Submission

Multiple Submissions

Identical proposals may be submitted to more than one sponsor at a time provided each sponsor is advised that this has occurred. Each sponsor should be given the name of the other recipients of the proposal and the amount of funds requested. In instances where all sponsors are given the same total project budget, it should be specified as to how much of the total budget is being requested of each individual sponsor and for what purpose those funds will be used. Note: Some sponsors have restrictions on the submission of identical proposals to other sponsors. In the case of submissions to Foundations, the Corporate and Foundation Relations Office must also sign off because many private funders will only allow one proposal per institution.

Final Approval & Transmittal to the Sponsor

The Director of OSRG must approve all applications before they are submitted to the sponsor. Approval to submit the proposal to the sponsor is granted when the Director signs the External Funding Routing Form and, where appropriate, the application cover sheet and other forms as required by the sponsor.

The PI is responsible for making any required copies and transmitting the application to the sponsor. Where proof of mailing is required, the PI is responsible for obtaining appropriate proof and retaining it for future reference.

Proposal Submission Deadlines

In order to ensure adequate time for review, for notification of any problems or corrections that need to be made, and for institutional endorsement, (see “University Authorized” signature policy) hardcopy proposals should be submitted to OSRG at least five business days prior to a sponsor’s designated deadline. Based on recent experience, more time is needed for the OSRG review of electronic submissions through Grants.gov, E-grants (Education) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) FastLane electronic proposal sub­mission systems than for a traditional hardcopy submission. Unlike some last-minute hardcopy submissions in which the PI can take responsibility for a proposal’s completeness and accuracy, electronic submissions cannot be transmitted until all the pieces are in place and OSRG elec­tronically submits the file. This often requires an exchange of elec­tronic access to the file between OSRG and the PI until changes have been made and the information is complete. As a result, OSRG has set an internal deadline for electronic proposal submissions no later than 48 hours prior to the actual deadline. If the electronic proposal has not been released for full review by OSRG (SRO access) at least 48 hours prior to the NSF dead­line, OSRG cannot guarantee that the deadline will be met.

Roles & Responsibilities

Principal Investigator

• The PI requests that OSRG prepare the External Funding Routing Form and provides the data required for its preparation;
• The PI reviews and endorses the External Funding Routing Form and is responsible for its accuracy and completeness;
• The PI is responsible for routing the form in a timely manner to obtain appropriate endorsements;
• In cases where the project involves the use of regulated research resources (e.g., human subjects, vertebrate animals, recombinant DNA, radioisotopes), the PI must so indicate;
• See  Regulatory Compliance;

Department Chair

• The chair approves the proposal with particular attention to accuracy of contract salaries, appropriateness of committed effort, adequacy of the budget relative to the scope of work, appropriateness of the budget justification, and availability of departmental resources. If the chair does not approve the budget, he or she must return it to the PI for resolution;
• The chair is the first level of approval for proposed cost sharing. In cases where the cost sharing involves resources not under the chair's authority, the chair approves and forwards the request to the appropriate administrator, usually the dean of the University or school. If the chair does not approve the cost-sharing request, he or she must return the application to the PI for resolution. See Cost Sharing;
• The chair must approve and recommend to the dean any required or voluntary under-recovery of F&A. See Under-recovery of F&A Costs.

Dean

• The dean approves the proposal with particular attention to commitment of University or school resources. If the dean does not approve the proposal, he or she must return it to the chair and PI for resolution;
• The dean approves proposed cost sharing by the University or school. In cases where the cost sharing involves resources not under the dean's authority, the dean approves and forwards the request to the person with authority to make such commitments. If the dean does not approve the cost-sharing request, he or she returns the application to the chair and PI for resolution. See Cost Sharing;
• The dean may approve under-recovery of F&A costs where required by the sponsor. See Under-recovery of F&A Costs.

Provost

• Approves voluntary under-recovery of F&A. See Under-recovery of F&A Costs.

OSRG

• OSRG prepares the External Funding Routing Form at the request of the PI and relies upon the PI for data required for its preparation;
• OSRG is responsible for final review and acceptance of the External Funding Routing Form;
• In cases where the form indicates the use of regulated research resources (e.g., human subjects, vertebrate animals, recombinant DNA, radioisotopes), OSRG routes the External Funding Routing Form and a copy of the proposal to the Office of Research Compliance;
• OSRG is responsible for coordinating intergovernmental review of proposals subject to Executive Order 12372