Faculty Support for Proposal Development

Faculty Support for Proposal Development

Effective proposal development of grant and sponsored project applications requires good communication, in-depth knowledge of the process, and strong working relationships with faculty, administrators, and colleagues within the relevant units. In addition to University Research Administration (URA), faculty may collaborate with Research Development Support (RDS), Foundation and Corporate Relations (FCR) or proposal professionals, such as grant writers, within their unit. 

As faculty it may be challenging to determine which office to contact for proposal development and submission assistance. This guide outlines the activities of each unit providing proposal development services at the university.

Proposal Development Support

University Research Administration Sponsored Development Services and Sponsored Program Services (URA)

The URA Pre-Award Research Administrators assist researchers and departmental administrators with proposal development and/or submission. The URA Pre-Award Research Administrator is responsible for reviewing and approving budget accuracy, ensuring compliance with institutional and sponsor-specific rules and regulations, and transmitting applications and requests on behalf of The University of Chicago to federal and non-federal sponsors when required.

Pre-Proposal Development
  • Pre-Proposal/Letter Preparation: Advise faculty member of pre-proposal or Letter of Intent requirements for submission. Assist in the pre-proposal or LOI process for sponsors that require pre-application submission prior to full proposal submission.
Proposal Development
  • Provide checklist of sponsor requirements based on guidelines for proposal submission
  • Create timeline to keep faculty member on track for sponsor deadline
  • Create or assist in creating the proposal budget
  • Compile all required documents and ensure that institutional and sponsor requirements are met for proposal submission
  • Ensure a secondary review of the final proposal prior to submission based on URA Pre-Award Policies and Procedures
  • Assist faculty member, as needed with updates to required documents, biosketches, current and pending support documents, and other required materials.
  •  The dedicated URA Pre-Award Research Administrator will be available to meet with faculty or departmental staff, as needed, to review proposal and/or sponsor requirements for upcoming proposal submissions, to answer questions and to provide guidance on how agencies are structured, and the agency contacts that faculty may reach out to directly. Email and phone communications will be answered within one business day, and if additional time is required, that will be communicated. 
  • Reach out to sponsors on faculty’s behalf to address a variety of topics, including but not limited to, clarification of sponsor guidance, status of proposal submission, act as authorized organizational official and liaison between faculty and grants contacts at sponsoring agency.  
Proposal Compliance and Institutional Approvals

  • Routing applies to proposals for which there is a sponsor deadline and to letters of intent, white papers, or other pre-proposal submissions that contain or propose institutional commitments to which UChicago will be expected to adhere (e.g., budgets, cost sharing, space renovations, acquisition of equipment/instruments, etc.), regardless of whether URA endorsement is needed at the time of submission.

  • Provide Institutional Review, Approval, and Endorsement prior to proposal submission, as well as managing the submission process for all sponsored projects submissions.

Just in Time Requests or Other Pre-Award Activities
  • Create checklist of sponsor requirements for JIT submission
  • Advise faculty member of requirements for JIT submission and assist in preparation of JIT response. This may be in the form of Other Support (OS) or protocol approval information
  • Budget revisions and other additional requested information
  • Ensure a secondary review of the final JIT final response prior to submission based on URA Pre-Award procedures

 Research Development Support (RDS)

RDS is a key strategic partner for faculty across divisions in the pursuit of funding for visionary, large-scale interdisciplinary research projects and infrastructure. The team of research professionals has broad expertise and specializes in the support of cross-division, infrastructure-building, and complex large-scale proposals during the entire pre-award timeline – through the proposal submission and site visit reviews – from a nascent idea to proposal development across divisions/institutions.

RDS also administers the Big Ideas Generator (BIG) seed funding program, coordinates the internal competition for limited funding opportunities, and manages the appointments of affiliated researchers into the UChicago Consortium for Advanced Science and Engineering (CASE) to catalyze faculty research and collaborations.

Pre-Proposal Development
  • Concept evolution
  • Teaming assistance
  • Identification of funding sources
Team Coordination
  • Set timelines and facilitate meetings for scientific team, administrative team, and outreach/education team
  • Evaluate team composition and suggest experts or practitioners to fill gaps
  • Connect to campus resources
  • Coordinate competitive reviews
  • Identify partners for education and outreach
Proposal Components

Curate and provide templates and drafts of non-technical supplement documents on our Intranet page, such as:

  • Education, Public Outreach, and Broader Impacts
  • Workforce Development
  • Data Management Plans
  • Collaboration Plans
  • Leadership/Management Plans
  • Conceive and draft Organizational Charts and Data Tables to enhance grantsmanship
Competitive Review
  • Assess full application for responsiveness to solicitation
  • Review across documents/sections for consistency and integration
  • Organize and facilitate pre-submission Red Team or “soft” review
  • Coordinate presentation materials and practice sessions for Site Visit and Reverse Site Visit proposal reviews

Foundation and Corporate Relations (FCR)

If you are considering corporate or foundation funding, the Office of Foundation and Corporate Relations tracks a group of restricted organizations and is happy to offer assistance with submissions to these organizations. Further, our office helps to manage foundation limited opportunities, programs for which the University may submit only a specified number of proposals or applications. 

