Proposal Process

The flowchart below summarizes the six stages of developing and submitting a grant application, from the first discussion with IVAN Leadership to ORSPA's final submission. Each stage is explained in the steps that follow.

• The PI discusses the solicitation with the Director or an Associate Director.
• The PI must receive approval to submit a proposal.
• The PI fills out ORSPA's Intent Coupon 50-60 days before the submission deadline.
• After review, ORSPA schedules a meeting with the investigator to plan the proposal submission process.
• The PI is responsible for writing the proposal science, while ORSPA assists in assembling the supporting documents (budget and justification, letters of support, and so on).
• The PI must have the final version of the complete proposal documents in the Submission folder 2 weeks before the submission deadline. ORSPA then reviews them for final submission five (5) working days before the deadline.

Start by discussing the solicitation with the Director or an Associate Director. All proposals must be approved by the Director and an Associate Director before they are submitted to ORSPA, so you must receive approval to submit before going further.

For a proposal responding to an announcement or request for proposal (RFP), email preaward@ivaninstitute.org — or orspa@ivaninstitute.org for inter-institutional communication — to say you intend to submit a grant application, and ask for a time to discuss the announcement with IVAN Leadership as soon as possible. After that first meeting, ORSPA will share the basic requirements for you to respond to promptly, if you have not already done so.

Fill out ORSPA's Intent Coupon online 50-60 days before the submission due date, so you can take advantage of the full range of support ORSPA offers. The PI, or a representative (any researcher staffing the grant), will also complete the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and any other collaboration requirement documents.

Once ORSPA has these, it opens your collaboration folders and invites you to present your one-page concept note or specific aims page at the weekly Research-in-Progress meeting, where other faculty and ORSPA give their input.

After reviewing your Intent Coupon, ORSPA meets with you to review the proposal guidelines, plan the submission process, and go through the supporting documents the application requires. You will also discuss developing a budget and budget justification that comply with the funding agency's guidelines and IVAN Research Institute policies.

Roles are specified at this stage for the PI, other investigators, postdocs, and anyone else staffing the grant, as well as for the IVAN Pre-Award team.

The PI, faculty, and investigative members are responsible for writing the proposal narrative and science. IVAN Research Institute will aid you in preparing the proposal, and the Pre-Award team prepares the supporting and administrative grant documents — the budget and justification, letters of support, and the rest — and compiles the complete application.

The complete proposal documents should be available in your folders no later than three (3) weeks before the submission due date. Read the funder's application guidelines, processes, and requirements carefully; they cannot be overemphasized.

The final version of the complete proposal documents must be in the Submission folder for internal review no later than two (2) weeks before the submission due date. This is ORSPA's deadline for grant document submission.

The PI will be asked to join a Zoom call during the final validation of the proposal, before it is submitted. Missing this deadline means the proposal may not be reviewed or even submitted — see Submission Deadlines for what happens next.

ORSPA submits the application on IVAN Research Institute's behalf five (5) working days before the submission due date. All letters of intent, full proposals, and contracts must be submitted by ORSPA — faculty and team members cannot apply for funding directly on the Institute's behalf, and a Principal Investigator cannot sign for the Institute even where a sponsor's portal would technically allow it.

This isn't a formality: it is what lets ORSPA confirm that every commitment the proposal makes is one the Institute can actually keep.

Funding agencies need time to review and evaluate proposals, so typically expect a wait of four to ten months between submission and the start of a funding opportunity. A sponsor may contact the Principal Investigator or ORSPA for updated information before an award is finalized.

As soon as a proposal is recommended for funding, start confirming any compliance approvals — ethics, biosafety, animal care — your project will need, since none of these can wait until the award is signed. Once an award is confirmed, ORSPA reviews its terms and conditions, then negotiates and accepts it on your behalf.

• All letters of intent, full proposals, and contracts must be submitted by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects Administration (ORSPA). Faculty and team members cannot apply directly for grants or other funding on behalf of IVAN Research Institute.
• Faculty may apply directly for funding that is awarded to the individual and not to the institution — certain fellowships and awards from professional associations, for example. Please contact ORSPA with any questions before applying for individual funding.
• Faculty and team members cannot partner with, or enter into any agreements with, external organizations, schools, or institutes on behalf of IVAN Research Institute without prior authorization from ORSPA.
• Part-time faculty and team members must partner with a full-time member of the Institute to apply for external funding.
• All proposals must be approved by the Director and an Associate Director before being submitted to ORSPA.