Given the complexity and time requirement of preparing and submitting a great proposal, it is critical that PIs work with their department or college staff and OSP to follow the guidelines below. Throughout the proposal review and submission process, PIs and administrators may track status information using the Negotiation Module (within the Kuali Research system).
10 Business days prior to sponsor deadline
Send the applicable OSP Proposal Team notification of proposal and include the following:
- Assigned Proposal Development (PD) document number from the Kuali Research (KR) system
- Solicitation/RFP
- Please indicate if – budget, budget justification, subaward budgets, subaward commitment forms, etc. are available in the system or provide via email if available
Note: If you anticipate submitting a proposal that will result in the funding of a contract versus a grant, the funding opportunity announcement must be submitted to OSP as soon as available. OSP may need to spend extensive time reviewing and providing exceptions to contract proposals.
6 Business days prior to sponsor deadline
Send the applicable OSP Proposal Team the following items for review:
- Budget
- Budget Justification
- Statement of Work
- Subaward Budget, Subaward Budget Justification, and Subaward Commitment Form
The assigned OSP Proposal Team member will review the budget and provide comments/suggestions or budget approval to the administrative contact within two working days after receipt. Correspondence and review will continue between OSP and the department until the budget has been approved. The OSP Proposal Team member will indicate their approval by changing the Budget Status in the KR Budget to Approved.
Note: Budgets over $10M, budgets with multiple task breakdowns, or budgets with information estimating hours and/or hourly rates may require additional time for review.
Once OSP has approved the budget, please continue to attach necessary documents to the PD document and begin routing.
3 Business days prior to sponsor deadline
Provide the applicable OSP Proposal Team with the final complete proposal for review via the PD document or release for review in the sponsor submission portal. The PD document must be routed up to OSP/BC/CGA level of approval. Final proposals that are not received by the three day deadline will be considered late. For more information on late proposals please review MSU's Deadline Policy.
The assigned OSP Proposal Team member will review the proposal to verify compliance with the agency's and MSU's policies, guidelines, and requirements. Correspondence and review will continue between OSP and the department until the proposal package has been approved/finalized.
Note: It is the primary responsibility of the Principal Investigator or departmental/college personnel, not OSP, to ascertain that the proposal meets the specific requirements specified in the funding opportunity announcement.
1 Business day prior to sponsor deadline
OSP’s commitment: Proposals received on-time (3 business days prior to the sponsor deadline) will be submitted to the sponsor at least one business day prior to the sponsor deadline.
Day of the sponsor deadline
A proposal is considered at-risk when it is provided to OSP less than one full business day of the submission deadline (e.g., if the proposal has a 5 p.m. deadline, it must be to OSP before 8 a.m. on the deadline date or it is considered at-risk). The at-risk proposal must be specifically endorsed by the applicable research dean before it is reviewed by OSP. Please check with your College Research office for additional at-risk procedures that must be adhered to by your College. After receiving the endorsement from the research dean, OSP will make reasonable efforts to submit the endorsed proposal. OSP cannot ensure the same proposal service levels for at-risk proposals which may jeopardize receipt by the sponsor. For more information on at-risk proposals please review MSU’s Deadline Policy.
Proposals Not Submitted by OSP/BC
Proposals that require submission by an Authorized Organization Representative are submitted by the Office of Sponsored Programs/Business Connect (BC). Proposals that do not have requirements for who submits the proposal are submitted by the PI or unit. These proposals may still require a signature by an OSP/BC Signature Authority (e.g. sponsor forms or MSU Commitment Form). This signature authority gives OSP/BC the ability to approve proposals and execute contracts and related documents on behalf of the University. Please email the submitted proposal to OSP/BC for our files. Please see our “Signature Authority for OSP” webpage for additional details and names of individuals who may sign on behalf of OSP/BC.
Note: OSP/BC signature will not be provided without a fully routed PD document.
