Start A Proposal | Office of Research

Office of Research

Start A Proposal

Once you have identified a potential funder and are ready to begin a new proposal, follow these steps. The College of Arts & Sciences Office of Research (CAS OOR), in collaboration with the university’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), is here to help. More proposal development resources can be found in OSP’s PI & Scholar Toolkit.

Step 1: Notify CAS OOR that you plan to develop a proposal.

  • As soon as you know that you want to prepare a grant proposal, fill out the CAS Intent to Submit Form (online). It takes less than 2 minutes! Ideally, you will notify us at least 1 month prior to the sponsor deadline. Our goal is to “route” the completed Cayuse IPF (Step #6 below) at least 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline. Once we hear from you, we will be in touch.
  • If you are seeking a fellowship, also complete the CAS Fellowship Notification Form (Print, sign, and have Dept. Head sign.). Email this form to Chad Fogleman for CAS OOR review.
  • If you are applying to a foundation, also submit the OSP: Applying to a Foundation Form. (online)
  • If you are not sure where to start, contact us!

Step 2: Start a Cayuse IPF.

  • Start a Cayuse IPF (“internal processing form”) for your proposal via the Cayuse Sponsored Programs (SP) System. (We can do this for you!)
  • Need help filling out the Cayuse form? OSP has created FAQs, a PI certification guide, and other helpful resources.
  • When you are adding “Investigators/Research Team,” please add “James Fogleman” as a “Proposal Editor” with 0 person months, 0 effort, and 0 credit.
  • The purpose of the Cayuse IPF is to collect and “route” key proposal documents for review and approval by various UNCG parties, including co-investigators, your department chair, college, the Office of Research Integrity, and OSP. You should not “route” the IPF until you have attached all the required documents.

Step 3: Prep key proposal elements.

Step 4: Consider special circumstances that impact your proposal.

  • Course Buyouts or Fellowships: if you plan to use external funding to reduce your teaching load, please review the CAS Policies on Research Assignments, Fellowships, and Off-Campus Assignments. This document discusses eligibility and procedures for fellowships, supplemental salary support, research assignments, off-campus assignments (and JOCA), and course buyouts. The document also contains examples of fellowship budget justifications.
    • If your proposal involves a course buyout, you must complete the CAS Course Buyout Form (PDF), get your dept. head’s signature, and send to our office.
    • If you are seeking a fellowship, please complete the CAS Fellowship Notification Form (PDF), get your dept. head’s signature, and send to our office.
  • Subcontracts: Will you work with organizations or individuals outside of UNCG on the proposed project? Depending on the nature and extent of their involvement, these could be subcontractors, consultants, or a contracted service provider. (What’s the difference?) In many cases, collaborative proposals involve one or more subcontracts (aka “subrecipients” or “subawards”). Subcontracts involve the closest collaborators and require the most documentation. Whether UNCG will be a lead institution or a subcontract, the proposal must go through the Cayuse review and approval process before submission. CAS OOR can help communicate with external grants contacts. Learn more about subawards. In general, subrecipients will have to provide standard proposal documents (see Step 5) as well as:

Step 5: Ready proposal documents.

Be sure to read the call for proposals or funding announcement guidelines carefully to understand what is required and what activities or expenses may not be allowed. Our office can help review these guidelines. Depending on the funder/funding opportunity, your proposal may include some/all of the following:

  • Budget
  • Budget justification
  • Abstract or Summary
  • Statement of Work
  • Narrative or Project Description
  • Bibliography or References
  • Facilities, equipment and other resources
  • Personnel documents (Biosketch / CV, Current and pending support, or Collaborators and other affiliations. See our Federal Grants resource page for links to the latest NSF and NIH versions of these documents.)
  • Data management plan (UNCG Libraries has created a helpful DMP resource page.)
  • Letters of support or collaboration
  • (For more, visit OSP’s collection of Templates & Boilerplates.)

Step 6: Route the Cayuse IPF.

Once you have prepared all proposal documents, including the budget, and uploaded those documents to Cayuse, then we will be ready to “route” the IPF. Please check with our office before routing. Our goal is to route the IPF at least 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline. Even after the IPF is routed, there is still work to do.

  • The PI and co-PI’s will have to “certify” the proposal in the Cayuse SP (Sponsor Projects) system. PI’s and other investigators will also have to complete the FCOI (financial conflict of interest) disclosure for this proposal in the Cayuse Outside Interests system. Here is a great video explaining this “Research-based disclosure” process.
  • Once the IPF is routed, it goes to the department head(s) of associated investigators for approval, then to the college, and then to the Office of Research Integrity for review of the FCOI.
  • After the COI review is complete, the IPF goes to OSP for budget review. OSP may return the budget and/or justification for revisions at this point. (We can help!)
  • Once budget review is complete, the IPF will go to the Grant Specialist, who will review the entire proposal and prepare for submission.

Step 7: Begin your proposal in the sponsor’s application system.

Our office can assist with starting the proposal in the appropriate system. For NSF proposals, the preferred system is Research.gov. For NIH proposals, the preferred system is ASSIST. For most other federal grants, Grants.gov is used. Basic institutional information you may need for filling out applications:

  • UNCG Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) C13DF16LC3H4 (new UEI as of 3/29/22)
    UNCG DUNS Number 616152567 (Note: After April 1, 2022, nearly all federal grants will require UEI number, not the DUNS.)
    UNCG US Congressional District: NC-006
    Federal Employer ID (EIN): 56-6001468
    IACUC Assurance Number: D16-00414 (A3706-01)
  • Authorized Institutional Signatory:
    Kimberly P. Littlefield, Ph.D. Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement
    The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
    1111 Spring Garden St., Suite 2601, Room 2702 MHRA Building
    Greensboro, NC 27412-5013
    Phone: (336) 334-5878
    Email: research@uncg.edu
  • Fiscal Officer / Fiscal Agent:
    William Walters, Director, Office of Contracts & Grants
    The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
    1111 Spring Garden Street, 2511 MHRA Building
    Greensboro, NC 27412-5013
    Phone: (336) 334-5091
    Fax: (336) 256-2599
    Email: grants@uncg.edu
  • (For more, visit OSP’s Institutional Info and Common Documents.)

Step 8: Review and submit the final proposal!

  • OSP Grant Specialist will review the proposal budget, justification, narrative, and other documents. These specialists are familiar with the latest proposal guidelines provided by various federal agencies and private foundations, and they can offer helpful advice.
  • Depending on the nature of the proposal and funder, the Grant Specialist or other OSP staffer (rather than the faculty member) may be the individual authorized to submit the final proposal. Check with your Grant Specialist to clarify who will submit the proposal before the deadline.
  • For Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology Departments the OSP Grant Specialist contact is Gina Ingraham. Email: gsingra2@uncg.edu or Phone: (336) 334-4921
  • For all other CAS departments the OSP Grant Specialist Contact is Dr. Chris Davis. Email: cwdavis@uncg.edu or Phone: 336-334-5134

Need more help?

Contact CAS OOR Staff:

Chad Fogleman, CAS OOR Pre-Award Grant Specialist
Email: jcfogleman@uncg.edu or Phone: 336-334-4757

Dr. Amy Adamson, CAS Associate Dean for Research
Email: aladamso@uncg.edu or Phone: 336-334-4758

Brittany Beckford, CAS OOR Post-Award Grant Specialist
Email: bgbeckford@uncg.edu or Phone: 336-334-9862

For other inquires: OSP and Contract and Grants Contact List