SIUC SPONSORED PROJECT GUIDE

   Section 3: Proposal Preparation

3.1  The Proposal Process: A Start-to-Finish Outline

Careful preparation of proposals—from project design through proposal submission—is paramount to success in getting funded. To make the process run smoothly, we suggest that principal investigators (PIs) use the following guidelines. Note that you must allow sufficient time for review by your chair and dean and review and submission by ORDA.

  • When you've found a grant program to which you'd like to apply, obtain and review the program guidelines and application materials. Determine if the proposal will need to be submitted electronically to the agency; if so, you may need to register with that agency's system. If you need assistance, contact ORDA. We have posted guidelines for working with the Grants.gov system, NSF's FastLane system, and the Dept. of Education's e-Grants system.

  • If the grant program limits the number of proposals or letters of intent it will accept from an institution, you must submit a Notification of Intent to Apply to a Grant Program to ORDA 30 calendar days in advance of the deadline. See the policy on Limited Proposal Submissions.

  • Even if submissions are not limited by the agency, we recommend that you contact the ORDA research project specialist assigned to your college, and let him or her know what program you will be applying to and where the guidelines can be obtained. If you wish, he or she will be happy to meet and discuss ideas about the proposal. (ORDA's Proposal Submission Policy requires that you notify your ORDA contact at least one week before you plan to submit a grant proposal.) It's also often a good idea to discuss your ideas briefly with the program officer at the granting agency before you begin working on a proposal.

  • If special University resources or cost sharing will be required for the project, get those commitments lined up with your chair or dean. Do the same for any third-party commitments or subcontracting institutions that the project will involve.

  • If the agency requires that the University assume the project after the grant ends, you should get your chair and dean to agree to that arrangement before you begin working on the proposal.

  • Extra lead time in planning is a good idea when the proposal:

    • involves several investigators or other institutions.
    • involves an especially complicated budget or matching funds.
    • requires unusually extensive agency certifications.
    • is required by the agency to be submitted electronically, in part or in whole, and you have not previously been through the process with that agency. In such cases, alert your ORDA project specialist that you are working on an electronic submission. Read Special Notes on Electronic Proposal Submission for some issues to be aware of.

  • Prepare a draft of the proposal. Writing the Proposal Narrative, section 3.4 below, walks you through the process. If you need more guidance, talk to your colleagues or to your project specialist at ORDA.

  • If you allow time to circulate the proposal for internal peer review, you may be able to improve the proposal—and your chances of being funded—by taking colleagues' feedback into account.

  • Prepare a draft of the budget using an Excel Spreadsheet. See section 3.5 below, Preparing the Budget. To assist you, ORDA has posted a Budget Planning Form, a Standard Budget Template, and instructions. If you need more guidance, meet with your ORDA project specialist, or e-mail him/her a copy of the draft budget spreadsheet to review and comment on. Allow time for making suggested changes!

  • If you need matching funds from the Vice Chancellor for Research, complete the request form on ORDA's web site and send it and the necessary attachments to him. Allow as much lead time as you can. Your request will be more likely to receive some funding if your chair and/or dean have given matching funds, too, and if the grant award would generate full indirect-cost returns. Note that any match must be cited in the proposal narrative or budget justification if it does not appear in the budget. It also must be indicated on the Proposal/Award Checklist.

  • Revise and complete the proposal and budget. If the application is an electronic one, be sure to follow the agency's directions for uploading sections. If you have difficulty, call ORDA. Also fill out any forms required by the agency. (In many cases you will be filling out forms online, on an agency's electronic submission system.) Call ORDA if you need assistance. Much of the institutional information you will need to fill out forms is available in section 4.1 of this guide.

  • Research compliances: You must apply for and receive institutional approval if the proposed project will involve human subjects, human stem cells, vertebrate animals, hazardous biological, chemical, or radiological substances, or recombinant DNA. See section 5.1, #3.

  • Complete and sign the Proposal/Award Checklist. Contact your ORDA research project specialist if you have any questions about the form. Be sure to itemize all SIUC and third-party contributions, if any, on the checklist.

  • Take a printout of the grant application (proposal narrative, budget, and agency forms) and the Proposal/Award Checklist, to your chair and dean for their review and signatures. See section 5 of this guide, Proposal Submission, for a list of things they will be looking for. Allow plenty of time in case they want changes before approving the proposal. ORDA recommends that the proposal be approved by the chair and sent to the dean's office two weeks prior to the date that the proposal must be mailed.

