All sponsored project proposals and/or applications must receive a review and approval by the University of North Carolina at Asheville (University) administration prior to the principal investigators submission of the project to the sponsor.
- The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) assists the principal investigator (PI) by reviewing the proposal for compliance with sponsor guidelines and University requirements.
- ORSP has the legal and fiduciary responsibility to ensure compliance with University, sponsor, state and federal regulations, laws, and policies.
The full proposal must arrive at Sponsored Projects a minimum of five (5) full working days prior to submission deadline. This lead-time allows University administrators adequate time to review the sponsor’s requirements and the proposal. Further, any revisions to a previously submitted proposal must also receive a review by ORSP (and possibly others) prior to its submission to the sponsor.
Click here to open our matrix of pre-submission proposal review activities performed by ORSP and the appropriate University administration.
Proposals Arriving Late to Sponsored Projects
In the event that a proposal arrives to ORSP on the deadline day, pre-award will perform a modified review process. This review typically involves examining the proposal’s budget and regulatory compliance to mitigate major concerns. With key issues either unaddressed or mitigated, the principal investigator will receive a notification from ORSP to submit their proposal provisionally to the sponsor. Following submission, ORSP will conduct an official review and route the proposal to the University administration for consideration. As this is a provisional proposal, University administrator may recommend the withdrawal of the project or revision of proposal elements (e.g., budget, scope of work, commitments, etc.). Based on reviewer’s recommendations, the principal investigator will need to contact the sponsor and request the appropriate action to take place (e.g., withdraw proposal, revise budget, change scope of work, etc.) before considering the project for funding.
The principal investigator will provide all updated materials to ORSP for incorporation into the official pre-award record.
Proposal Review and Routing Process
The University utilizes electronic email for its internal approval routing process. Principal investigators initiate this process by emailing their proposal packet and all supporting documents to ORSP (ltoms@unca.edu). Upon receipt, ORSP will conduct a review of the proposal packet and identifying any concerns or major considerations (e.g., faculty release, major equipment purchases, new unit creation, etc.) using a compliance matrix. Upon completion of the review, ORSP will route the entire packet via email to the project team and their supervisory authority for approvals and/or mitigation (see Routing Process Flow Chart – under development). ORSP is available to answer any questions regarding proposal requirements, budget preparation, and other concerns that University approval authorities may have regarding the sponsored program. ORSP will officially notify the principal investigator when a proposal receives University approval for submission. Principal investigators should not submit a proposal to a sponsor until the University endorses the sponsored program.