Policies & Procedures

 

 

In order that proposals for outside funding of research, projects and programs meet all university requirements including financial guidelines and standards for consistency and quality, as well as all sponsor guidelines, all such proposals must be submitted to Sponsored Programs and Research (SPAR) for approval prior to submission to the potential sponsor. SPAR cannot and will not withhold approval based upon the artistic, creative, or scholarly content of any proposal, the scope of its authority is limited to ensuring technical compliance with university and sponsor requirements.

To ensure timely submission of proposal efforts, it is recommended that the SPAR office be contacted as soon as work begins on a grant, contract, or program proposal. SPAR looks forward to providing assistance in preparing your budget, obtaining background materials, editing, form preparation, clerical support in the printing, final assembly, and delivery of the finished proposal, and stewarding the proposal through the sign-off process. Follow-up assistance will be provided to aid investigators in locating other potential sponsors for parallel submissions.

Once the proposal is complete, it is SPAR's responsibility to obtain necessary approvals. In most cases, these approvals must be obtained prior to proposal submission, but a retroactive approval procedure is now in place which allows SPAR the latitude, at the director's discretion, to submit a proposal prior to a completed management review with the understanding that the proposal may be withdrawn by the agreement of the appropriate vice presidents and the president.

To maximize chance of success, and to safeguard the departments, schools, and divisions from unreasonable and unauthorized commitments of their resources, neither the president, nor the vice presidents will authorize or sign any documentation supporting a proposal or accepting an award, until the material has been approved. Proposals submitted without approval and a signed authorization from the appropriate vice president will be subjected to a retroactive review and may, with the concurrence of the appropriate vice presidents and the president, be withdrawn. Funding received as a result of an unapproved proposal may be returned at the discretion of the appropriate vice presidents and the president after a similar retroactive review.

For complete policies and procedures regarding sponsored programs, please click the link SPAR Guide for Faculty and Staff.