Proposal Development

General information about our policies and services is below. Check out our Federal Agency Guidance and SciENcv Guide for more specific resources.

Engagement Timeline

It’s never too early to put a funding opportunity on our radar. As soon as you identify a program/solicitation of interest, even if you’re not ready to start writing or sure that you will apply, email [email protected] with a link to or copy of the solicitation or program guidelines to get assigned to a Grants Specialist. The more time we have, the more we can help. See the Proposal Development Services below.

Internal Proposal Deadlines

To better serve the campus community, ORSP will begin enforcing internal deadlines for all proposals due on or after April 1, 2025. The deadlines apply to all proposal types (including preliminary proposals) and to all sponsors. 

The “sponsor deadline” is defined as the sponsor-designated deadline for the program (if UTC is submitting directly to the sponsor) OR the lead applicant-designated deadline for subrecipient documents (if UTC is a subaward).

“Non-budget dependent personnel documents” include biosketch/resume, collaborators forms, synergistic activities, or similar. Current and Pending (Other) Support forms are budget-dependent and are therefore not required to be completed 5 business days before the sponsor deadline.

Please see the resources below for additional context:

• Internal Deadline Requirement Fact Sheet.
• Internal Deadline Requirement FAQ

Late Proposals

Proposals that do not adhere to the internal deadlines above will be flagged as a late proposal in Cayuse and receive a lower priority for service. As a result, late proposals are not guaranteed to be submitted. 

ORSP reserves the right to withdraw or decline an award for late proposals if a post-submission review identifies non-compliant elements that cannot be satisfactorily resolved. 

Late proposals facing any of the barriers below will not be submitted: 

• Federal proposals (including flowdown) with a notification date of 5 or fewer business days before the submission deadline.
• Annual COI disclosure missing for any named personnel 1 business day before the deadline.
• Missing documentation required for compliance with AOR certifications/assurances the day of the deadline. Examples include off-campus research plan, personnel assurance form, etc.

Proposal Development Services

ORSP can provide the following development services for on-time proposals. Some services require additional lead time, as noted below.

Proposal Preparation Documentation

• ORSP develops a detailed, funding opportunity-specific checklist of all required application components, assigns responsibility for each component, and the timeline for completion
• With 30+ day notice, ORSP can provide an outline and/or templates for the proposal narrative and other required documents, such as letters of support.
• With 3+ month notice, ORSP can request sample funded proposals for proposals to some federal programs.

Team-Building Assistance

• ORSP works with the sponsored programs/business offices of external partners to secure subaward or collaborative documentation for submission. Subaward monitoring is the responsibility of the PI. Visit our Contracts webpage to learn more.
• With 45+ day notice:
  • ORSP can assist with identifying potential internal or external collaborators for your team.
  • ORSP can help coordinate and/or attend team planning meetings for large-scale proposals

Budget Development

• ORSP develops the project budget with PI input and feedback.  Learn more about this process on our Budget Development webpage.
• ORSP provides an initial draft of the budget justification/narrative for you to complete.

Compliance and Content Review

• ORSP/ORI reviews COI disclosures for all named project personnel. See ORI’s RCOI webpage for help guides.
• ORSP conducts a compliance review to ensure the proposal meets formatting and other sponsor & program requirements.
• With 30+ day notice, ORSP can provide an editorial review of the proposal draft for responsiveness, rhetorical strategies, line edits, etc.
• With 3+ month notice, ORSP can recruit external content experts to provide a technical review of the proposal prior to submission to the sponsor. External reviewers receive a small stipend for their time.

Internal Approvals

• ORSP initiates the shell of the proposal in Cayuse and provides instructions to the PI to complete and route the proposal for internal approvals. Read more about Cayuse here.

Submission

• In most cases, ORSP must submit the proposal to the sponsor. The PI may opt to join a virtual submission meeting with the Grants Specialist or provide approval via email for the Grants Specialist to submit on their own time.

Other Proposal Development Resources

Data Requests

• High-level aggregate data on enrollment, matriculation, and graduation for completed academic years are available from the Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Institutional Research (OPEIR) through the Institutional Dashboards or through the Factbook.
• Proposal teams can request other institutional data directly from OPEIR here.

Research Compliance

• Know your regulatory compliance responsibilities before submitting a proposal. Visit the Office of Research Integrity website to review policies and procedures for research involving human subjects or human data, vertebrate animals, biohazardous materials, ITAR- or EAR-controlled technology (such as drones, lidar, and infrared cameras), and/or international travel or collaborations.

Intellectual Property

• Protect your IP before submitting a proposal. Contact UTC’s Commercialization Counselor or visit the UT Research Foundation webpage to learn more about invention disclosures, technology transfer, commercialization licensing, and/or paths to entrepreneurship.