Nuts and Bolts of Proposal Development Josie Causseaux May 24, 2013 1

Nuts and Bolts of Proposal Development

Josie Causseaux

May 24, 2013

1

Proposal Development/Submission

Find funding that matches research interests/needs

Read the agency documents – RFP, agency guidelines, etc.

Notify SRS of intent Prepare proposal Obtain institutional approvals Submit the proposal to SRS

2

Contact SRS – ASAP

Establish a working relationship with the administrator who will process your proposal

Administrator provides agency-specific expertise

Administrator answers questions related to the proposal process and policies

3-day submission policy Documents needed for SRS PI Responsibilities/SRS Responsibilities

3

Review ALL Proposal Documents

Funding Announcement –

Request For Proposal (RFP), Program Solicitation, Request for Bid

Application Instructions Agency Guidelines These documents provide information pertinent to

your proposal Sponsor instructions/guidelines must be followed to

insure that the proposal is in compliance before submission

4

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Program Description Award Description Eligibility (Limited Submission?) Funding Limits Deadlines – Due Dates for Submissions Review/Evaluation Criteria Award Administration

Reporting requirements, etc.

5

Prepare the Proposal Application

Download the application forms from the agency website or upload the proposal documents for grants.gov, Fastlane or other sponsor-specific electronic submission system

SRS can direct applicants to required forms (e.g., certifications, F&A agreement)

Fill out forms in the application and attach required items(Abstract, Project Narrative, Budget, Budget Narrative, Biosketch, Current/Pending Support, etc.)

6

SRS Internal Documents Transmittal Form Scope of Work Budget Budget Justification

and - All other sponsor required documents

NOTE: Proposal must be submitted to SRS in

ready-form for submission

7

Transmittal Form

Funding Announcement/Request for proposal (RFP) or solicitation number

Proposal due date and project performance period Name of FSU PI/Co-PIs and departments involved Distribution of the indirect costs between the

participating departments Effort Distribution Special commitments Items that may require further review or

certifications Named FSU faculty

8

Certifications

FSU must provide certain assurances, representations, and certifications when proposals are submitted or when accepting an award

Special Certifications may include Animal subjects DNA/RNA use Human subjects Hazardous chemicals Use of the FSU Marine Lab facilities

9

Institutional approvals

Attach the entire agency application including the RFP, with the Proposal Transmittal

Route to all PIs for signature Route to all associated Chairs and Deans for

approval Route to Sponsored Research Services for

approval

10

Submitting Transmittal via OMNI

OMNI proposal submissions include the same information as a hardcopy proposal submitted with the Proposal Transmittal Form Differences

Items are attached electronically in the OMNI system

Proposal routes electronically Advantages

Secure signatures/approvals electronically Electronic records are available 24/7

11

Submission Policy Three Day Rule

The Vice President for Research instituted a policy effective on February 1, 2006 that states that a proposal must be submitted to SRS by 9am three working days prior to the Agency deadline

PI may work on the technical narrative only until 9am on the day of submission

http://www.research.fsu.edu/contractsgrants/documents/submissionpolicy.pdf

Sponsor SRS InternalDeadline Deadline

Monday the previous Wednesday at 9 A.M.Tuesday the previous Thursday at 9 A.M.Wednesday the previous Friday at 9 A.M.Thursday Monday of the same week at 9 A.M.Friday Tuesday of the same week at 9

A.M.

*Saturday and Sunday are not business days and do not count towards the 3-day rule. Treat Friday as the deadline - the internal proposal deadline becomes Tuesday of the same week at 9 am.

*Some agencies move weekend and Federal holiday due dates to the next business day – verify this with the sponsor.

13

Proposal What Constitutes a Complete Proposal

Sponsor’s program announcement, sponsor guidelines - RFP

Proposal transmittal form with all signatures or workflow proposal in the OMNI system with all appropriate departmental, chair, and dean approvals

Detailed Budget- all years -Detailed budget justification


Proposal What Constitutes a Complete Proposal – cont’d

Scope of work – Draft of the technical portion of the proposal (acceptable at 3 day deadline)

Documents associated with internal approvals (e.g. cost sharing commitment form, C.A.S. form) with appropriate departmental, Chair, and Dean approvals

DHHS, PHS proposals or flow through applications require FSU FCOI-EDMS data entry for any named investigators


Proposal What Constitutes a Complete Proposal, cont’d

Commitment letters from collaborators, consultants, subcontractors

Subcontractual budgets and budget justification Forms and/or application package required by

the sponsor.


Limited Submissions Limited Submissions

SRS maintains a list of limited submissions on their website

http://www.research.fsu.edu/limitedsubmission/ An internal deadline for white papers is posted

on the website PI selects the limited submission and emails

the 2 page white paper to [email protected] by the internal deadline

Limited Submissions Limited Submissions continued

White paper must include Abstract Any cost-sharing commitments NOTE: Must be submitted by 11:59 pm on due date

The Office of Research will determine which PI(s) may apply

Selected PI(s) will be listed on the limited submission website

Any unauthorized submission will be withdrawn

Questions?

19