What approvals do I need and do I need a Proposal Approval Form (PAF)?
When do I need to get the proposal to your office?
I need specific help with Grants.gov, where do I go?
I need specific help with NSF Fastlane, where do I go?
Any proposal submitted for financial sponsorship of a project or program, research grants or contracts, pre-proposals that combine a work statement and budget estimate, and proposals for grants to be submitted through another university (subcontract or subgrant) must be routed for approval through normal channels. This includes:
Prepare a Proposal Approval Form (PAF) by logging into the ePAF system (use your normal logon ID and password) and filling in the form. You will need to print the form (click on Print Preview and then on Download; a pdf version of the form will be generated and you can save or print the form).
Sign the form in 2 places: the middle of Page 2 and the bottom of Page 3.
Obtain signatures of the chair and dean.
Send to Dearborn's Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for approval on behalf of the Campus.
The proposal then is routed to the Division of Research Development and Administration (DRDA) in Ann Arbor for final approval and signature by the University of Michigan's Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR). DRDA submits the proposal to the sponsor in most cases.
The following should be used to calculate proposal submission target dates for key steps in the preparation and submission of a proposal for external funding.
Also review DRDA's Service Policy as it relates to proposal submission timelines. Keep in mind two key target dates:
1) ADMIN SHELL: 7 days before deadline, send to DRDA the signed PAF and admin shell (for Grants.gov, that includes i) abstract, ii) budget justification, and iii) all forms, including the budget, completed and printed), and
2) FINAL PROPOSAL: 4 days before the deadline, send or upload to the DRDA 'Dropbox' the completed, final proposal ready for submission. DO NOT upload draft proposals to the DRDA Dropbox; only upload the final version.
Standard, straightforward proposal--
20 days--Inform ORSP of proposal; include draft "Executive Summary": provide "pencil version" of draft budget, project duration, and the nature of the proposal.
10 days--(1) PI drafts PAF; PI reviews, prints, signs, and sends to chair for signature, attach budget and draft narrative; (2) Budget 95% firm; (3) PI or ORSP begins working on Proposal Cover Sheet and other forms required by sponsor; and (4) Draft of proposal narrative should be available for review.
7 days--Send "Admin Shell" to DRDA: (1) Signed PAF; (2) Budget 95% firm; (3) Proposal Cover Sheet and other forms completed; and (4) Draft of proposal narrative.
4 days--Send final proposal to DRDA:
Grants.gov--(1) Proposal needs to be finished and ready to submit to sponsor; (2) Upload proposal (PureEdge file) to DRDA Dropbox; (3) PI must be "on call" to correct errors identified by DRDA or Grants.gov which may prevent submission.
Fastlane--(1) Everything in the proposal except the project narrative needs to be finished and ready to submit to the sponsor; (2) Release the proposal to SRO; (3) the PI can work on project narrative over weekend (if a Friday) or for 1-2 more days; (4) PI must be "on call" to correct errors identified by DRDA or Fastlane which may prevent submission.
2-3 days--DRDA approves and releases electronic proposal; for hardcopy proposals, DRDA makes copies and submits proposal by overnight express mail.
NSF Collaborative Research Proposal--
The most important thing: communicate with the Research Office frequently!
30+ days--Inform ORSP of proposal and identify partnering institutions and your co-PIs; provide "pencil version" of draft budget by e-mail or fax. Obtain Fastlane access and password from DRDA (fastlane-admin@umich.edu); Create a Fastlane proposal, complete the Cover Page, and assign proposal PIN; provide Drew with proposal # and proposal PIN # (four alpha/numeric characters)
20 days--Provide ORSP with a draft "Executive Summary": include, revisions to "pencil version" of draft budget, project duration, and the nature of the proposal; UMD's budget should be 85% complete, subcontractors' budgets should be at least 75% complete; provide ORSP with contact information at collaborating institutions; begin email exchange between research offices to begin coordinating submission.
10 days--(1) PI drafts PAF; PI reviews, prints, signs, and sends to chair for signature, attach budget and draft narrative; (2) Budget 95% firm; (3) PI or ORSP begin working on Budget and other forms.
7 days--Send "Admin Shell" to DRDA: (1) Signed PAF; (2) Budget and Budget Justification; (3) Proposal Cover Sheet; and (4) draft of proposal narrative.
IMPORTANT: 1) link proposals before submitting!!! 2) try to submit all linked proposals the same day; 3) do not duplicate sections (e.g., biosketch, C&P Support, budgets) between lead and non-lead partners; and 4) once linked, the printed proposal includes ALL linked proposals (it will be difficult to tell who is submitting what)!
4 days--1) Everything in the proposal except the project narrative needs to be finished and uploaded, ready to submit to the sponsor; 2) Release the proposal to SRO; (3) the PI can work on project narrative over weekend (if a Friday) or for 1-2 more days; (4) PI must be "on call" (available by email) to correct errors identified by DRDA or Fastlane which may prevent submission; Lead Institution gets Proposal # and PIN from collaborating institution and links proposals;
2-3 days--DRDA approves and releases electronic proposal; email the lead or collaborating institutions to submit their proposals.
Collaborative or complex proposal--
The most important thing: communicate with the Research Office frequently!
30 days--Inform ORSP of proposal and identify partnering institutions and your co-PIs; provide "pencil version" of draft budget by e-mail or fax.
20 days--Inform ORSP of proposal; include draft "Executive Summary": provide "pencil version" of draft budget, project duration, and the nature of the proposal; UMD's budget should be 85% complete, subcontractors' budgets should be at least 75% complete; provide ORSP with summary or draft of narrative and budgets.
10 days--(1) Provide ORSP with signed Letters of Commitment and subcontract budgets [these documents need to be signed by the collaborators' authorized institutional official (business or research office)]; (2) PI drafts PAF; PI reviews, prints, signs, and sends to chair for signature, attach budget and draft narrative; (3) Budget 95% firm; (4) PI or ORSP begin working on Proposal Cover Sheet and other forms required by sponsor; and (5) Draft of proposal narrative should be available for review.
7 days--Send "Admin Shell" to DRDA: (1) Signed PAF; (2) Budget 95% firm; (3) Proposal Cover Sheet and other forms completed; and (4) Draft of proposal narrative.
5 days--Send final proposal to DRDA (for Grants.gov, upload to DRDA dropbox; for NSF Fastlane, upload proposal and release to SRO); DRDA will review and approve; PI should be prepared to make to correct errors that could prevent submission.
2-3 days--DRDA approves and releases electronic proposal; for hardcopy proposals, DRDA makes copies and submits proposal by overnight express mail.
Updated: May 12, 2008
