Grants.gov is a website developed by the federal government to be the single portal for submitting grant applications to 26 federal grant-making agencies. Grants.gov lists all federal grant opportunities and provides a mechanism for applying for those opportunities. Grant applications must be submitted through Grants.gov when required by the federal agency program’s guidelines. Applications sent to Grants.gov are then forwarded to the respective agencies.

Early Submission of Proposals is Highly Recommended. By submitting your Grants.gov application early, SPS will be able to help identify problems that can be corrected to allow submission and acceptance of the proposal by Grants.gov. As such, SPS highly recommends that every effort is made to submit your application to our office no less than 5 business days prior to the agency deadline.

Registration. The University of Connecticut is already registered with Grants.gov. Investigators and departmental personnel need not register.

Receive Grant Opportunity Notifications. Use the Email Subscription feature within Grants.gov to register to receive email notifications of new grant postings. Select the appropriate email subscription option. Enter your email address and other required information if applicable. Click the “Subscribe to Mailing List” button.

Find Grant Opportunities. Use the Search Grants feature within Grants.gov to locate possible funding opportunities. Once you have located the opportunity you want to apply to, select and open. Make note of the CFDA and/or solicitation number (also known as Funding Opportunity Number).

Apply for Funding. Use the Apply for Grants feature within Grants.gov to download the application package. First, under “Step 1 Download a Grant Application and Instructions” click the link to verify that your Adobe software version is compatible with Grants.gov, and download the compatible software if the verification feature indicates that your current version is not compatible. Next, click the “Step 1 Download a Grant Application and Instructions” link. Enter the Funding Opportunity Number or CFDA number. Under “Instruction and Application”, click the download link. Download the application instruction and application package to your computer. (Make note of where the file was saved).

Receive Notifications of Changes to Grant Opportunity. To receive notification of any changes to the opportunity enter your e-mail address and submit prior to downloading the application and instructions. You will be e-mailed if the opportunity is changed and republished on Grants.gov before its closing date.

Complete Application Package

1. Complete the application by filling in the forms and uploading the required attachments into the application package. (Fields required by Grants.gov are highlighted in yellow).  NOTE:  All documents should be converted to PDF using Adobe Acrobat.
2. Save the application and e-mail it to Sponsored Program Services for review and submission.

Submission of Application. SPS will submit the electronic application through Grants.gov. The application package should be forwarded to SPS 3-5 days prior to the agency deadline along with the routing form, budget, budget justification, project abstract, and any consortium documents.  The PI may submit draft attachments in the application for review and continue to update their science during the review process. The final application should be submitted to SPS no later than noon before the deadline date.

Grants.gov Customer Support. Visit Grants.gov support page for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Overview of FY25 Internal Funding Opportunity Timelines (updated 5/04/25)

Table Key:

The SCRO Committee does not replace the oversight of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB), or alter the scope of review of these committees. Protocols that normally require IBC, IACUC and/or IRB approval continue to require these approvals. Investigators have the responsibility of submitting the required documents to the relevant oversight committees. If any component of the research project is conducted at an institution other than UConn, the SCRO Committee must receive documentation that the relevant approvals (IBC, IACUC, or IRB) have been obtained at the institution where the research is conducted.

The SCRO Committee has the final sign-off on stem cell protocol approvals. Final SCRO Committee approval will not be given until the SCRO Committee receives documentation of all required IBC, IACUC and IRB approvals. Continued SCRO approval is contingent upon all other relevant approvals being current. Parallel review with the SCRO Committee and the IRB, IBC or IACUC is permitted. Investigators may submit their protocol applications to the SCRO Committee while IRB, IBC or IACUC approval is pending or after it is granted.

• IBC: All use of recombinant DNA or hazardous biological materials (human cells) must be approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee at the campus where the research will be conducted.
• IACUC: All use of animals must be approved by the IACUC at the campus where the research will be conducted.
• IRB: Because oversight issues of the IRB and the SCRO Committee are intertwined, it is recommended that the IRB and SCRO Committee reviews occur in parallel. Approval must be obtained from the IRB at the campus where the research will occur. Investigators should submit a copy of their IRB application to the SCRO Committee along with their SCRO Committee application. A UConn IRB must review and approve stem cell research protocols for:
  • Informed consent for the donation of human embryos, gametes, or somatic cells from human subjects to UConn researchers;
  • Receiving and coding for human biological materials with personal donor identifiers;
  • Implanting stem cells into human subjects.

Documentation for acquired cells

All stem cell projects are required to have proper documentation for the hESC and hiPSC lines that faculty plan to use before the SCRO Committee can provide final approval.

• Cells derived at another institution or outside UConn require an executed Material Transfer Agreement (MTA).
• Cells coming from the UConn Stem Cell Core facility but developed and owned elsewhere such as the WiCell Stem Cell Bank lines that are banked at the Core require a shortened Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) known as a Short Letter Agreement (SLA). The procedures for obtaining these cells and the required documentation are detailed on the Core website: https://health.uconn.edu/stem-cell-core/services/distribution-of-human-pluripotent-stem-cell-lines/.
• Investigators who plan to use hESC/iPSC lines that have not been previously approved by the UConn SCRO Committee must provide documentation of their provenance and their ethical derivation. This documentation includes:
  • A copy of the fully executed Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)
  • Evidence of IRB approval at the relevant institution
  • Documentation of the informed consent process in sufficient detail to allow for evaluation of conformity with State of Connecticut Regulations, National Academy of Science Guidelines, and standards of the UConn SCRO Committee and IRB.