  • Bring the proposal, budget, and Proposal/Award Checklist to your ORDA research project specialist for review. If the granting agency is not NIH, NSF, DOE, USDA, or ED, bring any special forms required by the agency, too. Be sure to meet ORDA's deadlines for proposal submission.

  • ORDA reviews the grant application to see if everything is in order. We make sure that the budget is accurate and conforms with University, state, federal, and funding agency policies. We check things like cost-sharing provisions. Then we provide the final institutional signature.

  • Electronic submissions: ORDA "pushes the button" to submit the proposal or authorizes you as PI to do the same, depending on how the agency's system is set up.

  • Nonelectronic submissions: If you bring the grant application at least two working days before it has to be mailed, ORDA will photocopy and mail the proposal for you after signing off on it. Otherwise, these steps are your responsibility. ORDA will pay for first-class mailing, but you must pay for any expedited mailing. See section 5.5 of this guide, ORDA Review and Submission.

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3.2  How ORDA Can Help with Proposal Development

ORDA's research project specialists can assist you with proposal development in many ways. They can:

  • facilitate interdisciplinary working groups.
  • help you refine your ideas or the scope of the project.
  • suggest funding sources.
  • give you feedback about the proposal.
  • give you guidance on the budget, or walk you through the budget preparation process.
  • discuss funding agency priorities.
  • explain funding agency review processes.
  • help interpret reviewers' comments on rejected proposals.
  • advise you about proposal resubmissions.

Advance planning with a project specialist can help you develop a more competitive proposal. It allows you to better determine project needs and costs, reducing or eliminating the need for last-minute revisions to the proposal or budget. Finally, it will ensure ahead of time that the proposal meets agency requirements and University policies.

Please allow sufficient lead time to consult with ORDA. It's a good idea to meet with a project specialist early in the planning process—if possible, several weeks ahead of the grant deadline. This is especially important if you are new to proposal writing. To make an appointment with the project specialist who works with your college, call ORDA (453-4540) or see About ORDA for e-mail links.

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3.3  What Do Funding Agencies Look for in Proposals?

As you write the grant proposal and prepare the budget, try to keep in mind the perspective of an agency reviewer. The following considerations can enable you to spot sections of the proposal that lack required information or that could be improved to strengthen the case for the project. Although every funding agency has its own criteria for review, these are key:

  • Does the proposal clearly establish or document the need for the project? Does it make the case for what is innovative about the project? Would the project make an important contribution to its field?

  • Are project objectives realistic and measurable? Do the objectives lead logically to the achievement of project goals?

  • Is the project design adequate for achieving the project objectives? Do proposed activities build sufficiently on existing literature/research? Is enough information provided about the methodology to judge that it is sound and appropriate? Is data collection adequately planned, and is proposed data analysis appropriate for the aims of the project?

  • Is a detailed timetable provided? Can the planned activities reasonably be carried out in the time allotted?

  • Is institutional support for the project clearly indicated and sufficient?

  • Is the function of the principal investigator described in detail? Does the PI have the qualifications and experience to carry out the project? What is his or her track record—publications, previous grant support—in the area of interest?

  • Are other key personnel well qualified? Are staff resources sufficient and appropriate for carrying out the project, or does it seem likely that the project will be understaffed or overstaffed? Are job responsibilities and time commitments clearly delineated?

  • Are the facilities and equipment adequate for the needs of the project? Is there a clear need for any equipment requested? Is the request reasonable?

  • Are other resources adequate for the needs of the project? Is planned use of resources efficient and cost-effective?

  • Are the costs reasonable? Are they adequate, or do they underestimate or overestimate likely project expenses? Does the budget justification present a clear rationale for the funding requested?

  • Does the application contain all required sections and materials using the order, format, and terminology specified by the agency/program guidelines?

  • Is the overall proposal well-written, logical, and persuasive?

  • Is the proposal presented well, with easily readable type, clearly distinguishable subheads, sufficient margins, etc.? If the agency stipulates a minimum point size for text, a maximum title length, and so forth, does the proposal meet those requirements?

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3.4  Writing the Proposal Narrative

Tailor your grant proposal to the funding agency you've targeted. The application guidelines will describe funding priorities and required project emphases. The guidelines also will set forth the requirements for proposals: page length, mandatory sections, etc. Follow the guidelines to the letter. Ignoring them is the fastest route to a rejection.

