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• Proposal Approval Process
• Research Policies
• Electronic Research Administration (ERA)

Proposal Approval Process

1. Notify the Sponsored Research Office (SRO). The Project Director/Principal Investigator should notify SRO of his/her intention to apply to an external granting agency.  Preferably, at least two weeks before the submission deadline.
2. Contact the Grant Accountant.  The Grant Accountant (GA) is the Grants Budget Officer and must approve a project's budget before its submission.  The GA provides budgetary assistance and ensures compliance with federal, state, and university policies. 
3. Download the Sponsored Project Approval Form ("Blue Sheet"). Fill out the top portion of the approval form; sign as Project Director; then obtain Co-Investigator (if applicable), Department Chair, and Dean signatures.
4. Submit the approval, completed proposal (at least the narrative and final budget), and a copy of the guidelines to the Sponsored Research Office.  SRO will obtain the remainder of the administrative approval signatures that are required prior to submission.  
5. Contact the SRO to make arrangements for the submission of the grant proposal. For Electronic Submissions, see the Electronic Research Administration (ERA) section below for more information (this type of submission often requires advanced preparation). For paper submissions, SRO can copy and mail the proposal for the project director but an account number is required.

Research Polices

• Conflicts of Interest
• Effort Reporting
• Facilities and Administration (F&A) Costs; Background Information; Suggested Use of F&A Funds
• Hazardous Waste Management
• Intellectual Property
• Investigator Significant Financial Interest Disclosure

• Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the Protection of Human Subjects of Research

• Lab Safety and Research
• Research Integrity (Research Misconduct)
• USI Faculty Handbook

Electronic Research Administration (ERA)

Electronic Research Administration (ERA) is the general term applied to describe a series of new trends associated with: the identification of new funding opportunities; the submission of grant applications; the review of grant proposals; and the management of subsequent grant and contract awards - all conducted via the Internet. ERA is rapidly taking the place of traditional means of correspondence in the research community. Most agencies that currently use ERA software require an investigator to register through their home institution. 

Grants.Gov is the name given the Federal government's primary initiative in electronic research administration. Eventually, all grant proposals to Federal agencies must be submitted via Grants.Gov.

For Grants.Gov submissions, the Sponsored Research Office (SRO) must submit all proposals. As a principal investigator (PIs), you do NOT need to create a Grants.Gov account but will need to download the application package. Please contact SRO early in the proposal process. Proper planning is essential as delays and technical difficulties could result in a missed submission deadline.

If the proposal guidelines require electronic submission of any kind, please contact SRO (ext. 1126) as soon as possible. Most Federal agencies have electronic systems for managing proposal submissions and awards (eRA Commons (NIH), FastLane (NSF), HRSA EHB (Electronic Handbook), etc). In many of these systems, principal investigators (PIs) must have a user account in addition to the institutional account. The creation of accounts may take several days and require multiple steps. Please plan accordingly.

Non-federal agencies may also use electronic systems or methods for proposal submission. The key in any case is to notify SRO as early as possible. If you are considering submitting a proposal requiring electronic submission, let us know so we can assist you in the process. 

 

 

 

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