The Director of OSRG must approve all applications before they are submitted to the sponsor. Approval to submit the proposal to the sponsor is granted when the Director signs the External Funding Routing Form and, where appropriate, the application cover sheet and other forms as required by the sponsor.
The PI is responsible for making any required copies and transmitting the application to the sponsor. Where proof of mailing is required, the PI is responsible for obtaining appropriate proof and retaining it for future reference.
In order to ensure adequate time for review, for notification of any problems or corrections that need to be made, and for institutional endorsement, (see “University Authorized” signature policy) hardcopy proposals should be submitted to OSRG at least five business days prior to a sponsor’s designated deadline. Based on recent experience, more time is needed for the OSRG review of electronic submissions through Grants.gov, E-grants (Education) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) FastLane electronic proposal submission systems than for a traditional hardcopy submission. Unlike some last-minute hardcopy submissions in which the PI can take responsibility for a proposal’s completeness and accuracy, electronic submissions cannot be transmitted until all the pieces are in place and OSRG electronically submits the file. This often requires an exchange of electronic access to the file between OSRG and the PI until changes have been made and the information is complete. As a result, OSRG has set an internal deadline for electronic proposal submissions no later than 48 hours prior to the actual deadline. If the electronic proposal has not been released for full review by OSRG (SRO access) at least 48 hours prior to the NSF deadline, OSRG cannot guarantee that the deadline will be met.