All proposals, after review and approval, are submitted by an Authorized Organizational Representative (Director/Associate Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs) on behalf of the Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. All proposals must have a designated Principal Investigator.
All proposals must be provided to Sponsored Programs for review and transmittal to the sponsor in advance of the sponsor’s published deadline. Please allow as much time as possible for:
- Internal routing of draft information and budgets via NuRamp
- Sponsored Programs to review the complete proposal package and provide feedback on any necessary or recommended changes
- Investigators to implement changes and return revisions to Sponsored Programs
- Sponsored Programs to re-check and transmit the proposal to the sponsor
NOTE: Most electronic systems now require time for proposal validation before the proposal is considered received. On heavy deadline days, this can be a few minutes to several hours.
Here is a brief, general overview of the proposal preparation process.
Principal Investigator (PI)
(and co-investigators, if any)
- Maintains annual disclosure of conflicts of interest/conflicts of commitment (COI/COC), and files project-specific updates, as appropriate, through the COI/COC module in NuRamp
- Searches for funding opportunities (Office of Proposal Development provides weekly funding announcements and can assist with specific funding opportunity searches)
- Carefully reviews sponsor funding opportunity and prepares all required proposal components
- Identifies collaborators and includes information and contacts for any subawards involved in the proposal
- Conceives idea, writes proposal
- Develops budget and budget justification
- Communicates with OSP Grants Coordinator regarding subawards as early as possible during budget preparation
- Documents need for cost share, if required, and ensures approvers are aware of, and willing to approve cost share
- Routes proposal through NuRamp
- Prepares proposal in sponsor’s electronic system
- Requests and receives approval, as appropriate, from compliance committees (IRB, IACUC, biosafety, radiation safety, export control)
NOTE: Start the NuRamp routing process in sufficient time to allow approvers to review and approve prior to the sponsor deadline.
Department Support/Liaison
(most units have grant support that may provide some or all of the following assistance to PIs)
- Reviews sponsor solicitation and helps PI prepare required non-programmatic proposal components
- Prepares and/or reviews the budget – verifies rates, allowability of costs, salary caps, cost sharing, etc.
- Assists PI with completing and routing proposal information in NuRamp
- Assists PI with electronic proposal preparation in sponsor systems
- Reviews proposal components before sending proposal to OSP
- Works with PI, as needed, to respond to OSP review comments and indicate confirmation of any exceptions prior to submission
Dean/Department Chair
(and any others whose approval may be required)
- Reviews proposal information in NuRamp and requests changes or additional information, as needed, prior to submission to the sponsor
- Ensures that space and other resource commitments in the proposal, such as cost sharing or in-kind support, will be met either by the department or dean’s office
- Approves the proposal information, including any promised cost share, as it routes through NuRamp
Office of Sponsored Programs Grants Coordinator
- Serves as primary administrative contact on all sponsored proposals
- Reviews sponsor solicitation and provides general guidance on submission requirements, as needed
- Reviews final budget draft for compliance
- Reviews final drafts of proposal and supporting documentation for completeness and compliance with sponsor and university policies and guidelines; recommends changes, as needed, prior to submission to sponsor
- Confirms documentation of cost share approvals, as applicable
- Prepares supporting documents for proposal, such as institutional transmittal letter, certifications, and response to terms and conditions, as necessary, on behalf of the University
- Provides institutional final approval of proposal and provides any necessary signatures from the Authorized Organizational Representative
- Submits the proposal according to the sponsor’s requirements and/or submission instructions provided in NuRamp form
Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR)
- Endorses the proposal for submission to the sponsor on behalf of the University of Nebraska Board of Regents
