The purpose of this website is to provide information, guidance and answer FAQs on the proposal processes that will go into effect on May 5, 2021 consistent with our current Proposal Submission Policy. Over the next three months, the OVPR will be collaborating with a Faculty Senate working group and other faculty and staff groups to identify additional ways to improve University support for proposal preparation and submission.
Information on this webpage will be updated periodically with additions being noted in the text.
Resources:
- Letter on Proposal Process Timeline
- Policy
- Survey Results
- Timeline Process Chart
- Final Report - Presidential Task Force on Sponsored Projects
- Q&A - Research Proposal Town Halls
Quarterly Updates:
- Fiscal Year 2022 - Quarters 1 and 2
- Fiscal Year 2022 - Quarter 3
- Fiscal Year 2022 - Quarter 4
- Fiscal Year 2023 - Quarters 1-4
- Fiscal Year 2024 - Quarters 1-4
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question that isn’t answered here? Send your question to kim.benoit@uconn.edu and SPS will respond to you.
Procedure Related
Are there exceptions to policy requiring SPS Pre-Award to receive proposals 5 full business days prior to the sponsor due date?
Potential exceptions to the 5-day due date include:
- One pass allowed for each faculty
- Short turnaround RFPs, last minute sponsor requests, or last minute opportunities/collaborations
- If no other proposals are ahead in the queue
What proposal documents are required when submitting to SPS 5 full business days prior to the sponsor due date?
All final proposal documents except for the scientific narrative as noted below:
- IPR (completed and signed)
- Final budget
- Final budget justification
- Solicitation/Guidelines (if there is no solicitation, please indicate this)
- Other internal forms, completed and fully approved (cost sharing, PI eligibility, etc.), if applicable
- Subrecipient documents, if applicable
- Complete proposal with all documents included/uploaded
- Narrative documents including abstract, project description, and references cited may all be in draft
How are the 5 full business days calculated?
The 5 full business days before the sponsor due date equate to one week prior (e.g., if the due date is Thursday, the proposal and internal documents [except final narrative] are due by 9:00 am the Thursday prior to the due date). Weekends and holidays do not count in the calculation. For more information and a helpful graphic, please see the Proposal Development, Review, and Submission webpage.
How are holidays handled?
Holidays do not count as business days. Email reminders regarding holidays, including the specific due date for final proposal, will be sent to the research community via listserv.
What are the scientific component documents that can be submitted in draft or final format 5 full business days prior to the sponsor due date or day of submission?
The scientific component documents include abstract, project narrative, and references cited.
When are the final scientific components required?
Final scientific components should be submitted to SPS Pre-Award 1.5 business days prior to the sponsor due date or day of submission.
Are all signatures on the IPR Form required 5 full business days prior to the sponsor due date or day of submission?
All signatures except for the Dean are required.
My proposal includes one or more subawards. What subrecipient documents are required 5 full business days prior to the sponsor due date or day of submission?
The UConn Information and Compliance Form for Subrecipients, scope of work, budget, budget justification, and F&A Rate Agreement are required for each subrecipient.
My proposal does not have a hard due date. When will the review and submission occur?
Beginning May 5, 2021, SPS Pre-Award will review proposals in the order they are received in full. Only exceptions such as the use of a one-time pass by an investigator or a short notice opportunity will fall outside this review order.
A sponsor reached out to me with a funding opportunity, but the proposal requires submission with less than 5 full business days’ notice or in a timeframe where I cannot meet the 5 full business day requirement. Will SPS accept and review the proposal?
Yes, Contact SPS Pre-Award as soon as you learn of the opportunity to coordinate review, certification, and submission of the proposal. Best efforts will be made to complete and submit the proposal on time.
Do all cost share/match commitments have to be finalized 5 days in advance as well?
Yes, but we understand that it may be difficult to get full documentation/signatures and we will work with the PIs and support staff to advance the proposal.
Exception Pass
How do I request and use the pass?
Faculty should request that the pass be used in the email when providing the proposal documents to SPS Pre-Award.
How does the pass work?
Each faculty member has one exception pass that may be used to advance a proposal for review by SPS when the proposal misses the required 5 full business day internal due date. Any investigator on the proposal may use their pass and only one pass per proposal will be needed. A pass is used when an investigator tells SPS that they wish to use their pass. SPS will approve and track the use of a faculty pass and document its use over email. Approval of passes will be contingent upon proposal volume and ability to provide timely and thorough reviews prior to sponsor due dates.
How many passes will each faculty member get?
Each faculty member has one exception pass that may be used to advance a proposal for review by SPS when the proposal misses the required 5 full business day internal due date. Once used, no more passes will be issued. (Passes are not issued annually - this is a once in a lifetime pass.)
Other Questions
How do other institutions handle internal proposal submission due dates? What are best practices?
An internal proposal due date is a best practice at many peer institutions. Many have policies and procedures that are like UConn’s. One key difference is that most also include hard due dates for science whereas UConn allows for the science to be submitted 1.5 days in advance to ensure a successful submission.
What are the success rates of proposals that are submitted late?
At UConn as well as many other institutions, junior faculty proposal submissions fare worse when they are received close to the submission due date. Senior faculty proposals fare about the same and in some cases better (those serving on panels may submit late, for instance).
Is there a plan to scale up SPS services given the University goal to double research funding?
SPS has been working diligently to address staffing levels against growing research volume and to improve tools available to investigators and staff. The internal proposal due dates will allow for higher quality and timely review and certification of proposals.
The OVPR is working to implement additional research development and proposal support services such as editing, large/complex proposal support, and consultation to assist investigators to develop the best possible proposals.
What does recent data on proposal submissions show?
Nearly two-thirds of proposals are completed with all sections submitted to SPS within 24 hours of the sponsor due date. The data is based on when SPS Pre-Award receives the complete proposal for submission – it does not include the time of a local administrator (Department, Center, School or Faculty Services) in preparing the proposal.
Is the proposal bottleneck due to the pandemic?
No, the bottle neck preceded the pandemic.
How many last-minute grants were COVID-19 proposals?
Reviewing all submissions since March 2020, COVID-19 research grants represented only 8.5% of last-minute submissions at Storrs and 11.9% of last-minute submissions at UConn Health.