The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs (OSRP) would like to congratulate you on your decision to apply for a sponsored funding opportunity. It is important to know that before a grant application can be submitted to the funding agency, the proposal, associated budget, and other required documentation must be reviewed for compliance and approved by OSRP and the University Routing Committee before the proposal can be submitted to the funding agency for review.
The university review and approval process is likely to take a minimum of two-three weeks. Please plan ahead so that your proposal can be submitted prior to the established deadline.
The processing of Proposals has three stages: (i) preliminary review and approval of the Proposal by OSRP, (ii) review of the Proposal by the University Routing Committee, and (iii) Proposal submission to the Sponsor with each stage requiring approximately 5 business days.
Adequate lead-time is imperative to review Proposals in order to ensure that they conform to Sponsor guidelines, University policy, and federal and state regulations. Adequate lead-time is also necessary because many Proposals are submitted via electronic sponsor systems where electronic validation errors and technical difficulties can occur and cause delays. Without adequate review, Sponsors often reject proposals with missing or non-compliant components.
As soon as you identify the grant opportunity, please schedule an initial meeting with a staff member of the OSRP to review important University, Federal, and funding agency guidelines and regulations associated with the funding opportunity, discuss the submission plan and timeline, and the administrative support that you require.
(i) Preliminary Review of the Proposal by OSRP
A minimum of 2 – 3 weeks prior to grant deadline
Schedule a meeting with an OSRP representative to finalize the budget. Because of increased regulations and requirements, it could take up to 3 full days to review and finalize a complicated budget.
Submit the following to the Office of Sponsored Research and Programs:
- Preliminary narrative and associated documents
- Draft budget in the format provided by the OSRP and budget narrative
- Financial Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form 1 (SFI) for all investigators on a grant proposal
- Routing form, when the budget is final, signed by the PI, Department Chair and Dean
- Any other documents instructed by OSRP
(ii) Review of the Proposal by the University Routing Committee
Routing (securing approval for submission could take up to 5 business days)
When the final budget is approved by the Director of the OSRP the proposal must be approved by the University Routing Committee which consists of Chief Academic Officer (Provost) and the Chief Financial Officer (University Treasurer) or the appointee.
The OSRP will let you know if any changes are required prior to proposal submission to the funding agency.
(iii) Proposal Submission to the Sponsor
Submission (ideally 3 – 4 business days prior to submission deadline)
The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs will generally submit the grant to the funding agency. In certain cases, with the written permission from the OSRP staff, the PI may be permitted to submit the approved documents.
Sufficient time is required to submit grants through online systems because of the potential need to reformat documents, respond to error messages, or reschedule submissions due to limited funder system availability or limited Internet connectivity.
