FAQs

Explore these FAQs from the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects for quick answers about common questions around sponsored projects, proposal submissions, award management and more.

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  • Both units and ORSP have the ability to create Deliverables. Units are required to complete annual and final Deliverables created by ORSP. However, units are not required to create their own Deliverables. You are encouraged to check with your unit about any guidelines or requirements in place regarding the use of Deliverables.

  • All modifications are handled on the award record. When a modification is made to the award, the PAF will not change. Links to modifications display on the Modifications tab in the Award workspace. All PAFs tied to a single award will show up on the Related Records tab. From this tab, you can link back to the PAF if needed.

  • The first point of contact should be an individual’s department’s research administrator who can be found here: Find a Research Administrator. If additional assistance is needed, use the ORSP staff lookup.

  • Contact the department’s assigned Customer Service Coordinator in Finance-Sponsored Programs.

  • ORSP developed a decision making tool to help answer this question. If the purpose of the PAF seems to fall in a gray area, note in PAF 6.2.3 “Instructions to ORSP” that the Decision Making Tool was used. This will help ORSP staff to fine tune the PAF Question 1.2 webpage and Decision Making Tool.

  • To find the assigned Officer, check the eRPM record for Pre-Award or Award Management (listed in the Project Representative field) or the Ironclad record for Contracts (Workflow Owner). If an eRPM record has not been created yet, use the ORSP staff lookup to find officers assigned to departments.

  • The University of Michigan uses the following definitions for the purpose of calculating the two-month limit on salary requested in the proposal budget for senior personnel: 

    • A calendar year is the 12 month period starting Jan. 1 and ending Dec. 31.
    • A fiscal year is the 12 month period starting July 1 and ending June 30.
    • A university year (or U-year), per Sec. 5.01 of the University of Michigan’s bylaws and as used in connection with appointments of members of the faculty and other personnel, contains any two terms in the calendar, as defined for the year in question.

  • To receive a Full Review, the final proposal and approved PAF must be received by ORSP at least 32 business hours before the Submission Deadline listed on the PAF. Proposals received fewer than 32 business hours but at least 15 business hours before the deadline receive a Limited Review. Proposals received fewer than 15 business hours before the deadline are considered At Risk. Learn more on the Proposal Submission Deadline Policy page.

  • Post a comment to both the Pre-Award Officer assigned to the PAF and to [email protected] (First Name: Pre-Award Triage, Last Name: ORSP). The eRPM system automatically turns down a PAF 18 months after submission to the sponsor. The PAF cannot be restored until an official award document has been received.

  • If there’s no officer assigned to the PAF yet, questions can be sent to [email protected] or Post a Comment in eRPM to First Name: Pre-Award Triage, Last Name: ORSP. The contact email on sponsor forms should be [email protected] with rare exceptions.

  • ORSP engages with faculty and staff across U-M’s schools and colleges on all three campuses, as well as external sponsors, to support the administration of sponsored research. ORSP is organized into four teams based on functional area to support sponsored projects: 

    Pre-Award Team
    Reviews proposals according to deadline policy, sponsor guidelines, regulations and institutional policies; submits proposals; serves as the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) for post-submission requests such as Just-In-Time (JIT).

    Contracts Team
    Reviews and negotiates agreements, as well as modifications. Examples of agreements include nondisclosure agreements, data use agreements, clinical trial agreements, and funded agreements related to sponsored projects. The Contracts Team is organized into a funded agreement team, unfunded agreement team, and clinical trial agreement team.

    Award Management Team
    Handles non-financial post-award management of sponsored projects, serving as the AOR for post-award activities. Responsibilities include processing hardships, award acceptance, change requests, modifications, progress reports, close-outs and representing the institution in interactions with sponsors.

    Sponsored Projects Coordination Team
    Ensures the efficient and accurate processing of activities and data that support sponsored project administration. The team validates and records data, establishes electronic records, initiates workflows in the electronic system, and triages emails submitted to ORSP. The team also routes sponsor and other external communications to the appropriate ORSP team for follow-up.

    Learn more about ORSP.

  • For finance questions, customer support, funds distribution or requests, find support from Finance-Sponsored Programs For balance information, visit this Sponsored Programs FAQ.

  • If it is related to a proposal that has not been routed to ORSP yet, email [email protected]. For other questions, find and contact the assigned Officer checking the eRPM record (listed in the Project Representative field) or the Ironclad record (Workflow Owner). Include the eRPM record number (e.g., AWD or PAF) and the PI’s name to help ORSP find the record. If an eRPM record has not been created yet, use the ORSP staff lookup to find officers assigned to departments.

  • Use the “Request ORSP Action” activity in the PAF to get the request directly in the assigned officer’s work queue. If they are out of office, their coverage will also see the request. A Posted Comment only goes to that officer’s email and won’t be seen by others.

  • The University of Michigan’s proposal submission deadline policy sets deadlines for the review of proposals submitted to external sponsors. The timing of when the final proposal and approved Proposal Approval Form, or PAF, arrive in the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects determines whether the proposal receives a Full Review, Limited Review, or is considered At Risk. For details on review levels, timing requirements and examples, visit the Proposal Submission Deadline Policy page.

  • Use the “Request Action” blue button on the AWD record to create an Award Change Request (ACR). This places the request in the ORSP award management officer’s (AMO) work queue and can be seen by all officers handling coverage if that officer is out of the office.  A Posted Comment only goes to that officer’s email and won’t be seen by others.

  • Once an agreement is fully executed, the final copy will be uploaded to eRPM in the Award record.

  • Yes, it will show up as Hardship. The Project/Grant will not have an award ID until it is awarded.