Changing Institutions: How to Transfer or Close Out Old Projects

The biggest mistake students make when changing institutions is assuming their research projects will “just work themselves out.” They will not.

If you’re switching labs, transferring schools, or graduating and moving to a new institution, you are at a critical fork in the road: either you handle your old projects deliberately, or they quietly die, taking your time, effort, and possible publications with them.

This guide is for the real situation you’re in: multiple half-finished projects, unclear authorship, awkward power dynamics with PIs, and a new institution that wants you to hit the ground running.

You’re not trying to be a hero. You’re trying to be fair, efficient, and strategic.

(See also: Research Strategies for more details.)

Let’s walk through what to do.

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Step 1: Map Your Actual Situation (Not the One You Wish You Had)

Before you send a single email, you need clarity. Not vibes. Facts.

Sit down with a blank document and list every ongoing or recent project you’ve touched in the last 2–3 years. For each project, write:

• Project title or short description
• PI(s) and institution(s)
• Your role (data collection, analysis, writing, etc.)
• Current stage:
  • Idea / protocol
  • IRB approved
  • Data collection ongoing
  • Data collection complete
  • Analysis ongoing
  • Manuscript drafting
  • Submitted / under review
  • In revision
• Last meaningful activity and by whom
• Expected authorship position for you (if discussed)
• Any deadlines (grant timelines, conference abstracts, thesis requirements)

You might end up with:

• 1–2 serious, near-publication projects
• 2–4 mid-stage projects that could go either way
• 3–5 “zombie” projects that haven’t moved in months

Now categorize:

1. Must Protect – Projects close to publication or central to your story as an applicant.
2. Worth Saving – Realistic chance of completion with moderate effort.
3. Nice if They Happen – You’re not going to invest heavily; if the PI shepherds them, great.
4. Dead but Not Buried – Be honest. These should be formally closed, handed off, or let go.

Once you see the full landscape, you’ll stop treating every project as equally urgent. That mindset shift is essential before you talk to anyone.

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Step 2: Understand What Actually Transfers (Research Is Not a Backpack)

When you change institutions, different pieces of your research world move differently.

You need to separate:

• Intellectual involvement – Your brain, your time, your ability to contribute remotely
• Ownership and data – Where the IRB, funding, and data legally live
• Authorship and credit – Your name on papers, abstracts, and presentations

Here’s what usually does not move easily with you as a premed or medical student:

• Raw patient data from your old institution (protected by IRB and institutional rules)
• IRB protocols (they belong to the institution, not you)
• Grant funding (tied to PI and institution, with rare exceptions)

Here’s what can move more easily:

• Your role as an author on ongoing papers
• Your contribution to analysis and writing (if data can be de-identified and shared securely)
• Your ability to continue working remotely with the team

So the question is rarely “Can I take this project with me?”
It’s more often “Can I continue contributing in a clearly defined remote role that still earns appropriate authorship?”

That’s the negotiation.

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Step 3: Talk to Your PI Before Your PI Hears It from Someone Else

The worst version of this scenario is your PI hearing from a third party that you’re leaving and then realizing they’ve got multiple projects hanging.

You need a clear, proactive conversation.

Timing

• Ideally: 2–3 months before you leave
• If you’re late in the game: as soon as possible; do not wait for the “perfect moment”

Your goals for the conversation

1. Confirm they know you’re leaving and when.
2. Clarify which projects you’re involved in and where each stands.
3. Express willingness to either:
   • Push specific projects forward before you go
   • Transition responsibilities cleanly
   • Or continue remotely with defined expectations

You’re not asking them to magically fix everything. You’re offering structure.

Sample opening (premed leaving a research year)

“Dr. Smith, I wanted to sit down to talk about my transition. I’ll be starting medical school at X in July, and I want to make sure I close out my projects with you responsibly. I’ve listed the three projects I’m involved in and where I think each one stands. I’d like your guidance on what’s realistic to wrap up before I leave, and what I could continue helping with remotely, especially for authorships that are still in progress.”

Bring that written project list. It instantly signals maturity and seriousness.

