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Proposal Submission

Please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs as soon as you know that you will be submitting a grant application that requires electronic submission so that we can work with you to ensure we meet the submission deadline.

We will provide up-to-date information and training sessions periodically (or upon request) and will post announcements via the research website and campus e-mail.

Cayuse 424

NOTE: All federal grant applications will be submitted using Cayuse 424 rather than the 424 Adobe packages unless the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) requires a different means of submission.

Internal Routing

Internal routing is required prior to submission of ALL grant applications, including those with electronic submission systems that allow the PI to enter data directly into the agency website. In most instances, an institutional official must sign off on the application, either electronically or in paper form, before it is accepted by the agency.

The SP module of the Cayuse 424 system, which replaced PAMS, is used to electronically route all documents that require review and/or signature by the Office of Sponsored Programs. Log in to Cayuse SP using your net ID and password.

Proposal Deadlines

Proposal Deadlines

  • Five-business-days defore submission
  • Proposals must be fully routed and approved in Cayuse and all documents be finalized and provided to OSP. All personnel should be fully compliant with institutional requirements for Outside Interest Disclosures and CITI COI Training.
  • No changes initiated by key personnel will be allowed for any documents. At this time only changes identified by OSP to meet institutional, or sponsor requirements will be accepted.
  • To allow the proposal to be submitted, final revisions to all documents must be provided to OSP no less than two days before submission.

It is important to note that the 5 business days are calculated from the start of the business day and must account for UTHSC closures. All documents requiring review/approved by non OSP personnel, including Letters of Support from Deans, Chairs and/or Offices such as Equity and Diversity, must be finalized prior to routing in Cayuse.

FAQs

When is the submission deadline?
  • The deadline is no later than 5:00 pm on the date on which the proposal is to be submitted to our sponsor.
  • That is frequently the date listed in the solicitation, but in many cases, such as when UT is a subcontractor, a deadline may be set by the lead institution that is earlier than the date in the solicitation. The deadline may be earlier if the research team will be unavailable and would like to submit early.
Does the five-day rule refer to calendar days or business days?
Business days

Do holidays count as business days? 

No, holidays are considered the same as weekends and are not included in the business-day count.

Does the five-day count start once I/my department administrative staff submit a proposal for routing/approval in Cayuse?

No, the five days begin once OSP receives the proposal for the first time.

What if OSP returns my proposal for required changes? How does that affect the five days?

The five days begin when OSP receives the proposal for the first time. This review window allows time for corrections. PI requested changes are not allowed after the five-business-day deadline.

Does the submission mechanism matter?

No, all proposals, whether new applications, continuations, resubmissions, or revisions, must be entered into Cayuse and received by OSP five business days prior to the agency deadline. The policy also covers other material that must be submitted to a sponsor by AOR or requiring AOR approval, such as Just-In-Time, RPPRS and Post Submission Material.

Are paper submissions exempt from this policy?

No, all proposals need to be received by OSP prior to the five business days before the agency deadline.

Do non-federal proposals need to be submitted to OSP five days before the agency deadline?

Yes, all proposals should be received by OSP five business days before the agency deadline.

Why do we have the five-business-day policy?

The five-business-day policy was approved by the UT Faculty Senate. The five-business-day total review/submission window ensures full institutional review and approval of all proposals prior to submission. Please be advised that applications are reviewed by OSP in the order in which they are received. We cannot guarantee that an application received outside of the stipulated review window will be submitted. An excessively high proposal volume may preclude on-time submission of any proposal that arrives late.

What if I have a subcontractor, consultant, or other external collaborator on my proposal?

  • All documents (needed by the sponsor and /or the University) must be included in the finalized UTHSC Cayuse routing, which should be received by OSP 5 business days before the deadline.
  • Note- documents cannot be accepted from the individual collaborators and must be officially authorized by the institution’s Authorized Official or Sponsored Programs Office.
  • It is important to notify collaborators early so they can work through the internal processes in time for OSP to receive their documents.  

What if I’m submitting to another institution who is leading a proposal?

