Proposal Review and Submission

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) is committed to providing the highest quality proposal submission services to our employees. We do so in an environment of very complex regulations and institutional policies. One of the most important activities is the timely and thorough review of proposals prior to submission to the sponsoring entity. This involves collaboration with the Principal Investigator and closely reviewing the guidelines, along with reviewing the administrative and budgetary components of the Sponsored Program proposal. Engaging ORSP in a timely fashion allows Principal Investigators to submit high quality proposals with a higher probability of success. ORSP’s Service Level Commitment provides additional information on the review services provided by ORSP.

The full policy can be found here.

Proposal Submission Policy Timeline

  • ASAP Before Sponsor Deadline

    It is recommended to notify and start working with ORSP as soon as you become aware of an external funding opportunity—at least one month before the deadline—to allow time for basic review of the proposal, including its guidelines and administrative and budgetary aspects. ORSP can provide guidance on eligibility, identify any special requirements, and outline internal deadlines for the proposal submission. The link to the Funding Opportunity Announcement or any other available details for the solicitation should be provided.

  • 10 Business Days Before Sponsor Deadline

    PIs are required to notify ORSP no later than 10 business days prior to the submission deadline. PIs must setup and route a proposal record via InfoEd, DU's Electronic Research Administration (eRA) system, including the Proposal Review and Approval (PRA) form, and, if required, cost-share and F&A waiver approval. The following information should be included in the record:

    1. Proposal due date
    2. Sponsor/agency name
    3. Opportunity number (and web link, if applicable) or copy of announcement
    4. Estimated total budget
    5. Cost Share Request Form (if applicable)
    6. F&A Cost Waiver (if applicable)
  • 5 Business Days Before Sponsor Deadline

    Complete Administrative Components must be received by ORSP by 11:59 pm, at least 5 business days prior to the deadline via DU’s Electronic Research Administration (eRA) system:

    1. Detailed budget
    2. Budget justification
    3. Auxiliary documents
    4. Near-final draft of the technical components

    If the minimum components required for administrative review are not received five business days prior to the sponsor’s deadline, the proposal will not be considered “on-time”.

  • 3 Business Days Before Sponsor Deadline

    Complete Technical Components must be received by ORSP by 11:59 pm, at least 3 business days prior to the deadline via DU’s Electronic Research Administration (eRA) system. Technical documents could include project narrative, bibliography, specific aims, milestones, etc.

    Correspondence and review will continue between ORSP and the PI/department until the proposal package has been approved/finalized.

  • 2 Business Days Before Sponsor Deadline

    Full and complete proposal must be ready for submission by ORSP to ensure error-free, on time submission. *Please Note: Errors are common, and faculty should assume that the submission will have at least one error to address

Consequence for Missing Deadlines

  • Late Proposals

    Proposals received by ORSP for review after the University’s deadlines for proposal submission outlined above. In the case of a Late Proposal, ORSP will provide a minimum review of the proposal to determine if there are any errors that will prevent submission. The Principal Investigator assumes all risk that a Late Proposal could contain errors or omissions and, if awarded, the Late Proposal may not be accepted by the University and may require renegotiation.

  • At-Risk Proposal Submissions

    Proposals received by ORSP less than 2 business days before the day of the sponsor deadline become "At-Risk." The PI is required to contact the Senior Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Education for approval before ORSP can review and submit. ORSP cannot guarantee an “At-Risk” proposal will be submitted by the Submission Deadline. Nor can ORSP guarantee submission of the proposal will be successful (e.g., submitted via Grants.gov without errors) or that the proposal will comply with the sponsor’s requirements.

Service Level Commitment

ORSP is committed to supporting DU investigators by assuring timely review and submission of complete and accurate proposals that have the best chance possible of success in the sponsor review process. In order to provide the greatest possible benefit to DU’s proposals, balance the service and needs of all DU’s investigators and capitalize on ORSP’s expertise, ORSP has defined the following minimum service level commitment for proposal review based on the timeframe of proposal submission to ORSP in advance of the sponsor’s deadline:

  • Solicitation Details Received ASAP or 10 Business Days in Advance

    With at least ten business days’ notice, ORSP will ensure understanding of all requirements for submission. Further, ORSP will note and alert the PI and departmental support of any unusual, new or atypical submission requirements in order to allow ample time to ensure these requirements are fully addressed.

  • Proposals Received Five (5) Business Days in Advance (Technical Components Received Three (3) Business Days in Advance)

    For final proposals submitted to ORSP five business days prior to the sponsor’s deadline, and with the final technical components ready for submission received three days in advance, ORSP offers a comprehensive full review which includes:

    • Ensuring the InfoEd record for the proposal has been submitted and all necessary documents uploaded, and forms completed/reviewed.
    • Comparing the proposal to the sponsors’ guidelines, including:
      • Font type and size
      • Margins
      • Page limits for sections and proposal
      • Completeness for inclusion of all required sections and forms
    • Review of budget and budget justification to verify accurate budget calculations, appropriate F&A and fringe rates.
    • Review of auxiliary documents (e.g., biosketch, current & pending, facilities & other resources, formatting, etc.)
    • Review of F&A applicability and waiver requests (if required)
    • Review of cost share provisions, applicability, and approval process (if required)
    • Assistance in gathering and verifying institutional documents (e.g. W‐9 forms, letter of support, audit reports, etc.)
    • Submission via sponsor portal/email/paper. This includes:
      • Setting up access to portal (if required)
      • Ensuring all necessary documents are uploaded
      • Checking and resolving validations/errors in the Sponsor's portal
  • Proposals Received Less than Five (5) Business Days in Advance

    In order to appropriately prioritize those proposals that are submitted to ORSP within the defined 5-day timeframe, proposals with the administrative components received less than 5 business days in advance of the sponsor deadline (and/or final technical components received less than 3 business days in advance) will receive a scaled review which will include, at minimum, the following:

    • Comparing the proposal to the sponsors’ guidelines, specifically for any items that may prevent successful submission.
    • Verifying appropriate F&A and fringe rates.
    • Verifying cost sharing is in line with DU policy.
    • Verifying institutional information (e.g., UEI, contact information, etc.)
    • PLEASE NOTE – THIS LEVEL OF REVIEW IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON THE VOLUME OF PROPOSALS THAT ARRIVE LESS THAN 5 BUSINESS DAYS IN ADVANCE
  • At-Risk Proposals - Proposals Received Less than Two Business Days before the Due Date

    If approved by the Senior Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Education, proposals received less than two business days in advance of the sponsor’s deadline will receive a minimal review. The goal of ORSP is to assure (to the highest degree possible) that the proposal is not rejected from the electronic submission portal. Please note, proposals submitted less than 2 business days before the due date risk not being submitted, rejection by sponsors, or containing errors/omissions that would prevent the University from being able to accept an award, should one be made.