SCRO Committee Members

Audrey R. Chapman, PhD, Committee Chair, Professor, School of Medicine, Public Health Sciences

Peter Barwick, MD, Physician (retired), Community Member

Eric Bernstein, JD, EdD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Dental Medicine

Stephen Clark, PhD, Associate Professor Emeritus, School of Dental Medicine, Genetics and Genome Sciences

Caroline Dealy, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Dental Medicine, Craniofacial Sciences

Jaime Imitola, MD, Vice Chair of Research in Neurology, School of Medicine

James Mulrooney, PhD, Dean, Professor,  Central Connecticut State University, Biomolecular Science

Leonard Paplauskas, UConn Health, Associate Vice President, Research Administration (retired)

Ted Rasmussen, PhD, Associate Professor, UConn, Pharmaceutical Sciences

Ernst Reichenberger, PhD, Professor, School of Dental Medicine, Center for Regenerative Medicine and Skeletal Development

Richard Tombaugh, PhD, Theologian, Community Member

Isolde Bates, ex officio member, Business Services Manager, Genetics and Genome Sciences

Maureen Sansone, ex officio member, IRB Administrator, The Jackson Laboratory

Ellen Ciesielski, SCRO Coordinator, UConn Health, Research Integrity & Compliance

Submission Deadline: For new registrations, please submit all required materials at least 4 weeks prior to the scheduled meeting date.

SCRO Application Form

SCRO Amendment Form

SCRO Closure Form

SCRO Meetings: The SCRO Committee is scheduled to meet quarterly but can be convened as needed in between scheduled meetings.

For additional resources, please check out the following links:

• International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
  • ISSCR Guidelines
• National Academy of Sciences Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Stem Cell Guidelines
  • NIH stem cell information
  • NIH stem cell research policy and FAQs
  • NIH human embryonic stem cell registry
• Connecticut Department of Public Health
  • Connecticut general statute — embryonic stem cell research
• UConn Stem Cell Core
  • UConn Stem Cell Core’s distribution of human pluripotent stem cell lines
• California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
• The Jackson Laboratory — stem cells
• The Hinxton Group

SCRO approval is required prior to any of the following:

1. All research involving human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) (SCRO approval is required by the State of Connecticut and University policy.)
2. In vitro human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) research involving the generation of gametes, embryos, or other totipotent cells (SCRO approval is required by University policy.)
3. In vivo research involving introduction of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) directly into prenatal animals or into the central nervous system of post-natal animals or elsewhere in the animal where cells could potentially enter the central nervous system (SCRO approval is required by University policy.)
4. Stem cell research project funded by the State of Connecticut through the Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund, including those that do not use human embryonic stem cells (SCRO approval is required by the State of Connecticut.)
5. All research involving the development of brain or neural organoids or embryo organoids using hESCs or hiPSCs
6. All research involving Very Small Embryonic-Like (VSEL) stem cells

Export control laws are federal regulations that govern how certain information, technologies, and commodities can be transmitted overseas or to a foreign national on U.S. soil. The scope of the regulations is broad: they cover exports in virtually all fields of science, engineering, and technology and apply to research activities regardless of the source of funding. Failure to comply with these laws can have serious consequences, both for the institution and for the individual researcher. Potential penalties include fines and possibly imprisonment. It is thus critical for UConn researchers to understand their obligations under these regulations and to work with Research Integrity and Compliance Services to ensure that the University is in compliance.

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) regulate defense articles, services, and related technical data that are identified on the Munitions Control List. They are administered by the Department of State. The Export Administration Regulations regulate the export of dual use items, i.e. items with both military and commercial applications, identified on the Commerce Control List. They are administered by the Department of Commerce. The Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulations (OFAC Regulations) regulate economic trade with foreign countries and administer the statutory economic trade sanctions imposed against several foreign countries. They are administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The Export Control Materials are hosted on the UConn Storrs OVPR website.

If you have any questions about Export Control, please email exportcontrol@uconn.edu.

• Issuance, Review and Execution of the Project Agreement: Because UConn Storrs and UConn Health are separate fiscal entities, a project agreement needs to be executed before funds can be transferred between the two campuses. After the lead organization has received its award, a project agreement is prepared by UConn Storrs SPS unit or UConn Health’s SPS unit. This agreement is emailed to the subawardee’s corresponding unit for review and execution.
  Note: The project agreement must be signed by authorized signatories of both parties. Pls are not authorized to sign.
• Award/Fund Setup: Separate project funds are set up at the lead and sub’s campuses. Prior to fund set-up, all compliance-related approvals should have been obtained, e.g., Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Stem Cell Research Oversight (SCRO)/Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)/Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
• Invoicing: Before invoices can be paid, they must be approved by the lead campus’s principal investigator.
• Amendments: Competitive project periods often span multiple budget years. If the sponsoring agency awards funds on a budget year basis, issuance and execution of amendments will be necessary to next year’s funding after it has been released to the lead organization by the sponsor.
• Carryover of Funding and No-Cost Extensions: Carryover of funds and no-cost extensions (NCE) are not authorized without the lead’s written approval. If needed, at least sixty (60) days prior to the end date of the current budget period the PI(s) should seek approval for any carryover or NCE requests.
• Award Closeout: So that awards may be closed out in accordance with sponsor requirements, final invoices will normally be required no later than 45 days following the termination date of the award project period.

For assistance with cross campus subawards,

• in Storrs contact Cerrone Bell at subawards@uconn.edu, and
• at UConn Health contact Christine Kaminski at kaminski@uchc.edu