Proposal Processing Timeline

When to Contact the Research Office

As soon as you know you will be submitting a proposal, please contact our office.  We will need the specific grant program website or the Request For Proposal (RFP).  We will review the guidelines and schedule a time to meet or discuss your plans.  We will assist you planning your timeline, but please be aware that we require your complete proposal materials ONE week prior to the solicitation deadline.  We need this amount of time to review the materials and obtain any required signatures from SPARCS.  If these deadlines are not met, our office cannot guarantee that your proposal will be adequately reviewed and/or submitted.

Sub-recipients 

If you plan to work with external collaborators, you must first complete the Checklist to Determine Subrecipient or Contractor.  Please provide us with the contact information for the research administrators at the other organization. Some organizations have internal deadlines for preparing subrecipient documents, so we would like to start working with them well ahead of the proposal submission deadline. Subrecipient materials are due to our office TWO weeks prior to the solicitation deadline.  

​Cost-share

If cost-share is required, we will need a letter of commitment from the unit/entity providing the cost-share at least 15 days prior to submission.

Proposal Assistance

Contact the Pre-Award Specialist, Joyce Christian (jjjones3@ncsu.edu), for assistance in building your budget and preparing the proposal materials.  Please remember to contact your Department Head about your upcoming submission BEFORE the PINS record is routed to review budgetary items such as course buyouts and RA stipend rates.  This will result in a more efficient approval process.

Institutional Letters of Support

If your proposal package requires institutional letters of support or signatures on specific forms from university officials such as the dean or chancellor, our office will assist you with obtaining these forms.

RUSH Proposals

We understand there is the need for an occasional rush or quick turnaround; however, this should be the exception, not the norm.  Our staff will make all attempts to fulfill these requests; however, proposals meeting the internal submission deadline will receive priority. 

Reminder to Researchers

The college has the responsibility to ensure compliance with procedures associated with both pre-award and post-award activities.  We are under audit risk and, therefore, must ensure that we adhere to the guidelines.  We are here to support your continued success with your research endeavors and will do our best to ensure we are not putting the University, College, department, or you at risk.