findings, assumptions and outstanding questions.
Source and findings
Sustainability is an explicit OECD evaluation criterion. Completion of funded activities should therefore be distinguished from the continuation of benefits. OECD, Evaluation criteria
Interpretation
A new funding cycle should inherit the evidence and its unresolved limitations. Continuity requires explicit responsibility across grant boundaries.
A transition record with explicit limits
A handover can separate established findings from working explanations and unresolved questions. It should identify the observation period for each result, changes to the intervention and which delivery arrangements depend on temporary support. The incoming team can then decide what evidence remains relevant to a revised program rather than treating the previous final report as a complete specification.
Responsibility between funding agreements also needs attention. If no institution maintains the records or follows up longer-term outcomes, the existence of a final report does not ensure continuity. These are proposed questions for transition planning, not evidence that every grant ends without a handover. Assessing the problem in a specific portfolio requires examining actual transition arrangements and their use.
Limits of the evidence
The transition practices discussed here are editorial implications, not evidence that a particular handover model improves outcomes.