Often the funding agency will require a letter of inquiry, concept paper, or preproposal first, rather than a full proposal. A letter of inquiry, sometimes called a query letter or letter of intent (LOI), briefly outlines your proposed research and requested level of funding. A concept paper, sometimes called a white paper, is usually more detailed and thus longer. A preproposal is an abbreviated proposal. The program guidelines will set a page limit and specify what information is required. The agency will then request a full proposal or more information if it has some interest in your idea. Letters of inquiry, concept papers, and preproposals that include budget figures or a commitment of University resources must go through the same institutional proposal review/sign-off process as full proposals. Otherwise, they may be submitted informally.

Noncompeting continuation applications often require only a progress report to the funding agency in order for the researcher to receive the next year's funding. Some agencies, however, require new budget pages, an updated proposal, or both. Such an application also must go through the institutional review/sign-off process. Check the program guidelines.

If you're a newcomer to grants, or if you're planning a complex project, it's a good idea to discuss the project and budget with your ORDA project specialist before writing a detailed proposal. Given sufficient lead time, the specialist can review your draft proposal and budget on request. Call 453-4540 to make an appointment with the staff member assigned to your college. ORDA staff will give grant-writing workshops on request for departments and colleges. Also see Proposal-Writing Tips.

Every full proposal contains a narrative with various sections, a budget, and sometimes a cover sheet or appendices. Each agency has its own required proposal format. The sections described below are the most commonly requested.

1. Title page/cover sheet

The title should be succinct and reflect the basic purpose of the project. Some funding agencies limit the length of project titles. The agency may require you to fill out a cover sheet—a form with detailed information about the application. If not, include a simple title page as part of the proposal narrative.

2. Abstract/summary

Though brief (from 100 to 500 words, depending on agency requirements), the abstract is one of the most important parts of the proposal. It should give agency reviewers an overview of the project, including need, objectives, planned activities, expected outcomes, and plans for disseminating findings. Consequently, it should be written after these sections are complete. The abstract or summary should be understandable to colleagues outside your disciplinary niche.

3. Statement of problem or need; literature review

Why is the project needed? How will it make a significant contribution to the field? What new ground will it cover? How will it build on previous work? This section should answer these questions, making a strong case for the proposed project.

To show that a problem or need exists, this section generally includes a literature review describing relevant work in the field. Proposals for research projects, in particular, must demonstrate familiarity with related research and explain how the proposed project fits in. Proposals for training or service projects should document the need through statistical or demographic data.

The statement of problem or need should be specific, not general; concrete, not vague.

4. Goals and objectives

This section identifies what the project is intended to achieve. What are the expected outcomes? Both goals and objectives should be outlined here. Goals are general statements about ideal project outcomes. Objectives should be specific, measurable, and compatible with stated project goals.

5. Procedures/methodology

This section describes the planned project in detail and usually is structured chronologically. Activities related to each objective should be discussed. How will experiments be designed and conducted, services provided, training accomplished, etc.? What is the study population? Who are the participants? How will the work be organized? What is the time frame? What data will be generated, and what statistical techniques will be used to analyze the data?

This section is the heart of the proposal. The project design should derive logically from the stated problem or need and should lead clearly to achievement of the stated goals and objectives. Applicants often err in not providing enough solid, well-planned detail about the project design and methodology.

Another common mistake is setting an overly ambitious scope of work for the project period or the allowable budget. A proposal that crams five years of work into a three-year grant period marks the applicant as an inexperienced researcher. Funding agencies frequently reject such proposals out of hand, without even asking for revision. Colleagues and ORDA's project specialists can provide an objective "reality check" as you work to plan a well-paced, achievable project.

6. Personnel

This section describes the project team. What personnel will be needed, and at what time percentage? What qualifications must they have? How will they be selected? What duties will they perform? To whom will they report?

This section also should describe the background and qualifications of the principal investigator (and other key personnel already identified to work on the project) in relationship to the project goals and objectives. If the project will use consultants, this section should explain the need for them and should describe their credentials and unique qualifications in relationship to the project objectives.

7. Facilities and equipment; resources

What existing facilities and equipment will be used by the project? What advantages do they offer the project? What equipment, if any, does the proposal request funding to purchase or lease? Why is such equipment needed?

8. Dissemination of project results

Methods of sharing the findings or results of the project should be discussed. These might include project reports, journal articles, workshops, presentations at professional conferences, web sites, preparation of a manual or handbook, etc.

