Grant proposal SOP's

From Wikipedia

Contents 1 Proposal calendars 2 Biosketches 3 Administrative forms 4 Proposal formatting 5 Communication 6 Electronic submission

Proposal calendars

• How to set
  • Prepare separate google calender
  • Share it with all grant stakeholders (choose between view and edit rights to calender)

• Required items
  • Scheduling proposal calenders needs access to the calenders of all key personnel for the proposal

• General principles
  • Plan effectively
  • Prepare backward from the deadline
  • Leave enough room between submission and deadline
  • Determine main milestones, calculate relevant timelines

Biosketches

• templates
  • Funding institutes may have their own preferred format. In cases where not specified NIH format should be acceptable
  • NIH has a standard format for biosketches

• time lines
  • Should be ready atleast 5-6 weeks before grant submission

• Steps
  • Identify the key personnel for the research project. Usually Biosketches are required only for PI and Co-I.
  • Identify the expected format by the grant agency
  • Circulate emails to the key personnel requesting for their biosketch in the required format.
  • Double check the format on receipt of the biosketches
  • Convert them to PDF files. (Single and combined)

Administrative forms

• Subcontractors

Co Investigators with significant time - effort contribution and commanding substantial cost drivers need to provide subcontractor documents. These include the following

• • Institutionally approved budget
  • Document on availability of resources relevant to the project
  • Scope of Work
  • Institutional letter of support

• Steps
  • Work with team members of the Co - Investigators on the Personnel, resources and budget planning.
  • Identify the grant administrator for the co- Investigators institute and keep him in the loop.
  • Determine the time needed by them to complete the documentation and set deadlines accordingly.
  • Allow enough room for delays and double checking of their documents by the PI's institutional grant administration.

• Time lines

The subcontract documents should be ready atleast 3 weeks before the grant submission.

Proposal formatting

• signatures needed on the actual application (if requihttp://www.rar.duhs.duke.edu/wiki/index.php?title=Grant_proposal_SOP%27s&action=editred to submit a hard copy) - examine who needs to physically sign the application early so that signatures can be obtained in advance (this can take more time than is assumed).

• Formatting notes
  • No header or footer
  • No page numbers
  • No weblinks
  • font size: Arial 11

• page limit
  • how to create more room
    • Move extra images to appendix
    • Refine the various sections
    • Existing images should be accommodated well with the text. Use "Tight" option for the image formatting in MS word.

• Images
  • Headings above
  • All left aligned
  • properly numbered

• Reference formatting
  • Use Endnote/Zotero.
  • Prepare a separate "Bibliography" file and convert it to PDF format

• File conversion for electronic submission
  • Convert word documents into PDF file format.

• Time lines
  • This should be done right after completion of final draft. Ideally 1-1.5 weeks before submission

Communication

• Duke Office of Research Administration
  • Names and contact info
    • Mollie Sykes (Director)
    • Carole Tucker (Grants and Contracts Specialist)
• Surgery Business Office
  • Names and contact info
    • Mindy Kempson (Specialist, Sponsored Programs Sr.)
• DCRI
  • Names and contact info
    • Taylor Macy (Business Development Associate)
    • Brenda Mickley (Business Development Associate)

Electronic submission

• Common pitfalls
  • Overshooting on the prespecified length limit
  • Miscalculation of time required to submit electronically
  • Submission of pre final documents.

• Some important points
  • Grants.gov needs separate documents for various sections of the proposal.
  • Read the formatting guidelines of NIH carefully.
  • It only accepts PDF files. If there are more than one documents under one section then combine the PDFs

• Login and pwd
  • Online submission to Grants.gov are through PI's institutional account. Advance arrangement should be made for requesting the same if submitting on his behalf.

• Steps
  • Convert all sections of the grant proposal into PDF format
  • Open the grant submission application
  • Add relevant documents
  • Double check - Manual and application based
  • Submit
  • Lookout for errors/correction notices that may be sent by email post submission. The time to complete and resend is short and hence be in touch with your emails.

• Resubmission
  • Introduction_summary document (point by point explanation for reviewers comments). This document should not exceed 3 pages
  • Cover letter to Program officer