Processing Proposals
Any research or sponsored project with outside funding must be processed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and documented in U-M’s eResearch Proposal Management system. Learn more about the process of processing proposals at U-M.
All sponsored projects at the University of Michigan are reviewed by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP). Before working with ORSP to route and submit a proposal, first, confirm that it is a sponsored project. Any research or scholarly project proposal with outside funding must be processed through ORSP and documented in U-M’s eResearch Proposal Management (eRPM).
Proposal approval form
During the proposal development phase, project teams will need to create an electronic record — a Proposal Approval Form (PAF) — within eRPM. The PAF is used for internal review and approval and data management.
- Proposal development happens within the U-M departments or units of the various schools, colleges or institutes. Be sure to identify and work with departmental research administrators to complete the PAF and sponsor application materials via eRPM.
- Proposal submission happens after ORSP has reviewed and approved the proposal routed via the University of Michigan’s eRPM system.
The person routing a proposal must obtain approval of the appropriate department head and dean or unit director before sending the proposal to ORSP for review, approval and submission. See the Standard Operating Procedure 200.01: Proposal Review and Internal Deadlines for further guidance.
Learn more about what is covered in the PAF.
Once the proposal and PAF are complete, route the PAF for necessary approvals. Obtain all necessary unit/school/college approvals and finalize the PAF for ORSP review and approval at least 32 business hours in advance of the sponsor deadline. Keep the ORSP deadline policy in mind when preparing. Submitting early allows sufficient time for a comprehensive review and helps ensure a proposal is ready for submission.
Who does what?
Learn about the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the identification, assembly and submission of proposals related to sponsored projects at the University of Michigan (U-M) in Roles and Responsibilities – Proposal Review Approval Processing.
Services provided by ORSP
ORSP reviews submissions according to the PAF and Proposal Checklist; collaborates with University offices as necessary for the required endorsements, signatures and certifications; and submits to the potential sponsor.
Specifically, in accordance with the Deadline Policy, ORSP provides the following services for Full Reviews:
- Proposal checked for compliance with U-M Requirements
- Proposal checked for compliance with sponsor guidelines
- Terms and conditions binding upon award reviewed for acceptability
- Proposal submitted by Submission Deadline
- Proposal successfully received by the sponsor
ORSP can also help address questions if sponsor guidelines are unclear. Contact [email protected].
Information for the standard (SF-424) forms
A Standard Form 424 (SF-424) is the application packet used by federal agencies for grant submissions. Most standard information (DUNS, FWA numbers, Authorized Officials and addresses) is pre-populated in the required SF-424 forms when completing the application in eRPM. If not, reference the Frequently Required Proposal Data page.
Submitting proposals
Proposal development and signatures are handled in eRPM, regardless of final submission method. To protect the interests of U-M faculty and staff who submit proposals and the interests of the University, any versions of the proposal — electronic, sponsor portal screen shots, email, or other — must be routed to the ORSP via eRPM. If any changes are made to the version being sent, the new version must be re-routed to ORSP.
There are a variety of ways in which a proposal will get submitted to the sponsor. Below are the most common scenarios. In most cases, including all Grants.gov applications, ORSP submits the proposal to the intended sponsor electronically. In some cases, an office with delegated authority can submit directly to Grants.gov (e.g., the Medical School Grants Office can submit to NIH only).
To get the proposal submitted, it is the responsibility of the project team to finalize their submission in eResearch using the PAF.
Principal investigator (PI)/project team submission directly to sponsors via sponsor portal
Proposals being submitted to sponsors via a sponsor portal still require ORSP review and approval. When routing the PAF, ensure that a final PDF of the proposal, as being provided in the sponsor portal, has been uploaded to the Final Proposal Documents of the PAF. Screenshots of the application portal are encouraged. If ORSP signature is required within the sponsor portal, ensure ORSP has access to sign.
