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For Proposal Preparation, Review and Submission Procedures, see our 4 primary procedure documents below in PDF format.

Below are some helpful links organized sequentially across the proposal submission process.

Need Help? Contact SPA

SPA Research and Financial Administrators are aligned with departments. If you require assistance or have questions with any aspect of the sponsored project lifecycle, please reach out to your assigned RA or FA.

SPA Proposal Submission Deadline - Two (2) Business Days Prior to Sponsor Deadline

Prepare and Submit using ̽̽Click - Grants

PIs and/or department administrators prepare and create submission ready Funding Proposals with budgets using ̽̽Click - Grantsand when ready initiate the electronic workflow to collect ̽̽ approvals, prior to submission to a sponsor.

Ready to submit Funding Proposals should arrive in SPA, two (2) business days before the sponsor published deadline.

Funding Proposalmeans all sponsored project proposals, new, resubmissions, competing renewals, supplemental proposals, and pre-proposals requiring detailed budgets.

Submit ̽̽Click - Gifts in Support of Research

  • Effective January 1, 2021, Gifts in support of Research in amounts of $25,000 or moreare to be created routed using the ̽̽Click – Funding Proposal module.
  • Gifts in Support of Research do not include gifts received from individuals or in the form of an endowment, professorship or scholarship.
  • See ̽̽Click - Gifts in Support of Research for details.

Budget Development Information

Creating a budget is part of the ̽̽Click - Funding Proposal process.

The expectation is for PIs and/or department administrative staff to prepare budgets that are in compliance with ̽̽, sponsor and federal policy requirements.

SPA Research Administrators are available to answer questions as the budget development process unfolds and help clarify matters of cost allowability and compliance with Sponsor and ̽̽ rules and regulations.

Define your Project Purpose / Activity Codes

For definitions and examples see:Purpose / Activity Codes

Proposal Approval Process (PI, Dept, College, SPA)

A typical ̽̽Click - Funding Proposal requires 4 levels of approval:

  1. Principal Investigator (certification)
  2. Department (Chair or designee)
  3. College (Dean or designee)
  4. Sponsored Project Administration (Authorized Official)

Click on Image to Enlarge

Department Chair or Designee:

Reviews and approves proposals for consistency with department policies and procedures and University requirements.

Department reviews typically include an assessment and approval of the following:

  • Budget is accurate; costs are allowable, reasonable and allocable to the project; personnel listed are available and qualified to participate in the project; Institutional Base Salary (IBS) is accurate; any proposed cost-share is accurate and documented; F&A is accurate, facilities are available; PI meets ղ’s PI Eligibility requirements.

College Dean or Designee:

Reviews and approves proposals for consistency with college policies and procedures as well as various institutional requirements.

College reviews typically include an assessment and approval of the following:

  • Personnel listed are available and qualified to participate in the project; Institutional Base Salary (IBS) is accurate; any proposed cost-share is accurate and approvals documented; F&A is accurate, facilities are available; PI meets ղ’s PI Eligibility requirements.

Sponsored Project Administration:

Performs a final review of the proposal to ensure compliance with all rules and regulations prior to submission to the sponsor. Acts as ղ’s Authorized Official, providing an institutional endorsement for all proposals to external sponsors.

Principal Investigator Certification

All funding proposals prior to submission to a sponsor must be PI certified. The PI certification is provided within ̽̽Click - Grants.

The submitting PI may certify at anytime, from anywhere, once a funding proposal record is started in ̽̽Click.

In the case of an NIH multiple PI (MPI) submissions, all PIs must certify.

For example if a Funding Proposal was started by a department administrator, ̽̽Click will notify the submitting PI or all the MPIs by email which includes a hyperlink to the Funding Proposal. The PI will click on the hyperlink, login and click the PI certify button.

Submission to Sponsor

Once SPA has completed its review and has obtained the ̽̽ Authorized Institutional Approval, SPA will coordinate with the Principal Investigator (or the designated person) to submit the approved proposal to the sponsor in accordance with the sponsor's submission requirements.

Grants.gov Submissions

For most federal sponsors, SPA submits directly from ̽̽Click - Grants, using system to system functionality to Grants.gov.

Other Electronic Submission

PIs will use to create the funding proposal and route for internal approvals. After approvals are obtained PI and SPA will follow the sponsor's proposal submission process. Some of these systems will require SPA to submit, others allow the PI to submit directly.

Coordinate all electronic submissions with your designated SPA Research Administrator.

Proposal Post Submission Tracking

After submission of the Funding Proposal to the sponsor, PIs, Deans, Chairs, and Department Administrators can track the status of the Funding Proposal in ̽̽Click.

NIH JIT and Other Post Submission Change Request

NIH uses a Just-in-Time (JIT) procedure to collect additional information from the applicant, where the application is under consideration for funding.

PIs and the Institution's Signing Official will be notified (primarily by e-mail) when Just-in-Time information is needed. A JIT request is not a Notice of Award nor should it be construed to be an indicator of possible funding.

Applicants should only submit this information when requested.

NIH requires JIT submissions be submitted using the JIT eRA Commons functionality and endorsed by an SPA Signing Official.