9. Plan for continuation of project/sustainability

Particularly in the case of training or service projects, many funding agencies want to see the benefits or activities of the project last beyond the funding period. In some cases, this is even a requirement for funding. If so, the proposal should outline a plan for continuation in which the grantee institution assumes greater financial responsibility for the project over time, or in which alternative means of funding (fund raising, fees, grants from other agencies, etc.) will be implemented.

10. Project evaluation

A plan for determining the effectiveness of the project must be presented. How will project staff or consultants evaluate whether the objectives have been met? What kinds of data and other information will be collected, and how will they be analyzed? The proposal may include plans for both ongoing evaluation (so that any needed changes can be made to the project) and final evaluation. These activities may be carried out by project personnel or an external evaluator.

11. Budget and budget justification

See the following section. Budgets can be quite complex, and they require knowledge of typical costs and of University fiscal policies. The budget also depends on the project scope and design.

12. Appendices/attachments

Some funding agencies require you to include certain material—article reprints, for example—as appendices. Otherwise, include appendices only if the agency allows them (some do not), and keep them brief. Use only directly relevant supporting material that will strengthen the case for the project. In proposals for training or service projects, for instance, this is the place for letters of endorsement from participating organizations or prominent individuals. Curricula vitae for key personnel occasionally are included in the appendices, but more typically go in a section within the proposal itself. Do not use appendices to circumvent the agency's page limit for proposals. Some funding agencies do not require reviewers to read appendices.

Allow plenty of time for revising, editing, and proofreading the proposal. Sloppy writing, illogical organization, inaccurate references, unnecessary jargon, and typos are obstacles that frustrate reviewers, undercutting support for even the best of ideas.

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3.5  Preparing the Budget

Although budget preparation is your responsibility as the PI, you may want to discuss the project and budget in advance with your ORDA project specialist. This can help you better determine project costs and ensure that the budget will conform to University fiscal policies, reducing or eliminating the need for last-minute revisions. Project specialists will also review a draft budget if you e-mail it to them. All final proposal budgets are checked at ORDA before the institutional signature can be obtained and the proposal submitted to the agency. See section 5 of this guide, Proposal Submission.

ORDA's web site posts an Excel budget spreadsheet with SIUC's fringe benefit rates and the standard on-campus F&A (indirect cost) rate built into the formulas. Spreadsheet instructions are available as Word or PDF files. Also available is a Budget Planning Form that can help you estimate project costs and develop your spreadsheet.

As an estimate of project costs, the budget should reflect the decisions you have made in planning the project. Be sure to read the cost-sharing guidelines in section 10 of this guide before getting into budget details. Budget considerations can affect many aspects of the proposal, including the scope of work planned, the anticipated time frame, and the personnel involved.

Every budget expense must be supported by the proposal narrative. When you write your budget justification (see item #9 below), you will need to refer back to the proposal to justify how you arrived at your budget figures: why given personnel are needed at the percentages indicated, how new equipment will be used, why you are requesting the amounts you are for travel, supplies, etc.

The budget should reflect the principle of "best-effort" work within the specified time frame. Once the budget becomes part of an award agreement, it represents a legal commitment. Personnel must be involved on the project to the extent indicated, equipment must be purchased as specified, and so on. Some funding agencies allow fairly wide latitude in reallocating funds between budget lines, but others strictly limit or don't allow reallocation.

Standard budget items are grouped in different ways by different funding agencies. Here are the most common, along with the considerations they involve. As the principal investigator, you'll need to address these questions before the final budget can be prepared. They must be worked out in relation to two overriding concerns: (1) the funding limit imposed by the sponsor, and (2) the project time frame and goals.

1. Salaries and wages

What personnel will be involved? What percentage of each individual's time will be contributed by the University, and what percentage will be requested from the funding agency? Note that base salaries of current faculty and staff may be adjusted for future budget years for reasonable inflation (ranges from 3% to 5%).

  • Faculty: Cost is expressed as monthly salary X percentage of time X number of months on the project. Cost sharing of faculty time on budgets is based on the percentage of effort that faculty will contribute to the project during the time that the University is paying their salary—generally 9 or 12 months. See cost-sharing guidelines. The percentage of faculty time committed on grants and contracts, whether charged to the agency or contributed by SIUC, cannot total more than the percentage of time approved by their department and college for research activities. This percentage of effort should reflect reality based on the size of the project, and should be agreed upon by the chairs of the departments/units involved. The percentage of time cited in the budget for all project personnel is a legally binding, auditable commitment.

  • Administrative/professional staff: Includes researcher/scientist classifications and other types of positions. Cost is expressed as monthly salary X percentage of time X number of months on the project.