  • It is important to establish the date in which the lead institution needs UT’s institutionally reviewed and approved documents.
  • That date will be the deadline entered in Cayuse and used to create the internal timeline for review and submission.
  • Please include any previous communications about the proposal submission needs of the lead institution.

Do “pre-proposals” (letters of intent, white papers, preliminary proposals, etc.) have to meet the 5-business day deadline?

  • Yes - the five-business-day deadlines applies to all documentation that requires Pre-Award review and/or approval, including letters of intent, Just in Times and RPPRs.
  • Any pre-proposal that requires institutional approval must be routed and approved via Cayuse.
    • Common indicators of needing institutional approval are references to the university’s research office (AOR/SRO/SPO) needing to review, approve, submit, sign, etc.
    • Common language seen in solicitations are, but not limited to:Submission required by a person with “submit privileges”
      • “Institutional countersignature” required
      • “I certify that I am authorized to submit”
      • “I have reviewed and agree to terms and conditions…
  • Any proposal the requires OSP action must be routed through Cayuse as the institution must have official record of what was submitted to a sponsor. Please contact egrants@uthsc.edu for solicitation specific guidance when you identify a “pre-proposal” opportunity.  
 

What happens if I do not know about a funding opportunity until late?

  • Most funding opportunities, especially federal, have published deadlines such that the internal deadline policy can be followed.
  • Please contact egrants@uthsc.edu for solicitation specific guidance when you identify a “pre-proposal” opportunity.  

 

Helpful Links:

NIH Standard Due date

Registration

DOD (eBRAP) submissions

UTHSC is registered in eBRAP. Investigators requiring new access to eBRAP to submit a proposal to a DOD funding opportunity should set up an account in eBRAP and request affiliation to UTHSC- please search for “Tennessee, University of, Health Science Center”. The Pre-Award team will receive automated notification of your affiliation request when you complete your request in Ebrap.

DOD pre-applications do not require institutional approval or signature and can be submitted by the PI directly in eBRAP. To ensure smooth submission of a full application, please ensure that you identify UTHSC as the institution (listed as “Tennessee, University of, Health Science Center" in menu) and select "Brenda Murrell" as the Business Official. Incorrect assignment of a pre-proposal can result in issues and delays in the review of full submissions. Full Applications must be created and submitted using Cayuse 424 to allow for institutional review, approval, and submission.

NIH submissions and eRA Commons Accounts

Individual investigators DO NOT need to register with grants.gov. UTHSC is already registered, and the "AOR" is Brenda Murrell. The DUNS# is 94- 1884009. Pls submitting proposals to the NIH need to be registered in NIH Commons to apply for NIH grants. Pls who have been funded, who have applied for NIH grants, or who are NIH reviewers may already be registered. If you do not have an eRA Commons ID or if you need to affiliate an existing ID to UTHSC, please complete the eRA Commons ID request form and submit to your departmental grants administrator. After review, they should submit your request to egrants@uthsc.edu. If you are having trouble accessing eRA Commons with a UTHSC-affiliated ID, please send
an email to egrants@uthsc.edu.

Sponsors using Proposal Central

Many foundations utilize the Proposal Central portal for submissions. Dependent on the sponsor, the Proposal Central forms can have different requirements such as the requirement for institutional signature and/or approval. It is important to carefully review the requirements for the specific opportunity you wish to submit to.

All proposals requiring submission via Proposal Central must be routed through Cayuse for internal routing, review, and approval prior to the sponsor’s deadline. A full, finalized PDF copy of the Proposal Central forms must be attached to the Cayuse SP prior to routing.

Proposal Central registration can be completed by the investigator and does not require institutional approval.

All applications made via Proposal Central should identify the following individuals for the following common proposal roles:

Grants Officer/ Business Official/ AOR: Brenda Murrell (bmurrell@uthsc.edu) Associate Vice Chancellor for Research

Fiscal Officer: Anthony Ferrara, Senior Vice Chancellor of Finance & Operations (spa@uthsc.edu)  

Technology Transfer Officer: Tinieka Thrailkill, University of Tennessee Research Foundation (ttriple2@uthsc.edu).

May 30, 2023