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Submitting Proposals to External Sponsors through SU’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP)

All proposals or grant applications submitted to any sponsor, organization or institute on behalf of Syracuse University are to be reviewed for compliance and signed by OSP prior to submission or transmission.

Below are frequently asked questions about the grant application process.  Please contact us if you have questions.

1. Who can be a Principal Investigator (PI)?
2. You’ve got a great idea, how do you find a potential sponsor?
3. You've found a potential sponsor, now what do you do?
4. What are the roles of the OSP staff?
5. Who else will need to know my plans?
6. Are there special concerns if I am collaborating with colleagues from other institutions?
7. When do I need to get my proposal to OSP for review/approval?
8. What University forms should be completed before I can submit my proposal?
9. How do I start preparing the application forms, etc?
10. What if my research involves human subjects or animals?
11. What if the sponsor requires an electronic submission?
12. What can I do to increase the likelihood of my proposal receiving funding?
13. I just learned about an opportunity I’d like to pursue, and won’t be able to meet the deadlines for budget development/review or get all the signatures for the proposal checklist.  Can I still submit?

1. Who can be a Principal Investigator (PI)? Top
   An academic or research faculty member at the assistant, associate, or full professor level, or an administrator at the director or higher level can be a PI. Other members of the University community may be a PI if requested by their department or unit and authorized by the Vice President for Research, Ben Ware. Proposals submitted on behalf of students are to have a faculty member or administrator as PI of record on the OSP Internal Routing and Review Form (see #8). In the event of an award, the PI is responsible for the award’s technical and fiscal management and assuring that all sponsor requirements are fulfilled.

2. You’ve got a great idea, how do you find a potential sponsor?
   From an SU computer, search our funding databases:
   • The Community of Science (http://fundingopps.cos.com/),
   • IRIS (http://www.library.uiuc.edu/iris/), or
   • The Grant Advisor (http://www.grantadvisor.com/tgaplus/).
   • The Foundation Directory online (http://fconline.fdncenter.org/welcome.php?fpc=1)
     
   Please feel free to contact ospoff@syr.edu or x2807 for assistance. The OSP director is also available to assist junior faculty in developing a strategic grant application plan for their first 3–5 years at SU.

3. You've found a potential sponsor, now what do you do? Top
   • Obtain and read sponsor guidelines and instructions; note deadlines (postmarked/received), application submission mechanism (electronic, paper), budget constraints, formatting requirements and review criteria.
   • Contact the program manager (if listed) to ask if your idea would be responsive to the announcement and/or to clarify any questions you may have about the guidelines.  Send a brief concept paper prior to the conversation to facilitate the discussion.
   • Search the sponsor's award database to see if similar projects have been funded recently.
   • Contact your OSP Research Administrator (RA) and provide him/her with the sponsor’s/program’s web site, a hard copy of the announcement, etc.  Departmental RA assignments are available at: http://osp.syr.edu/RAassign.php.

4. What are the roles of the OSP staff? Top
   Research administrators (http://osp.syr.edu/RAassign.php) can help you interpret sponsor guidelines/instructions and review/develop your budget. Research administrators and OSP directors are also the University’s representatives who are authorized to sign grant applications submitted to sponsors. Deans, department chairs and faculty are NOT authorized to sign grant applications, nor can they sign contracts or awards.
   
   The OSP director is also available to review application narratives for clarity and completeness, as well as assist junior faculty in developing a strategic grant application plan for their first 3 – 5 years at SU.
   
   OSP can also help out with application “administrivia;” that is, formatting your curriculum vitae into the sponsor-specified format, preparing “current and pending support” materials, and assisting with the preparation of application forms.

5. Who else will need to know my plans?Top
   Share your intention to apply for a grant with your department chair, departmental administrator and the dean of your school/college (if appropriate). Cost-sharing or any special approvals (e.g., tuition, release time, etc.) require their authorization on the SU Proposal Checklist OSP Internal Routing and Review Form (see #8)), which must be submitted with the proposal. NOTE: Your department/school may have additional requirements for you to fulfill prior to submitting a grant application to OSP for review.
   
   If you are applying to a foundation or corporation, you must also information the Offices of Corporate and Foundation Relations.

6. Are there special concerns if I am collaborating with colleagues from other institutions? Top
   If you will be collaborating with others (i.e., another institution will submit the application OR SU will submit the application), work with OSP, your partners and their sponsored programs office early - ideally one-month before the proposal’s deadline. It is critically important that all partners’ roles and responsibilities and budget related issues be clarified as early as possible.
   