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Step 4: Decide How Each Project Ends or Continues

Now you move from theory to choices. Take each project and make a specific plan.

For near-complete projects (data done, manuscript in progress)

Your default goal: stay on and finish, even if remotely.

Ask:

• Who is lead author?
• What’s needed to submit? (e.g., complete Results, update references, finalize figures)
• What portion can you realistically finish before your transition date?
• What portion can you continue after you move?

Then propose something concrete:

“For the ICU delirium project, I can finalize the data cleaning and generate the primary figures by the end of next month. After I move, I’m happy to take the lead on drafting the Results and Discussion as a remote collaborator. If that works, I’d like to confirm expected authorship order based on that role.”

You’re not demanding. You’re clarifying expectations.

For mid-stage projects (data not fully collected, analysis not started)

Here you decide: commit or cleanly hand off. Ambivalence kills these.

Options:

• Take on a clearly defined remote analysis/writing role once data are collected
• Help find and train a replacement student before you leave
• Finalize protocols/analysis plans so others can run with them

You might say:

“For the prospective ED sepsis study, I won’t be here long enough to help with ongoing data collection. Would it be helpful if I:

• Document the data collection workflow,
• Write a short analysis plan,
• And train the new student on REDCap procedures?

If so, once data are complete, I’d like to stay involved with analysis and drafting, assuming that’s still meaningful enough for authorship.”

If the PI hesitates or the logistics sound vague, treat this project as “Nice if It Happens.” Do not build your future CV around it.

For early-stage or stalled projects

Here your responsibility is mostly to close loops and not disappear without a trace.

For example, if you did a summer project that generated some preliminary data but nothing has moved in a year:

• Share all your organized files and notes with the PI or lab manager
• Label things clearly (filename discipline matters here)
• Send a clean “handoff email” summarizing what exists and what’s missing

Do not oversell this as “paper in progress” on your applications if the PI has not explicitly agreed it’s moving forward.

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Step 5: Protect Your Contributions (Without Being That Person)

You are allowed to protect your work. You just have to do it in a way that is professional and non-confrontational.

Document everything now

Before you leave:

• Save copies of your:
  • Code (R scripts, Python, Stata do-files)
  • Data dictionaries
  • Analysis plans
  • Abstracts/manuscript drafts you wrote
  • Figures/tables you created
• Where allowed, keep de-identified versions for your portfolio
• Create a simple “readme” file explaining what each folder/file is for

Do not take identifiable or restricted data if your institution prohibits this. That’s not “being thorough”; that’s a compliance problem.

Clarify authorship expectations in writing

You don’t need a contract. You do need an email.

Example:

“Dr. Smith,

Thanks again for meeting today to discuss my transition. To summarize my understanding for the three projects:

1. ICU Delirium Manuscript – I’ll complete the data cleaning and primary analyses by June 15. After that, I’ll draft the Results and Discussion as second author, with Jane Doe as first author and you as senior author. Target is to submit to Critical Care Medicine this fall.

2. Sepsis Prospective Study – I’ll document the data collection workflow and train the incoming student. If feasible, I’ll help with analysis once data collection ends and join as a middle author depending on my contributions at that stage.

3. Retrospective Readmission Study – Since the project has been on hold and I’m leaving in July, we agreed I’ll hand off the dataset and code to John and I won’t continue on that project.

Please let me know if I’ve misunderstood anything. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with you and want to leave things as organized as possible.”

This kind of email does three things:

• Confirms the plan
• Sets a written record of expected authorship
• Signals professionalism

Most reasonable PIs appreciate this.

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Step 6: Working Remotely with Your Old Institution (What Actually Works)

Plenty of students successfully continue research remotely after moving. It’s common between undergrad and med school, between M1 and a research year, or between med school and residency.

The key is structure.

You will not succeed with:

• “I’ll help however I can!”
• “Loop me in if you need anything!”

