All proposals submitted by faculty or staff for external funding must be reviewed, approved and “signed” by the Division of Research and Economic Development before submission to the sponsor. Principal investigators (PIs) are encouraged to contact Research Development at least 2 months before the proposal deadline to review sponsor requirements. At a minimum, PIs are strongly encouraged to submit draft budgets to the Division two weeks before the proposal deadline for early review. The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) requires proposals to be submitted to our office 5 days prior to the deadline to ensure proper review and submission. To see who is responsible at each stage of the research grant lifecycle, refer to the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix.
Before Developing Your Proposal
Essential Pre-Planning Checklist
| Research Development Support | Contact Research Development (kmarkin@uri.edu) for help with preparing a proposal checklist, arranging for URI’s external consultant to review your draft, strategies for securing partnerships or internal support and more. |
| Internal Requirements | Check to see if your department or college has its own requirements for proposal submission and/or approval. Please note that some colleges have their own internal requirements for proposal review and submission. Please check with your department chair or dean’s office to see if additional requirements exist. |
| Limited Competition Check | Check to see if the program to which you are applying is a limited competition. Read your request for proposals (RFP) or program announcement (PA) carefully to determine if there is a limit on the number of proposals per institution that can be submitted. Occasionally, only a limited number of proposals may be submitted by the University. Contact Karen Markin at 401.874.5971 for details. |
| Obtain Agency Credentials | Before a proposal is submitted, certain sponsors require PIs to be registered in their agency portals (i.e. NIH, NSF, NASA, USDA, NOAA, etc). This requirement is typically stated in the agency guidelines and the registration should be completed well before the proposal deadline. Contact OSP to create a new user account or affiliate an existing user account with URI. |
| Research Approvals | Does your proposal need social approvals, such as those associated with vertebrate animals or human subjects, export controls, conflicts of interest, etc? Visit the Research Integrity webpage to learn more. Important Timing Notice: Research approvals (human subjects, animal research, etc.) often require a month or more to process, so please plan ahead. |
| Cost-Sharing Requirements | Check the RFP to determine if your program requires “matching funds” or cost-sharing. This means that you will be required to submit evidence of either “in-kind” support or a cash match by the University. If your grant requires cost-sharing, discuss your needs with your department chair and/or college dean. For general questions about cost-sharing, contact Karen Markin at kmarkin@uri.edu or 401.874.5971. |
Ready to start developing your proposal? Review these proposal tips.