Proposal Development and Submission

Proposal development and submission is the initial stage in the award lifecycle of research administration. It is important that the process is collaborative between principal investigators, the department/college and the Office of Sponsored Programs staff to ensure full institutional support. Each party has specific responsibilities. While the principal investigator is the initiator of all actions related to the sponsored project, sponsored program officers provide the official institutional signature by submitting the proposal.

To ensure fair and equitable support to all units, investigators are required to comply with the Sponsored Programs Proposal Submission Timeline Requirements and to provide notification of intended proposal submissions by completing the Sponsored Programs Submission Intake Form. Investigators submitting through units with their own proposal intake procedures must comply with those units’ timelines and do not need to complete the Sponsored Programs Intake Form.

Prior to undertaking any sponsored award, it is important that all principal investigators understand the administrative requirements of the award. Each announcement contains specific proposal requirements. When preparing the proposal, the budget should be derived directly from the project description. Refer to the institutional information page for general information, rates and codes required in the proposal. It is important to understand the characteristics of sponsors in general as well as specifics about the sponsor you are considering. Each sponsor is different, so it is best to check the sponsor’s website for solicitation guidelines and forms. Explore the topics below for details intended to guide the process from proposal development through submission.