Frequently Asked Questions
PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
Who is eligible to serve as a Principal Investigator (PI)?
Please see the Principal Investigator Eligibility section of the URA website.
As the Principal Investigator (PI), am I the applicant and award recipient, or is it the University of Chicago?
Applications to most external sponsors are submitted as University of Chicago as the applicant. Please consult with your grant administrator or sponsored development manager with questions concerning sponsor guidelines.
Do I need to apply for a DUNS number or register with the Central Contractor Registry?
No, the university serves as applicant and is registered in these systems.
What do sponsors mean by PI, Co-PI, Co-I, Senior Personnel, etc.?
The Principal Investigator (PI) is the lead scientist on a research project and has primary responsibility for the design, execution and management of the project.
Co-PI (Co-Principal Investigator) and Co-I (Co-Investigator) designations may be used when multiple Investigators are permitted on a project. Co-PIs/Co-Is are typically considered Senior/Key Personnel and play a central role in the project.
Sponsor definitions vary; carefully read the guidelines for each proposal before assigning project roles.
What are the responsibilities of a PI? And other units involved in proposal development?
Please see the Roles and Responsibilities Matrix for detailed descriptions.
What are the different types of applications?
NEW: An application that is being submitted to a direct sponsor for the first time.
RESUBMISSION: An unfunded application the applicant has modified following the initial sponsor review and resubmitted for consideration. (NIH allows a maximum of one resubmitted application.)
RENEWAL: An application requesting additional funding and/or time, over and above what was originally proposed, for a period subsequent to that provided by the current award.
REVISION (SUPPLEMENTAL): A supplemental application requesting additional funding for an active award. The project period will typically overlap with the parent award.
Does my proposal need to go through URA?
Most proposals, especially to federal sponsors, require URA involvement, and you should contact your unit grant administrator or URA sponsored development manager as early as possible.
URA will help develop your budget and guide you through the submission process, as well as check to ensure that your proposal complies with sponsor guidelines and any other relevant policies and regulations. Many sponsors also require that an Authorized Organizational Representative (or Signing Official) submit your proposal.
Even if the sponsor allows the Principal Investigator (PI) to submit the proposal, if funding will come through the University, URA will still need to review the full proposal prior to submission. Submitting without URA assistance can result in detrimental budget errors and delays in processing your award.
Here are two situations in which you may not need to involve URA:
Preliminary proposals (or similar – such as white papers or concept papers) do not require URA involvement unless a budget is included or if the sponsor requires that an Authorized Organizational Representative submit the pre-proposal.
Fellowships that do not require an institutional endorsement and the funding will go directly to the student may be submitted directly by the student without URA involvement.
When do I contact my Grants Administrator or Sponsored Development Manager?
As soon as you have identified a funding opportunity for which you intend to apply; no later than 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline. They will assist you with budget and proposal development, obtaining necessary approvals, creating required documents, review and internal approvals, and proposal submission.
What is required for URA to review, approve, and submit a proposal?
Please see the Preparing a Proposal section of the URA website.
What is a statement of work?
A Statement of Work or Scope of Work (SOW) is a document that outlines the project activities, deliverables, and timeline for completion. The SOW should clearly explain what tasks will be completed and by when. UChicago does not currently have a required template, but the document should be in narrative format. A Statement of Work Template is available for your information and use.
The program announcement, RFA, or NOFO limits the number of submissions from our institution. Who should I contact?
Limited opportunities are managed by the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations. University of Chicago uses InfoReady Review for these opportunities. Please visit the Limited Opportunities section of the URA website.
How do I locate internal funding opportunities for the university?
University of Chicago uses InfoReady Review for these opportunities. Please visit the Limited Opportunities section of the URA website.
Can I submit the proposal and send a copy to URA?
Generally, no. Only URA is authorized to submit proposals. There are some foundations which require a PI to create an account and submit directly; these submissions need to be coordinated with URA and receive internal approvals prior to submission.
PRE-AWARD, AWARD, AND POST-AWARD
Who do I contact for NIH Just-in-Time (JIT) requests?
Contact your grant administrator for all NIH JIT requests. The Principal Investigator or other authorized user will need to upload JIT information in eRA Commons according to the instructions provided by NIH. When the files have been uploaded, URA will review and submit the information to NIH.
When should I obtain IRB, IACUC, biohazardous materials, and/or other compliance approvals?
Most approvals, such as Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and biohazardous materials, are generally not required at proposal stage but should be obtained as soon as possible. If awarded, no project award funds may be used until all approvals have been obtained from the appropriate compliance offices.
NIH requests IACUC and IRB approvals at the JIT stage.
Contact the appropriate unit begin the approval process.
What should I do if I receive a notice of award?
If you receive notice of an award, send this to your grant administrator or proposal@uchicago.edu as soon as possible. If the notice of award requests further documentation and/or a revised budget before the award may be issued, then please contact your grant administrator.
Please do not sign the award, as only certain individuals in the University are authorized to sign awards and an unauthorized signature could render the agreement null and void.
If your project requires any approvals, such as for the use of animals, human subjects, controlled substances, or biohazardous materials, and you do not yet have approval, we highly recommend starting the approval process as soon as possible.
What do I do if I receive an award for the university I did not submit through URA?
All sponsored funding applications must be submitted through URA. If you did not work with URA at proposal stage and you receive an award, contact your grant administrator as soon as possible; they will work with you to develop a proposal “after the fact,” which is required in order to review and approve for award stage.
Your proposal must include, at a minimum: budget (Excel format), Budget Justification (narrative format), Statement of Work, link or communication to sponsor call or request, and any proposal documents submitted.
If an award will be issued to me directly and I will not use university resources, do I need to involve URA in my proposal?
If the award will be made directly to the Principal Investigator and not to the University, URA does not typically need to be involved. This occurs most frequently with fellowships and consultant agreements. For consultant agreements, it is important that the University’s resources are not being used.
I want to complete a no-cost extension, budget revision, or other post-award activity. Who should I contact?
Your unit grant administrator can assist with these activities; if your division utilizes URA Sponsored Program Services, they provide 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.
Who is responsible for preparing and submitting progress reports?
The PI is responsible for preparation and submission of progress reports, with the assistance of a grant administrator or post-award grants specialist. URA, in collaboration with IT Services, has developed several reporting resources for faculty and departments to use to manage sponsored awards.