Proposal Review Process

1. The Sponsored Program Services (SPS) Pre-Award Administrative Program Coordinator compiles the proposal materials and date/time stamps as received.
2. In order of receipt, the SPS Pre-Award Administrative Program Coordinator enters the proposal information into InfoEd and forwards to the Pre-Award Project Officer.
3. The SPS Pre-Award Project Officer reviews the proposal materials to ensure compliance with institutional and sponsor policies.
4. When the proposal review has been completed, the SPS Pre-Award Project Officer informs the principal investigator and/or department administrator of any changes to be made.  It is the responsibility of the principal investigator and/or department administrator to make the changes.
5. The SPS Pre-Award Project Officer forwards the proposal to the University’s authorized representative for review, approval and signature.
6. For paper proposals or electronic submissions by the principal investigator, SPS returns the signed forms to the principal investigator or department administrator.  It is the responsibility of the principal investigator or department administrator to submit the final proposal to the sponsor.  A full copy of the proposal should be forwarded to SPS.
7. For electronic submissions by SPS, the Pre-Award Project Officer submits the final proposal to the sponsor.  A full copy of the proposal is uploaded and is accessible to the principal investigator and department administrator via InfoEd.
8. The PI and/or department administrator should monitor submission of the proposal through sponsor acceptance of the proposal for review.  This can be done via e-mail from Grants.gov or directly from the sponsor.   If there are errors requiring correction, the PI and/or department administrator makes the necessary corrections and contacts SPS to resubmit.

Proposal Review Requirements

All administrative components of a proposal are due to SPS no later than 5 business days prior to the agency deadline and all scientific components (submission-ready proposal)  are due to SPS by noon the day before the sponsor deadline.  This is in accordance with the Proposal Submission Policy and Due Dates.  This allows SPS to review the proposal thoroughly and identify problems that need to be addressed, as well as allow you ample time to finalize the proposal.

See Proposal Submission Policy and Due Dates

All proposals must be routed through SPS for review and approval prior to submitting to the sponsor to ensure compliance with University, Federal, State, and Sponsor policies and procedures.  Pre-proposals that require electronic submission by SPS, the signature of an authorized official or cost share must be routed through SPS.  If a detailed budget is a requirement of the pre-proposal, it is recommended that the pre-proposal is also routed through SPS. The routing process is not completed until the authorized official in SPS has signed the proposal.

Submissions made prior to approval from SPS are not officially approved and may be administratively withdrawn if the submission is found to be non-compliant with University or agency requirements. If you have submitted a proposal without SPS review, please notify us immediately so we can work with you to route your proposal for the necessary approvals.

Proposal Submission Requirements

The following should be submitted to SPS 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline:

• Completed  Internal Proposal Review Form (Reminder: Due date must be entered or write “No Due Date” if there is no due date)
• Proposal Guidelines from Sponsoring Agency
• Draft of Proposal Science Documents (i.e. summary, narrative, references)
• Budget and Budget Justification
• Cost Sharing Details and Approvals, if applicable
• Subrecipients:  Approved Scope of Work, Budget, Budget Justification, F&A Rate Agreement and signed Information and Compliance Form
• Completed Electronic application, if applicable (final science documents should be provided by noon the day prior to sponsor deadline)

Pre-Proposal Submission Requirements

The following should be submitted to SPS 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline for pre-proposals, Letters of Intent requiring institutional signatory:

• Completed IPAS form
• Proposal Guidelines from Sponsoring Agency
• Draft of Proposal Science (i.e. summary, narrative, references)
• Budget and Budget Justification
• Pdf of draft application

For assistance with preparing your proposal and meeting requirements, please refer to the Proposal Preparation Checklist

If the proposed research involves the use of human subjects, animal subjects, embryonic stem cells, recombinant DNA, or biohazards, Research Compliance Services can assist you in obtaining appropriate review and approval.

Proposal Submission Due Dates

The following proposal submission due dates allow SPS sufficient time to review the proposal thoroughly, identify necessary corrections and make appropriate recommendations.  The review timeframe allows PIs ample time to finalize the proposal prior to submission to sponsors.

Items Required for Submission to SPS	SPS Due Date (# of business days prior to sponsor due date)
Proposal Review Materials for all proposals, including electronic (see Proposal Preparation Checklist for specific requirements)	5 Full Business Days
Electronic Submission (ready to submit)	noon day prior to sponsor deadline

Five (5) Business Days Prior to the Sponsor Due Date

Forward Proposal Review Materials to SPS for review.

• The PI/Dept. should forward the proposal review materials to SPS five (5) business days prior to the due date. The proposal materials should be emailed (sps@uchc.edu).

Noon Day Prior to the Sponsor Due Date

Release Electronic Application with final Science Documents to SPS for Submission to the Sponsor.

• The PI /Dept. should release the final application to SPS noon the day prior to the due date for electronic submission to the sponsor. This allows time for final review and for submittal several hours in advance to minimize possible technology problems and maximize time for corrections in response to system errors indicated by Grants.gov (or other electronic systems).

Late Submission for SPS Due Dates

If proposal materials are not received in SPS by the internal due dates, the proposal is considered late. The proposal is added to the queue and is processed in the order it was received. The PI assumes the risk that there may be insufficient time for adequate proposal review, that he/she may need to correct errors in the electronic submission, and that the sponsor deadline may be missed.

 Proposal Submission on Days that the University has an Unscheduled Closing Due to Inclement Weather

When the University is closed due to inclement weather in accordance with the University’s Emergency Closing Policy, the Pre-Award Team is available to submit proposals due that day. It is at the discretion of the PI whether or not to submit or seek an extension from the sponsor as the University is closed.   Please copy sps@uchc.edu on the extension request, if applicable.  Generally, the decision to accept a late submission is made by the sponsor on a case by case basis.  Please refer to the sponsor’s specific policies on late submissions due to inclement weather.