You need:

• A primary point of contact besides the PI (postdoc, fellow, senior student)
• A defined set of tasks that are possible without you on site
• A communication plan: how often you’ll check in and by what method (email, Zoom, lab meetings)

For example:

“I’ll join the weekly lab Zoom on Fridays for the next few months. In between, I’ll focus on:

• Finalizing the regression models for the primary and secondary outcomes,
• Generating clean tables and figures,
• And drafting the Methods and Results sections.

I’ll send an update email every other week with progress and questions.”

Be realistic. If you’re starting M1 at a school where exams are every two weeks, you will not write three manuscripts at night. Pick one project to prioritize.

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Step 7: How to Talk About These Projects on Applications

You’re not just doing this for your PI. You’re doing it so your story makes sense to admissions committees.

When you apply to medical school, MD/PhD, or residency, you’ll need to describe:

• What you worked on at the old institution
• What your role actually was
• Whether the projects are complete, submitted, accepted, or still in progress

For completed publications – simple. List them as usual.

For submitted or in-revision manuscripts – list them clearly as:

• “Smith J, You R, et al… (manuscript submitted)”
• Or “(manuscript under review)” or “(in revision)”

Make sure the PI is aware and comfortable with your description.

For ongoing but realistic projects – you can mention them in experiences, but keep the wording honest:

• “Contributed to study design, data collection, and preliminary analysis for a retrospective cohort study on X; manuscript in preparation with anticipated submission to Y journal.”

Do not:

• Call it a “publication” if it’s not accepted
• List vaporware projects that no one is actually moving forward

If you left a project without continued involvement, it’s okay to write:

• “I collected and curated clinical data for Dr. Smith’s study on Z, which the lab continued after I left for medical school.”

That’s still legitimate experience.

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Step 8: Special Situations You Might Actually Be In

Let’s deal with a few real-world scenario types.

Scenario A: You’re transferring undergrad or med schools mid-program

Key issues:

• Ongoing thesis or capstone projects
• IRB protocols tied to your old institution
• Coursework-based research that might not exist at the new school

What to do:

• Ask your current PI and department if you can:
  • Finish your project remotely
  • Convert it into a publication or poster independent of the thesis, if the thesis won’t be completed
• At your new institution, talk to your advisor about how your prior work can count:
  • Sometimes prior projects can satisfy “scholarly project” requirements if documented properly

Do not assume your new school will share IRB or automatically adopt your old project.

Scenario B: You’re graduating and starting med school, with several “almost” projects

This is the classic:

• Two abstracts submitted
• One manuscript draft half-written
• One dataset ready but untouched

Your move:

• Prioritize the single project that’s closest to submission and has the strongest PI support
• Have a conversation with that PI like: “I’d like to ensure we get this paper submitted this year; here’s what I can commit to between now and August, and then during M1.”

Let the others either be handed off or put in the “if it happens, great” bucket.

Scenario C: You had a conflict with your PI or lab

You still have responsibilities.

Basic steps:

• Return or share all project-related materials you agreed to manage
• Do not delete or withhold work you did
• Decide if continued collaboration is emotionally and professionally wise

On applications, you don’t need to air drama. Describe the work factually. If you’re ever asked why something didn’t result in a publication, a simple answer like:

“The project changed direction after I left the lab, and my role ended at the data collection stage.”

is usually enough.

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Step 9: Closing Old Projects Cleanly Is a Professional Skill

What you are really practicing here is not just “rescue my publications.”

You are practicing:

• How to navigate power dynamics with senior researchers
• How to negotiate expectations and authorship
• How to protect patient data and institutional rules
• How to leave gracefully without burning bridges

Faculty notice this. When a student leaves chaos, people remember. When a student leaves a neat handoff document, finalized code, and clear communication, people remember that too—and sometimes they become your future letter writers.

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Your Action Step for Today

Open a blank document and write down every research project you’ve touched in the last two years. For each, write:

• PI name
• Project stage
• Your realistic authorship expectations
• Whether it’s Must Protect, Worth Saving, Nice if It Happens, or Dead but Not Buried

Once that list exists, you’ll know exactly which PI you need to email first and what you need to say to take control of your transition instead of letting your projects quietly disappear.