The OR&SP assist faculty and staff in identifying funding sources and supply application forms and guidelines. We also assist faculty in preparing budgets and if wished we will edit proposals. We will assist faculty from the start of the process to the end, the amount of assistance depends on how involved the investigator wishes.

Yes you do.

The main reason for informing the OR&SP about your proposal is that we will help you obtain all of the signatures needed to approve the submission of your proposal. Even though you are proposing the work and performing the work yourself, the grant is awarded to the university for it to administer.

This makes the university fiscally responsible for your award; therefore, this office needs to get the proper approvals before it is submitted. To do this the OR&SP reviews proposal budgets to ensure that they are in the proper form and are in agreement with the proposal guidelines.

The OR&SP also evaluates any university commitment that is made in the grant. The OR&SP has a post award oversight responsibility to insure that funds received are spent in accordance with the budget and agency guidelines. Additionally the office can help faculty in complying with the requirements of the various oversight committees that are mandated by federal and state laws and university policy.

You should make an appointment to have the office look over your budget and make sure all guidelines are met and balanced. Bring with you any information you have, such as, the RFP, or URL of site where we can read the RFP, draft of proposal and budget information. Once everything is examined we will generate a "Yellow" approval form. This is the form that requires all of the signatures from the university for submission.

Normally the Principle investigator (yourself), any Co-PI's, your department chair, the dean of your school, Vice-president of Finance and the Dean of Graduate Studies and Research.

We still believe in human sacrifices!! Actually it is very important that you have this form completed because it says that the university is committed to your grant or award and that any monetary commitments or release time will be honored by the university. If this form is not completed it is possible that any university commitments will not be fulfilled thus causes a lost of the award.

The earlier the better, generally two weeks before the deadline is best. That gives us the time to review everything and get the necessary approvals well before the proposal deadline. We do understand that this is not always possible to come in two weeks before the deadline, but the office will do everything it can to get your proposal out before the deadline.

The OR&SP will do almost anything that will aid the grant writing and submission process given the restraints of time and personnel except we will not write your proposal (no one knows the material as well as you do).
Also, we do not we make judgments about the worth of proposals. The decision on whether a proposal is in the best interest of the university and whether or not it should be submitted is left to the preparer and supervisors. Normally the approval of the Chair, Dean, and Assistant Vice President and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research are required.