Proposal Submission Process

Who Reviews the Proposal Before Submission to the Sponsor, and Why?

Requests for funding to be submitted to an external sponsor are reviewed in advance by the relevant department chair(s); the dean(s) of the relevant college(s) and/or institute director(s), or their designees; and the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). The scholarly judgment of the principal investigator (PI) is not reviewed, and political criteria are not considered. The Vice President for Research and Economic Development or his designee must approve the final research agreement.

Review by the department involves the following considerations:

• Availability and equitable allocation of space and facilities among faculty members and students in the department
• Commitments, whether explicit or implied, on the unrestricted funds available to the department
• Commitments of personnel (faculty, student or staff) that are inconsistent with departmental resources or with the general practices of the university

Factors pertinent to review at the college dean and institute director level include:

• Aspects at variance with generally accepted academic practice, legal or ethical issues, potential conflicts of interest, etc.
• Commitment of faculty or university resources, including cost sharing or other similar arrangements, as well as the use of the University of Idaho name

Proposal review by OSP verifies the inclusion in the budget of all costs legitimately chargeable to the project, such as fringe benefits, indirect costs, computer time, etc., as well as verifying compliance with university and sponsor policy. Additionally, in coordination with the Office of Technology Transfer (OTT), OSP warrants that the legal and fiscal interests of the university are protected and that detailed contract provisions involving patents and copyrights, restrictions on publication or other sharing of data or research results, external control over hiring practices. OSP also coordinates with the Office of Research Assurances (ORA) to be sure they are apprised of projects requiring review and approval of work involving animal subjects, human subjects or biohazardous materials.

Since the review process often involves consultation among university offices, the sponsor and the PI, completed proposals should be submitted to OSP for approval a minimum of four business days before they are due to the agency.