It is the policy of Boston University (BU) to require the timely submission of complete proposal packages to the Sponsored Programs (SP) Office in accordance with the time line established within this policy document in order to ensure a thorough and complete review prior to submission to the sponsoring agency.
As an organization submitting proposals for external funding, BU is subject to numerous sponsor requirements, including but not limited to those set forth in specific solicitations, sponsor guidelines, and the OMB Uniform Guidance, in addition to BU institutional policy.
Sufficient time is necessary to verify a proposal’s compliance with those requirements, as well as ensure an overall level of quality assurance, prior to the application’s deadline. Allowing adequate time for SP to conduct a thorough review will provide opportunities for proposal corrections to be made, if necessary, and maximize the overall opportunity for proposal success.
Every effort is made to ensure successful proposal submission regardless of when final proposals are submitted to SP. There are several challenges, that are beyond the control of the University, which can be mitigated when proposals are submitted to SP sufficiently in advance of the sponsor deadline, including:
Principal Investigators (PIs)
School Deans/Department Chairs
Local Administrative Support Staff
Sponsored Programs
Effective 9/1/2016, this policy defines the expected timeline for submitting applications for sponsored funding to SP in advance of the funding agency deadline, and the associated level of review conducted by Sponsored Programs (SP) Research Administrators based on the timing of proposal submission to SP. This policy will apply to all applications for external funding, regardless of funding source (federal and non-federal) or submission method (SP or PI submission).
Notice of intent to submit a proposal and the link to the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) or any other available details for the solicitation should be provided to the assigned SP Research Administrator as soon as the intent to submit a proposal is known and/or minimally 10 business days prior to the sponsor’s proposal deadline.
The complete administrative components of a proposal, including a final detailed budget, budget justification, biosketches together with the completed and signed Proposal Summary Form (PSF) and other required internal forms must be received by SP at least 5 business days prior to the sponsor’s deadline. SP welcomes earlier submission of documents.
The final technical components of the proposal must be received by SP at least 3 business days prior to the sponsor’s deadline. This option is designed to give PIs additional time to refine the technical component and thereby improve the proposal’s chances for success.
Proposals with administrative components submitted to SP on or before the five business day deadline will be considered “on time.” Once the final proposal components are submitted to SP, in accordance with this policy, SP will initiate the full review and no further revisions will be accepted, including changes to the final proposal budget. Only revisions to correct issues identified by SP will be allowed.
Proposals that do not meet the deadlines established in this policy will still be allowed to move forward with submission but will receive a minimum review with the goal to assure (to the degree possible) that it is not rejected from the electronic submission vehicle. See below for details on the level of review based on SP submission timing.
If the sponsor specifies a deadline day that falls on a holiday or weekend, SP will assume a deadline day of the prior business day unless the sponsor clearly indicates they will accept proposals the following business day. If the sponsor specifies a deadline time after 5pm, all SP reviews and signatures will need to be in place by 5pm. Please work with your RA to ensure we can best support you.
This policy is designed to streamline SP’s process to review relevant/critical documents while the PI finalizes the technical components of a proposal. The minimum administrative components allow SP to conduct a meaningful review of the application. The remaining technical documents that constitute a complete application are required for SP to approve and submit applications or provide institutional endorsement for hard copy submission. The solicitation guidelines and FOA link must be submitted to SP as early as possible or at least 10 business days in advance of the sponsor deadline.
Submitted to SP a minimum of 5 Business Days in Advance
Submitted to SP a minimum of 3 Business Days in Advance
SP will conduct a Preliminary Review of submitted materials and notify investigators and their administrative support of those outstanding proposal components that are needed in order to initiate administrative review and those documents that constitute a full submission-ready proposal. If the minimum components required for administrative review are not received within than five business days prior to the sponsor’s deadline, the proposal will not be considered “on-time”.
SP is committed to supporting BU investigators by assuring timely review and submission of complete and accurate proposals that have the best chance possible of success in the sponsor review process. In order to provide the greatest possible benefit to BU’s sponsored proposals, balance the service and needs of all BU’s investigators and capitalize on SP’s expertise, SP has defined the following minimum service level commitment for proposal review based on the timeframe of proposal submission to SP in advance of the sponsor’s deadline:
For all proposals, SP will communicate with the Principal Investigator and the Department Administrator when a proposal will receive less than a complete review due to time constraints.
High-level roles and responsibilities related to proposal development, review and submission are outlined below. For more detailed roles and responsibilities, please reference the Project Life Cycle Roles and Responsibilities Matrix.