ORSP submission directly to sponsors via sponsor portal or system-to-system Grants.gov
ORSP regularly reviews and submits proposals within sponsor portals. If there is a choice among systems, ORSP recommends using Grants.gov system-to-system submission (or other agency systems such as NSF’s Research.gov or a unique sponsor system) whenever possible. This is integrated in the eRPM system and routes submissions directly.
When routing a PAF, ensure the proposal is: 1) finalized and ready for submission (ORSP staff can provide guidance, but department research administrators can help with systems and forms), 2) ORSP has “submit access” and 3) any errors have been resolved.
Individual investigators do not need to register in Grants.gov. The University is registered for the Grants.gov submission process. Note, the order of the documents in the Grants.gov application cannot be changed within eRPM.
Workspace Grants.gov submission
If a Grants.gov submission is not supported in eRPM, for example, with some smaller sponsors, project teams may submit via Workspace within Grants.gov. To do this, register with Grants.gov and then Add Organization Applicant Profile. Enter U-M’s UEI or DUNS number, as requested from the Frequently Required Proposal Data & Documents page. Follow the prompts to proceed. Then, in eRPM, Request the Manage Workspace Role by doing the following:
- Post a Comment in the PAF and change the Subject Line to “Request Manage Workspace Role.”
- Provide the Grants.gov username in the Enter Comments box.
- Use the “Central Office and/or Interested Parties” box to select First Name: Pre-Award Triage, Last Name: ORSP.
PI/Project Team or ORSP submission via email
When either the PI/Project Team or ORSP is submitting a proposal via email, ensure the final proposal document is uploaded to the PAF. Attach as one PDF all required documents to be submitted to the sponsor. Please do not upload Word, Excel or multiple documents unless specifically requested by the sponsor. Indicate any special instructions regarding signatures, email correspondence or naming conventions that are required at the time of submission.
Order for submissions
ORSP staff will review the proposals in the order they are received. As ORSP receives proposals in accordance with the deadline policy, any proposals submitted with a limited or at-risk review will be handled as staff capacity permits. Note that problems beyond ORSP control, such as corrupted files or Internet interruptions, may result in proposals not being launched in a timely fashion. It might be possible that ORSP staff cannot correct or even send a late proposal.
ORSP will make every effort to submit proposals to the sponsor by the required deadline. However, when the time available for reviewing and processing is limited, the risk of delays or unresolved issues increases. Some steps in the proposal review process depend on the availability and timelines of other offices, which may be outside of ORSP’s control. Providing sufficient lead time allows ORSP to address questions, coordinate with other units and resolve potential issues before the sponsor deadline. Faculty are strongly encouraged to submit proposal materials as early as possible to support a complete and timely review.
The ORSP pre-award team is available for questions and administrative help during the proposal preparation period in the weeks prior to the deadline. Contact [email protected].
Conflict of interest disclosures
Investigators listed on the PAF are expected to disclose outside activities, relationships and interests (“outside activities”) for a conflict of interest (COI) review and determination by a U-M COI committee. For details about outside activity disclosure and COI Committee review for sponsored research, see the U-M Conflict of Interest website.
As part of the proposal submission process, the PI certifies to their disclosure status when signing the PAF in eRPM. The proposal and the PAF will then be further processed.
When organizational conflict of interest requirements are found in the request for proposal, PIs must also complete the Supplemental Disclosure for Organizational Conflicts of Interest form.
Proposals may be submitted to external sponsors in order to meet established deadlines with the understanding that the COI review and determination process must be completed satisfactorily before a sponsored award can be accepted.
Training requirements
Investigators and others in engaged research may be required to take certain courses per University, state and federal regulations. Learn about requirements and courses in the Program for Education and Evaluation in Responsible Research and Scholarship (PEERRS). PEERRS is the university’s online resource providing regulatory and responsible conduct of research training courses for employees and students. A Hold may be placed on a PAF or Award if training requirements are not met.
Status of proposals
eRPM provides status on proposal submission for proposals submitted via system-to-system. To check the content of an electronically submitted proposal for selected agencies including NIH, use eRA Commons. For NSF, submitted proposals can be viewed in Research.gov The status information that is available will vary from agency to agency.