  • Civil service staff: Cost is usually expressed as an hourly rate X number of hours per month X number of months on the project.

  • Postdoctoral fellows: Compensation for postdoctoral fellows is negotiable, but must be at least the full-time monthly rate for doctoral-level graduate assistants in the principal investigator's department. Cost is expressed as monthly salary x percentage of time x number of months on the project. Although a fellow may work on more than one grant, postdoctoral fellowships are 100%, 12-month appointments (i.e., there are no part-time postdoc positions).

  • Graduate assistants: Salary rates vary by level (master's vs. Ph.D.) and by unit. Graduate students on grants are paid the rate set for the principal investigator's department. Cost is expressed as monthly salary (100% stipend in column B of the Excel spreadsheet) X percentage of time (50% is standard; put 0.5 in column D of the spreadsheet) X number of months on the project. Under the recently approved GA contract, principal investigators also must budget in a percentage of the Primary Care Fee for each semester the GA will be employed; see our Graduate Assistantship Stipends page for details. Our budget spreadsheet will soon incorporate a line for PIs to fill in the appropriate amount.

  • Student workers: Cost is expressed as hourly wage X number of hours per week X number of weeks on the project. (Student workers may not exceed 29 1/2 work hours per week and are usually limited to 20.)

  • Consultants: Daily consulting rates will vary and may be limited by the funding agency.

    Internal consultants: SIUC faculty/staff who will provide consulting services to the project are paid from a salary line. Be sure to read the section on internal consultants in section 8 of this guide. The compensation rate may not exceed the individual's normal salary rate, and services provided cannot exceed an average of one day per week during the individual's normal appointment period. The proposal narrative must give the name of each internal consultant, describe the expertise needed for the project, and justify the selection of an internal consultant. Some funding agencies restrict or discourage the use of internal consultants because of concerns about possible conflicts of interest. Also, faculty within the same department may not serve as consultants on their colleagues' sponsored projects.

    External consultants: Payment is expressed as daily compensation rate X number of consulting days. On agency budget forms, external consultants generally are included under "Contractual Services," "Consultants," or "Other." If the consultant is not an independent contractor, add a fringe benefits percentage to cover Social Security and Medicare contributions (see "Fringe Benefits" below). Travel costs and lodging/meal allowances for external consultants are typically budgeted under "Contractual Services" rather than under "Travel." [More information on external consultants...]

2.  Fringe benefits

What personnel on the project will require a fringe benefits allowance to be included in the budget? Fringe benefits include medical/dental/life insurance, and retirement/Medicare contributions.

Fringe benefits must be budgeted in grants for all faculty, A/P staff, civil service staff, postdoctoral fellows, extra-help employees, and retired SIU employees who have salary being charged to the grant. If the grant includes salary for such personnel (including the principal investigator), it must also include the appropriate amount for fringes. See fringe benefit rates.

Fringe benefits are not provided to graduate assistants or student workers.

In the case of internal consultants, external consultants, and retired SIUC employees who do not have salary being charged to the grant, consult your ORDA project specialist.

3.  Equipment

Is equipment an allowable expense under the grant program guidelines? If so, give exact specifications for any equipment that must be purchased or leased to carry out the project. On federal grants and contracts, equipment or equipment components costing less than $5,000 are categorized as commodities. The equipment threshold on nonfederal grants and contracts is lower and varies. For instance, it is $500 on many state grants. Check the program guidelines.

4. Travel

Will the project involve some travel? If so, the following must be considered: number of trips; length (day trips vs. overnight); destinations (domestic vs. foreign travel, metropolitan vs. rural areas); type of transportation; number of persons traveling. These considerations will affect the per diem and lodging allowances requested.

Domestic travel reimbursement limits are posted on SIUC's travel web portal; see "Travel Regulations and Policies," then "Reimbursement Schedule." International per-diem/lodging limits are posted on this State Dept. web page. Note that the figures given are maximums. If you're familiar with the country you're traveling to, use figures that you know to be more realistic (and affordable).

5. Commodities (materials and supplies)

What goods and supplies are needed for the project? This category covers office and lab supplies, and printing. It also covers equipment up to a certain cost threshold, depending on the grant (see "Equipment," above).

6. Contractual services

What services will be required by the project? This category covers a host of items, including software, photocopying, postage, telephone service, fees for research facility services, lab testing fees, payments for participants in research experiments, fees for external consultants, page charges for journal articles, subcontracts, etc. (Note: On agency budget forms, this category often is headed "Other Direct Costs" or "Other Expenses.")