   Provide your RA with a point-of-contact from the collaborator’s OSP. If SU is the lead institution, your RA will need a budget and work plan approved by your collaborator’s OSP, as well as a letter affirming their intent to collaborate in the event of an award. OSP is unable to authorize in an application the activities or associated budget of another organization without their express permission.
   
   If the collaborating institution will be “lead”, OSP will prove an authorized statement of work budget, budget narrative, letter of intent to collaborate and any other items needed to your collaborator’s OSP.
   
   The OSP Internal Routing and Review (IRR) form is needed on proposals were SU is a subrecipient on another institution’s application.

7. When do I need to get my proposal to OSP for review/approval? Top
   Provide your RA with a draft budget at least five business days in advance of your deadline.  Please use a spreadsheet to prepare your budget, following the sponsor’s format. Your RA can help prepare the budget and its justification.  Fringe benefit and facilities and administration rates can be found at http://osp.syr.edu/RatesandFinancial.php.
   
   The complete proposal, which includes a final budget and complete, signed OSP IRR, must be provided three-business days before the deadline. That is, if the deadline is on the 15th, OSP must have the application in final form by close-of-business on the 12th. OSP will review the application and request any changes that must be made prior to submission to assure compliance and completeness.

8. What University forms should be completed before I can submit my proposal?  Top
   For your RA to endorse and certify the proposal for submission, all applications must be accompanied by a complete, signed OSP IRR by the deadline.
   Also required are a current:
   • Annual Disclosure of Significant Financial Interests for the previous university fiscal year and submit it to the Vice President for Research
     • Policy on Conflict of Interest for Research Investigators:
     • COI Policy
     • COI Part I
     • COI Part I&2.
     New faculty must submit the form within 60 days of appointment.
   • And Intellectual Property Agreement (IPA) must be completed and submitted to the OSP.
     • http://osp.syr.edu/forms/IPA_FacStaff.DOC

9. How do I start preparing the application forms, etc? Top
   • Complete forms as per sponsor’s instructions.  Proposal face page information can be found at:
     • http://osp.syr.edu/ProposalInformation.php
   • OSP is responsible for signing assurances and certifications.
   • For Grants.gov applications, you must have PureEdge viewer installed on your computer. Please contact your department’s IT support for assistance.

10. What if my research involves human subjects or animals? Top
    Although many sponsors now follow “just-in-time” procedures, you are encouraged to initiate the approval process for human or animal research participants as soon as possible.
    
    NO human or animal subjects research (whether or not externally funded) can begin without written institutional approval.  For additional assistance contact orip@syr.edu or http://orip.syr.edu/.

11. What if the sponsor requires an electronic submission? Top
    The Federal government is transitioning to electronic submission through Grants.gov (G.g).  Many non-federal sponsors now also use electronic proposal submission.  Since procedures and their ease-of-use vary tremendously and are continuously evolving, inform your RA one-month before the deadline if electronic submission is required.  For more information about OSP procedures for G.g submission, go to http://osp.syr.edu/Grants.gov_Guidance.php
    
    For G.g, no registration is required if applying through SU. Pure Edge viewer must be installed on your computer to open and use G.g application materials.

12. What can I do to increase the likelihood of my proposal receiving funding? Top
    Ask experienced colleagues to review proposal drafts – an expert in your area, someone familiar with your discipline, and a generalist.  Trish Lowney (plowney@syr.edu) is available to review as a generalist, particularly for clarity and responsiveness to guidelines/review criteria.

13. I just learned about an opportunity I’d like to pursue, and won’t be able to meet the deadlines for budget development/review orget all the signatures for the proposal checklist.  Can I still submit? Top
    OSP will work with investigators “up to the last minute.” Please inform your RA as soon as you decide to submit a proposal, and provide as much information as possible (e.g., deadline – received/postmarked; web site for announcement; hard copy of guidelines, etc).
    
    With increasingly complex proposal guidelines and submission procedures, inadequate lead-time may result in OSP submitting a proposal conditionally for reasons that include:
    • Incomplete budget review to assure accuracy and compliance with University rates, or
    • Incomplete review of sponsor’s terms and conditions for award.
    In very rare instances, a conditional proposal may be withdrawn if the University is unable to correct budgetary errors, or to comply with cost sharing or other conditions identified in the guidelines.

    Updated 02/07