Proposals submitted to agencies must be reviewed by OSR to ensure compliance with University policy and, in some cases, the policies of the federal government. OSR also reviews budgets to verify that all appropriate charges are included in the cost calculations. OSR can critique a proposal if requested.
Proposal Writing Tips
Each funding agency has its own requirements for proposals. In general, the proposal should begin with a succinct, one-page summary of your project. It is often helpful to frame the proposal in terms of a problem that needs to be solved. Identify the issue, other approaches to a solution and their limitations (this should show familiarity with the literature on the issue), a plan of approach and expected outcomes. Delineate the program of activities as specifically as possible, including a timeline. This demonstrates organizational competence and sense of direction. Budget fully and accurately within the capacity of the sponsor to fund.
Other Non-UB Web sites* that may offer help on proposal writing are:
- Elements of Style
-
Proposal Writing Short Course
*These Sites are not endorsed by UB, please use at your own discretion.
Proposal Routing
Proposal Routing Form (pdf)
Sponsored projects are those projects concerned with research, training, service, equipment, purchases, conferences or some other activity supported by an organization, corporation, agency or individual external to UB for which some return (in the form of specified work, data, reports, findings, etc.) is expected.
These include:
- grants (research, training, development, conferences, travel, equipment, etc.)
- fellowships
- contracts with state or federal agencies or corporations
- subcontracts to other institutions
- IPA agreements (Intergovernmental Personnel Act )
- renewal applications, non-competing continuation applications and applications for supplemental funding
Special requests such as a change of principal investigator, the transfer of an award (grant or contract) or equipment from one institution to another, a change in the scope of work, etc. are also processed through OSR.
Awards are made to the University rather than to an individual, and the University is responsible for seeing that the funds are spent consistent with the intent and requirements of the sponsor as well as the fiscal regulations of the state of Maryland. Because of this, all grants and contracts require the signature of an authorized University official (the provost) to assure that the proposal has adequate funding and that administrators are fully aware of the commitments being made by the University.
A University of Baltimore routing form is available here. OSR recommends that allowing at least two days for a proposal to be routed and signed. New proposals, non-competing continuations and competing renewals must also be routed.
Sign the UB routing form and application at the project director’s line.
Follow whatever procedures have been established by your school to obtain your dean’s signature on the routing form.
If faculty or staff from other University departments, divisions or units will participate in the project, the signature of the participating department’s dean(s) must be obtained on the routing form. A copy of the routing form may be used for this purpose. This requirement ensures endorsement of the effort and salary of the participating individual by his/her dean.
If a collaborator from another institution is participating in the proposal, the routing form must include the signature of an authorized official representing the other institution. The routing of the UB proposal may be initiated prior to obtaining this signature, but the UB proposal will not be signed and released until OSR receives the subcontractor’s authorization.
A proposal that involves human subjects requires the review and approval of the, Institutional Review Board before the project can begin. A statement from the IRB indicating that the project has been approved or is pending review is necessary in order to receive institutional approval and sign-off (and, in most cases, the dean’s sign-off) for an application involving human subjects.
In order to obtain a statement that review is pending, a faculty member must make a full submission to the IRB or get an agreement from the committee chairman that the proposal is exempt from review. Detailed information is available from Marc P. Lennon, Grants and Contract Specialist & IRB Coordinator, at 410.837.6199.
Send the application, the completed and signed routing form and any instructions that apply to the application to the Office of Sponsored Research, together with a complete copy of the proposal for the OSR file.
The Office of Sponsored Research will obtain the provost’s signature for the proposal. Proposals cannot be submitted by University faculty or staff without review by the Office of Sponsored Research or the signature of the provost. Delivery to the sponsor is the responsibility of the principal investigator.
Routing Form FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
-
Why do I need to obtain signatures from the department chair and the dean when one of my collaborators is in another department or school?
These signatures indicate that the dean and/or department chair of the collaborating area are aware that the faculty member has made this commitment of time, effort and resources, and that the salary and fringe benefits budgeted are sufficient. -
A colleague from another university will be doing some work on my project. I need to include salary for her on my budget. What do I need to submit to OSR?
This part of the budget needs to be handled as a subcontract. This is true whether your colleague works at the University of California or the University of Maryland, College Park. OSR needs, at a minimum, a draft of the budget for the work and a summary of the scope of work assigned to the other institution, as well as the endorsing signature of the authorized official for the other institution.
Sample Agreement (MS Word)
University System of Maryland institutions have developed a standard agreement to initiate subcontracts between institutions. This can be used as the model for contracts with other institutions or agencies. The “boilerplate” text deals with some of the legal conditions of the agreement, the “scope of work” and budget are appended.