7. F&A (indirect) costs

SIUC's federally negotiated facilities and administrative (F&A) cost rate, more commonly referred to as indirect costs or overhead, is applied to funding requests made to external sponsors. The F&A rate varies depending on whether the project is for research/training or for other activities and whether its primary activities will take place on or off campus.

If the agency's standard allowable rate is lower than the relevant institutional rate, you must provide ORDA written documentation of the agency's official public policy on F&A costs reimbursement. ORDA project specialists do not negotiate modifications to SIUC's F&A cost rates; approval to modify the rate for a specific project can only be given by the ORDA director.

In the case of full F&A cost recovery, the relevant institutional rate is applied on the proposal's modified total direct costs (MTDC), which exclude the following budget items: equipment, space rental costs, capital expenses, stipends, tuition waivers, and subcontract amounts in excess of $25,000. If the agency's reimbursement rate is lower than SIUC's federally audited rate, no budget items are excluded from total direct costs unless the agency's policy stipulates otherwise.

More discussion of the University's indirect costs policy....

8. Cost-sharing provisions

Does the funding agency require that the University or outside organizations contribute a certain percentage (match) of the cost of the project? Make sure you're familiar with the cost-sharing guidelines in section 10 of this guide.

Most of SIUC's cost sharing involves salary and fringe benefit contributions for the faculty who will work on the project. Percentage of faculty time devoted to the project should be as accurate an estimate as possible; this is a legally binding, auditable commitment.

Other cost sharing involves a cash match by the University—e.g., for equipment or non-key personnel such as GAs and researchers. Some agencies don't want to see matching funds included in the budget. When that is the case, however, you must cite the match somewhere in the budget justification or proposal narrative (probably in the Resources section) and indicate it when you fill out the Proposal/Award Checklist at the proposal submission stage. This sounds trivial, but it isn't: it allows SIUC to recoup the maximum amount possible from an Illinois Board of Higher Education program that partially reimburses state universities for their matching funds investments.

Still other cost sharing involves third-party commitments of time, cash match, or donations. In working with parties external to the University, be aware that principal investigators must monitor and account for any time or money contributions from outside sources during the course of the project.

9. Budget justification

Most funding agencies require that a budget justification accompany the budget. This section of the proposal gives the rationale for the requests made in the budget. It explains the need for the items budgeted in terms of the planned project activities. The budget justification enables the agency reviewer to determine if projected costs are adequate and reasonable. It's a good idea to use the same categories on the justification pages as the agency uses in its budget forms.

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3.6  Research Compliances

The government and the University require institutional approval for research projects that will involve human subjects, human stem cells, vertebrate animals, or hazardous biological, chemical, or radiological substances (including recombinant DNA). Obtaining these research compliances is the responsibility of the principal investigator. Ideally, you should obtain approvals before you submit the proposal. Some funding agencies will not review proposals that lack necessary institutional approvals or will not make the grant award unless approvals are in place. In all cases, the research project cannot begin without documentation of necessary compliances.

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3.7  Assurances, Representations, and Certifications

Numerous legal assurances, representations, and certifications must accompany most grant and contract proposals. For example, various forms may be required by the agency to assure that SIUC maintains a drug-free workplace, that it is not a debtor institution, that it complies with equal opportunity legislation, etc. Representations and certifications require other information about the institution, such as details of its accounting procedures, travel policies, etc.

With electronic applications, the agency usually requires the PI to fill in information for necessary forms as part of the online application package. For nonelectronic proposal submissions, the PI often must fill out hard-copy forms that require signatures from the ORDA director, or in some cases must get copies of forms from ORDA. If you need guidance, please call your ORDA research project specialist. Institutional Identifications in section 4 of this guide lists various numbers and other information that you may need in preparing your grant application or cover sheet.

3.8  Completing the Grant Application

As you assemble the grant application package, make sure you have followed the funding agency's requirements for preparing the proposal narrative, budget, and application forms. Read Is the Grant Application Ready for Review?, section 5.1 of this guide, as a final check.

Whether the grant application will be submitted electronically or not, you will be circulating a hard copy (narrative, budget, forms) with a Proposal/Award Checklist to your chair and dean for review and signatures, and then to ORDA for review and the final institutional signature. See Proposal Submission. Be aware of ORDA deadlines for proposal submission.

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Questions/comments about the Sponsored Project Guide? Contact Marilyn Davis
Office of Research Development and Administration
Southern Illinois University Carbondale

last updated 6/2/08

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