Using ̽̽Click - JIT/Post Submission Update Activity

All JIT requests and Other Requests for Post Submission Updates, regardless of Sponsor, must be coordinated with SPA.

If SPA receives a request for additional Information, best practice will have SPA make a JIT/Post Submission Update request to the PI thru . The PI and/or the department administrator using the ̽̽Click respond functionality will submit the information to SPA for confirmation and submission to the sponsor.

Project Personnel Roles

Principal Investigator:

The individual who is responsible for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically.

Multiple PI’s:

Multiple Principal Investigator awards are an opportunity for multidisciplinary efforts and collaboration through a team of scientists under a single grant award. All PIs share equally the authority and responsibility for leading and directing the project, intellectually and logistically. Each PI is equally responsible and accountable for the proper conduct of the project, including the submission of all required reports. The first PI listed for NSF and the listed “contact” PI for NIH becomes the primary liaison with the Sponsor.

Senior/Key Personnel

  • The Principal Investigator and other individuals who contribute to the scientific development or execution of a project in a substantive, measurable way, whether or not they request compensation.
  • The effort of senior/key personnel devoted to a project is expressed in terms of “person months” greater than zero. If consultants are considered senior/key personnel, they must have measurable effort expressed in person months. If consultants are considered senior/key personnel, they must have measurable effort expressed in person months.
  • "Zero percent" effort or "as needed" is not acceptable levels of involvement for those designated as Senior/Key Personnel. The prior approval requirement for changes in the status of personnel applies only to those senior/key personnel named in the NOA.
  • NIH identifies in the NOA senior/key personnel other than the PD/PI(s) and may identify individuals that are considered critical to the project, those if absent from the project would have a significant impact on the approved scope of the project. "Zero percent" effort or "as needed" is not acceptable levels of involvement for those designated as Senior/Key Personnel. The prior approval requirement for changes in the status of personnel applies only to those senior/key personnel named in the NOA.

Other Significant Contributors

  • Other Significant Contributors commit to the scientific development or execution of the project, but do not commit any specified measurable effort to the project.

Consultant

  • An individual who provides professional advice or services for a fee, but not as an employee of the University. Generally, a consultant is not considered senior/key personnel. However, if the consultant contributes to the scientific development or execution of a project substantively and measurably, he/she could be designated as senior/key personnel.

̽̽ Core Research Facilities

̽̽'s shared facilities and resources provide researchers with the sophisticated equipment and methodologies that help expand their work.

Subaward / Subcontract Requirements

For all proposed outgoing subawards that will be included in a ̽̽ proposal, Principal Investigators are asked to obtain from the subrecipient, a subaward proposal that has been administratively approved by the subrecipient’s authorized official.

For more detail information see:

Research Data Management Plans/2023 NIH DMS Policy/Budgeting for NIH DMS Plans

Need assistance with developing a Research Data Management Plan, please contact ̽̽'s Data Librarian who will help create a high-quality research data management plan that meets ̽̽ and sponsor requirements.

For assistance with the new 2023 NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy see the following web resource:

Reasonable, allowable costs may be included in NIH budget requests, see the following NIH web resource:

̽̽ Research Impacts (Broader Impacts)

Many grant applications now require broader impact statements be included.

If you need assistance, ̽̽ Research Impacts is a collaborative effort of Research Development, the Office of Engagement, and Professional and Continuing Education.

Research Impacts services include:

  • Assistance with Broader Impact Statements
  • Consultations with research impacts professionals representing each office
  • Seminars and workshops

Please contact ̽̽ Research Impacts to take advantage of this fantastic new resource.

NSF Safe and Inclusive Working Environments for Off-Campus or Off-Site Research

Effective January 30, 2023, all proposals being submitted to NSF directly or as a subrecipient that include research being conducted off-campus or off-site, a Safe and Inclusive Working Environments Plan must be in place for that proposal.

The completed Plans are not intended to be submitted to the NSF as part of the proposal, however, upon submission SPA certifies that such a plan is in place.

See: Instructions for Principal Investigators at time of Proposal and at time of Award

Conflict of Interest Disclosures

ղ’s Financial Conflict of Interest in Sponsored Research Policy requires all Investigators participating in externally funded research at ̽̽ to make an annual disclose of all Significant Financial Interests (SFI) held by themselves, their spouses, and their dependent children related to their institutional responsibilities.

At time of award acceptance, for those disclosures that indicate a Significant Financial Interest (SFI), SPA will trigger a Research Certification update.

All research certifications where a SFI exists will be reviewed to determine if the SFI is a Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI). Where a FCOI exists, award funds may not be released into PeopleSoft financials until the FCOI is either eliminated or managed. Our Research Compliance Officer will assist you with this process.

To make your annual FCOI disclosure login to .

Compliance Reviews

To be eligible for federal funds, ̽̽ must comply with all federal regulations including those related to protection of human subjects, vertebrate animals, and handling of biohazardous and radioactive materials. The regulations require review and monitoring of these regulated activities during the life of the project/protocol.

NIH Clinical Trial Information and Forms

  • See NIH Application Instructions at (HS/CT) for detailed information.

Other Helpful Documents Created by ̽̽

Updated 5/18/23