Research and Scholarship FAQs

Key Information to Look for In the Sponsor's Guidelines

Overview

The Sponsor's Guidelines should be reviewed and outlined carefully (a task that could take at least 1 1/2 hours!). The Principle Investigator and the Unit Research Administrator will both review the guidelines and begin to prepare checklists and timelines. 

The sponsor's proposal guidelinesin the Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Application (ROA) and Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) should be followed exactly. The guidelines may specify and detail the format and sections to be included in the proposal. They may provide evaluation criteria and the number of points of each criterion. 

Note: The guidelines usually require business/cost and technical sections that are independent of each other. 

So critical is the close review of the guidelines that filure to present a proposal in the required format can exclude it from being reviewed (Returned without Review) or cause it to be rejected. 

Key Information for Unit Research Administrators (URAs)

Once PI & Institution eligibility has been determined, note the following:

  • When is the submission due dates?
  • What is the start date and period of performance?
  • What is the total budget allowed? Are there any budget restrictions? What is the IDCR (Indirect Cost Rate)? Is there mandatory cost sharing?
  • Does the sponsor require an Authorized Signature to submit the proposal?
  • What are the required documents for grant application submission?
  • How will the application be submitted (i.e., Email, Online Portal, or Paper)?

Key Information for Principle Investigators (PI's)

Once PI & Institution eligibility has been determined, note the following: 

  • When is the submission due date and the start date and period of performance?
  • What are the funding goals, priorities, performance and personnel requirements? 
  • What are the required proposal sections/components, topics to be addressed?
  • What is the specified proposal format (including font type & size, margins, spacing, page limits, etc.)?
  • What are the budget limits and restrictions? Is there madatory cost sharing?
  • What guidelines provide information on the review criteria, scoring, and timetable?
  • Who is the Program Officer or point of contact for additional guidance?