VPR Late Policy

• A PIF must be submitted no later than one month (30 days) prior to a sponsor’s deadline to initiate the proposal process. Most
  sponsor deadlines are known well in advance, so early submission is strongly encouraged. It is never too early to submit a PIF.
• By 10 a.m. the first business day after PIF submission, an automated email to the Principal Investigator (PI) will request
  budget and other information and identify the CGS Pre-Award Specialist who will work on that proposal. The proposal
  submission timeline with deadlines specified will be included in the email. To accommodate equitable workload distribution, the
  assigned CGS Pre-Award Grant Specialist may be updated in some cases, especially around peak agency deadlines.
• The assigned CGS Grant Specialist will contact the PI within two (2) business days of the automated email to provide a detailed submission guide and discuss next steps in the proposal preparation process.
• The CGS Pre-Award Grant Specialist will begin work on the budget, initiate the Internal Approval Form (IAF) and the
  proposal package in Cayuse (or other sponsor submission system, as appropriate) at any time after this discussion occurs
  or, in the absence of a formal Zoom/Teams or phone discussion, after the PI sends the initial budget information.

• No later than three (3) weeks (15 business days) before the sponsor’s deadline, the CGS Pre-Award Grant Specialist (GS)
  and the OSPA Pre-Award Research Administrator (RA) will meet to review the draft budget. The review will focus on the following:
  1. Budget caps and allowability constraints.
  2. Application of correct F&A rates including:
     • Sponsor F&A policy or program announcement guidelines.
     • Proper characterization of the project as research, instruction or other.
     • Off-Campus Rate Worksheet (if applicable) must be completed prior to the meeting (approvals can come later but before proposal submission).
     • F&A waiver requests (approvals can come later but before final proposal is submitted to OSPA for review).
     • Voluntary cost share requests (approvals can come later but before final proposal is submitted to OSPA for review).
     • Tuition costs.
     • Equipment purchases.
     • Subawards or vendor determinations.
     • Correct interpretation of any “stipend” or participant support costs.
     • Other CAS/normally indirect cost items and excluded budget items, with additional text in justification highlighted.

(Effective for submissions due on or after March 1, 2026)

Six (6) Business Days Prior to Sponsor Deadline – 9:00 a.m. Eastern

• Administrative documents and draft scientific documents must be submitted to the assigned CGS Grant Specialist by 9:00 a.m. ET, six (6) business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
• Failure to meet this deadline will require approval from the Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) in order for the proposal to move forward.
• Administrative documents are those that support compliance, personnel, or institutional requirements and do not contain final scientific or technical content. Examples include, but are not limited to:
  • Abstract (Internal Approval Form; minimum 50 words)
  • Budget
  • Budget Justification
  • Biographical Sketches (Biosketches)
  • Current & Pending (Other) Support
  • Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources
  • Institutional Letters of Support / Commitment
  • Cost Share or Matching Commitment Letters (if required)
  • Cover Letter
  • Compliance Certifications / Assurance Statements
  • Subrecipient Commitment Forms
  • Collaborators & Other Affiliations (COA)
  • Data Management and Sharing Plan
  • Mentoring Plan (if applicable)
  • Safe & Inclusive Working Environments Plan (if applicable)
  • Foreign Government Participation Disclosures
  • Human Subjects documentation (if applicable)

This list is not comprehensive and may vary based on a sponsor’s requirements.

Four (4) Business Days Prior to Sponsor Deadline – 9:00 a.m. Eastern

• Final scientific documents must be submitted to CGS by 9:00 a.m. ET, four (4) business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
• Meeting this deadline ensures the proposal receives timely and full review by the Office of Sponsored Projects Administration (OSPA). Failure to meet this deadline will require approval from the VPR’s office in order to proceed with submission.
• Examples of scientific documents include:
  • Project Summary / Scientific Abstract
  • Specific Aims / Objectives
  • Project Narrative / Research Strategy / Project Description
  • Statement of Work (technical content only)
  • Technical or Scientific Work Plan
  • Scientific Milestones and Deliverables
  • Technical Risk Mitigation Plans
  • References / Bibliography