Foundation Relations Services
  • Project conceptualization
  • Identification of potential foundation funders
  • Proposal preparation and budget development
  • Obtaining and routing institutional letters of support or endorsement
  • Management of campus site visits or off-campus meetings
  • Stewarding relationships with foundations
  • Assisting with reporting requirements
Process for Limited Opportunities

Foundation and Corporate Relations:

  • Manages information flow and scheduling in the selection process with the Provost’s office.
  • Coordinates with campus units and offices to assist in the preparation of grant submissions for foundation limited opportunities.
  • Secures institutional endorsement letters.
  • Provides direct support and consultation to designated nominees at all stages of the writing and submission process.

Provost’s Office:

  • Solicits nominations from and provides detailed submission information to deans approximately 2-3 months in advance of the foundation deadline. Deans typically consult department chairs to identify prospective candidates (individuals or projects) for each foundation limited opportunity.
  • Reviews recommendations from the deans and formally designates University nominees.

Unit Grant Writing Services

Within divisions, schools, or departments, there may be proposal professionals on staff who assist faculty with sponsored projects.  Proposal professionals within their units may be the first point of contact when faculty have questions during the sponsored project lifecycle.  Their job titles vary, and the scope of their assistance varies depending on the administrative structure of the unit.  Examples of support may include:

  • Finding funding opportunities that are relevant to their unit’s disciplines and strategic plans
  • Dissemination of a funding newsletter or individual emails to grant seekers (targeted dissemination)
  • Coordination of letters of support from leadership
  • Coordination of the review and selection of applicants for limited submissions
  • Writing and editing proposal content
  • Referring faculty to resources that enhance the quality of the proposal
  • Maintaining an archive of templates and examples
  • Helping faculty update files for just-in-time requests from a sponsor
  • Training faculty in grantsmanship
  • Assist with the development of letters of intent, white papers, and pre-proposals for their units
  • Assist with the development of proposals, technical proposal development, and quality of developed proposals prior to submission.
  • Before award closeout, consult with faculty about future funding opportunities.

When appropriate, unit-level proposal professionals work with faculty directly; in other instances, they may refer faculty to URA, RDS, or Foundation and Corporate Relations.

Award Negotiation, Management, and Closeout Support

Sponsored Program Services provides post-award support of faculty members' funded research portfolios. The support includes a dedicated URA Post-Award Grants Specialist assigned to work with each faculty member on all post award needs. The support is designed to handle administrative and financial matters associated with a faculty member’s research portfolio, so that the faculty member may focus on the technical and academic content. Portfolio volume and complexity will be reviewed at least annually to ensure reasonable assignments within the URA post award sponsored program services team. 

New Award Set Up

Facilitate set up of accounts for new awards, including award notice review, spending plan preparation/execution, issuance of subawards and other tertiary agreements. 

Transaction Support
  • Set up payroll and other recurring transactions
  • Set up research staff in relevant procurement systems
  • Review and approve transactions for compliance with university/sponsor policies and availability of funds
Financial Management 
  • Prepare monthly forecast sheets that summarize a faculty member’s financial position track spending per account, and provide visibility into spending trends/issues
  • Complete monthly reconciliation of transactions posting to accounts to ensure accuracy and compliance
  • Provide financial reports to unit and divisional leadership on sponsored award activity 
  • Provide other reports as needed to suit faculty and unit needs 
Prior Approval Requests

Prepare and submit prior approval requests to award agencies including no-cost extensions, re-budget requests, effort increase/reduction, change in PI/Senior Personnel, etc.

Reporting and Closeout Support
  • Prepare and submit annual reports, financial or otherwise, during life of award (RPPRs, interim financial reports, etc.) 
  • Coordinate award closeout reports with relevant departments on campus (FFR, Final Invention Statement, Property/Equipment) 
  • Ensure that award record is closed in a timely manner 
  • Work closely with divisional staff/faculty member to avoid/mitigate overdraft or payment issues