The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA) works closely with investigators and staff to ensure that funding and data proposals, applications, resubmissions, incoming transfers of awards, incoming & outgoing subcontracts, reports, etc. are submitted on time and in compliance with University and sponsor guidelines. Importantly, different sponsors or agencies normally have different guidelines, requirements and instructions. Likewise, different programs within the same sponsor may often have different guidelines, requirements and instructions. Therefore, an early and close reading and good understanding of the specific opportunity you are interested in is vital for preparing a responsive and compliant proposal, application, report, etc.
Informing OSPA as early as possible of your interest in a particular funding opportunity or in access to a data set will allow your Sponsored Programs Officer to review pertinent guidelines and alert you of special requirements, as well as make every effort to facilitate a successful submission. OSPA policy is to perform two levels of review for regular submissions and three levels of review for large-scale submissions due to their complexity and size.
All sponsored research proposals, reports, and related documents must be submitted to OSPA for review and approval before submission and signed off by a Signing Official.
Resubmissions - As for first-time submissions, resubmission proposals must be accurate and current, and must meet sponsors' and institutional requirements in full. Thus, as with brand new applications, resubmitted programmatic and administrative materials must be up-to-date before a resubmission may be reviewed and approved by the institution. More>> (102512 tip)
Award Transfers - The process to transfer active sponsored research awards to another institution can take months due to sponsor transfer procedures and requirements. The award must be relinquished by the 'old' institution and returned to the sponsor, the PI and their new institution (RU) have to re-apply for the award, and the sponsor must review that the new environment will be suitable before re-issuing the award to the new institution. Each of these actions is time and effort consuming and therefore we advise investigators with awards to be transferred to RU to start working with OSPA at least four months before they come to RU. More>> and More>>
Data Access Requests - All Data Access Requests should be directed to Kate Ross, Sr. Manager, Complex Programs and Training. Requests may be to a federal source such as the Genome-Wide-Associated Studies (GWAS)/Data Base of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP) or non-federal or foreign sources. Similar to grant submissions, a Routing Form must accompany the request and an IRB approval (or IRB determination that no IRB approval is required) must be in place in order for OSPA to review and approve before the request can be submitted. More>>
To allow OSPA adequate time to carefully verify compliance with sponsor/institutional and all other pertinent guidelines and requirements, to resolve technical difficulties, and to minimize slow system response that often occurs just before deadlines (The Dangers in Delay), all submissions must be provided to us at least 5 business days before the Sponsor's deadline. OSPA is committed to complete its 1st review within 3 business days from the time of receipt. A 2nd and final review for simple projects will be completed when any/all concerns from both the 1st and 2nd reviews are resolved, and within 1 business day of receiving a previously reviewed submission. For large and/or complex collaborative submissions, the review involves 3 review levels and the same requirements apply. The NIH strongly encourages applicants to submit well before the submission deadline (days, not hours)!
To satisfy institutional requirements and to offer you maximum service, prerequisites for all proposals/applications/resubmissions/incoming&outgoing subcontracts/reports/etc. that require institutional sign off include:
- A complete and final version of your proposal/application/resubmission/incoming&outgoing subcontract/report/etc..
- For electronic submissions via InfoEd, all section tabs are checked as completed and application is built.
- Sponsor guidelines or link to guidelines.
- Completed Routing Form signed by PI and Laboratory Head. For Multi-PI applications, each participating PI must submit a Routing Form.
- Copy of Letter of Intent (LOI) if applicable.
- Copy of PI's request AND sponsor's approval, if/when required by sponsor, for non-standard budget requests (e.g. intent to request $500,000 or more in direct costs for any one year of an NIH grant budget).
- If applicable, subcontract documents for new applications.
- If applicable, subcontract documents for non-competing applications (progress reports).
- Institutional commitment/support letters if applicable (space, cost sharing, other).
Investigators and administrators are encouraged to follow our Budget Justification Guide & Boilerplate, as well as use our Budget Worksheet to help develop their funding requests.
NOTE: applicants submitting materials in a language other than English, must provide an abstract in English, and/or synopsis of their submitted materials in English, as applicable.
Additional information on data request applications.
For non-standard applications and requirements, contact your SPO.
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