Proposal Development and Submission
Sidebar
Once you find a funding opportunity that matches your research goals, first become familiar with the common elements in proposals (sign in required.) Then, follow the steps below to learn, develop, prepare, route and submit a competitive proposal.
Industry-sponsored proposals may have additional considerations. Visit the industry proposals (sign in required) page for more details.
More information on the Office of Research and Innovation’s policies and procedures regarding proposal development and budgeting can be found in Chapter 3 of the Research Handbook (sign in required.) For funding opportunities and help with developing proposals, contact the Office of Research Development and Support.
Steps to submitting a competitive proposal
1
Learn
Become familiar with institutional requirements and policies:
- General UofL information required by funding agencies: Such as proof of non-profit status, tax forms, etc. These include the UofL Research Foundation DUNS number, ULRF EIN and other general ULRF information requested by funding agencies.
- UofL's indirect cost (IDC) rates: Also known as facilities & administrative (F&A) rates. It is important to request the correct percentage of IDC applied to your award.
- Internal routing for review: Submit your proposal package for review and clearance in Cayuse Sponsored Projects (Cayuse SP) sign in required at least five business days prior to the sponsor deadline.
- UofL's regulatory and compliance requirements: Such as how to handle research with human subjects.
- Salary caps: Check federal guidance on relevant salary caps for DHHS, NIH and other sponsored programs.
2
Develop
Build your team and draft your proposal. Give yourself enough time to meet the sponsor deadline. Outline your idea and identify any gaps or issues that could prevent it from fully responding to the solicitation.
- Identify collaborators with complementary expertise. Use UofL’s research platforms (sign in required), Digital Sciences Elements, Dimensions, Pivot and ORCiD to identify potential collaborators.
- Conduct a literature search. UofL Libraries provide resources for researchers at all stages of the research process, including literature searching and data management plan support for Belknap and HSC campuses.
- Get writing support. Writing your proposal is, of course, the most time-consuming piece of the process so it's important to budget time accordingly. Utilize available writing, editing and (when applicable) graphic design resources for large-scale multidisciplinary proposals. For more information, please contact our research development team.
- Work with your college/department research coordinator to complete your budget. Assign effort (percentage of salary supported) for each collaborator and include applicable indirect costs (F&A).
- Participate in a peer review. Ask colleagues or mentors, especially those who have successfully applied to the same funding mechanism before, to review your proposal before finalizing. They may be able to help you catch any errors, strengthen arguments and generally make sure your proposal is the best it can be.
New faculty member? Consider completing the Essentials of Grant Proposal Development CITI course, which provides basic training on everything from crafting your narrative to preparing your budget justification.
In addition, biomedical researchers are encouraged to explore the NIH online grantsmanship training and resources available. Register here.
Need support? If you have questions or need assistance in the proposal development process, please contact staff in the Office of Research Development and Strategic Initiatives.
3
Prepare to submit
Advance notice: Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration two weeks ahead of your sponsor deadline to confirm intent to submit.
Internal submission: At least five business days before the sponsor deadline, you are required to submit all components of the proposal for review and clearance through UofL's Cayuse Sponsored Projects (Cayuse SP) application. Learn more about getting started and how to log in on UofL’s Cayuse webpage (sign in required).
4
Submit
Who submits: Many proposals are submitted by the institution on behalf of the PI. If the sponsor allows PI-submitted proposals, you must still submit and route your materials through Cayuse SP first.
Deadline buffer: In order to ensure timely review and submission, the final version of the proposal and all documents must be submitted via Cayuse SP at least five (5) full business days prior to sponsoring agency deadline.
If funded: OSPA will help set up and manage your award. Learn more on our Awards and Agreements page.