Investigators should be aware of Office of Research Affairs grant review deadlines

The purpose of this standard operating procedure is to ensure on-time submission of proposals to sponsors following thorough institutional review, optimal coordination of departmental and central office workload, and effective communication between principal investigators and proposal specialists.

This procedure applies to all extramural proposals or applications requiring institutional approval and/or submission. Office of Research Affairs, principal investigator and research administration staff/proposal specialists are responsible for ensuring compliance with this procedure.

Summary

Details

Delays in meeting any internal deadlines will require review and approval by the Associate Dean for Research to determine if proposal submission will move forward.

• Intent to Submit Proposal is completed by proposal specialist with sponsor’s Request for Proposal and submission requirements uploaded for ORA review 30 days in advance of sponsor deadline.
• Final budget, budget justification, IAF, proposal documents and all external documents are due to ORA for first review five business days before sponsor deadline. Budget will be locked down to prevent any changes. All cost-share commitments are to be approved and documented in the IAF. Any further budgetary changes will require approval from the Associate Dean for Research.
• Final proposal (including all document files) is due to ORA 24 hours prior to sponsor deadline (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays). This will allow ORA to ensure that proposal is submission-ready, error-free and submitted/signed for an on-time submission. Major proposal changes require the approval of the Associate Dean for Research.

Note: If review and submission timeline cannot be met by the investigator, they will be required to submit an official request with justification to the Associate Dean for Research (Dr. Sheila Vrana) for permission to move forward with the proposal.

Examples

• If a sponsor deadline is Friday at 5 p.m., in order to meet the five-business-day requirement, the final budget, budget justification, IAF and all external documents must be submitted to ORA by 5 p.m. on the Friday of the previous week.
• If a sponsor deadline is Tuesday at 5 p.m., in order to meet the five-business-day requirement, the final budget, budget justification, IAF and all external documents must be submitted to ORA by 5 p.m. on the previous Tuesday.
• If a sponsor deadline is Monday at 5 p.m., in order to meet the 24-hour deadline excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, the final proposal, including all document files, must be submitted to ORA by 5 p.m. on the Friday before.

The Office of Research Affairs has a planning worksheet that can be requested from the appropriate proposal specialist.