Proposal Development

You will find guidance and resources on some of our most frequently requested topics below. Research Development Services also provide a wealth of information and support to researchers across the University.  

If there are any topics you would like more information on, or have a great resource you would like to share, please contact us at ALVSCE-Research@arizona.edu.  

When applying for a proposal it is important to note that:

The University is the awardee - Awards are made to the University on behalf of the Principal Investigator (PI). The University is responsible for the acceptance, performance, and expenditure of awards.

The University is the steward of the award - The University must ensure that funds are spent in accordance with sponsor and University regulations and policies so that future awards are possible

This means that leading a project as the Principal Investigator(PI)/Project Director(PD) comes with some important responsibilities. You are the team leader, and have responsibility for the design, execution and management of the funded project for the institution. As such, Research, Innovation & Impact (RII) has set out guidelines that must be met for the consideration of granting status as a PI/PD to any individual. 

Participation as a Principal Investigator/Project Director, and also Co-Investigator, for the University of Arizona must have a minimum employment requirement of 0.50 FTE& and belong to an eligible employment category as outlined here.

Every Funding Opportunity contains a wealth of information to help you plan your proposal, which can often be spread throughout the whole document.  Here are some of the key things the Preaward team look for when we review an opportunity.

Eligibility - is the University eligible? Are there any restrictions on PI eligibility? is it a Limited Submission?

Due Date – when is the deadline? What is the time it is due? Is it by close of business in our Time Zone, or does it state Eastern, Central or Pacific Time Zones?

Requirements for Full Proposal - Is a White Paper, Pre-Proposal, Letter of Intent or Preliminary proposal required before you can submit a full proposal? Will this need routing (hint if you need to provide cost share or a line-item budget then yes!)

Priority Areas – What is the sponsor interested in funding? Does your idea fit into these areas?

Budget  -  Are there any budget limitations or specific requirements?

  • Is there a ceiling or a floor?
  • Is the funding limit given in Total Costs or total DIRECT costs?
  • Is there an Indirect cost or F&A stipulation?
  • Is there Cost Sharing or match required?
  • Do you need to budget for any specific things – for example mandatory travel to an annual meeting with the sponsor, or data management costs?
  • Any specific budget limitations or unallowable costs

Submission – How will this be submitted to the sponsor?

  • Federal Sponsor Portal like Grants.gov, Foundation or sponsor specific portal or by email?
  • Does it need to be submitted by an Authorized representative of U of A or can you submit it directly?
  • Do you need a User ID/Account for that Portal? ERA Commons Plus, Research.gov, eBRAP, NSPIRES, etc.

Documentation: What/how many Attachments are required? Page limits, formatting and Naming conventions? Does the sponsor require the use of any specific templates– e.g. budget templates 

Please remember the team will be happy to help you review funding opportunities you are interested in and answer any questions you may have.

Limited submissions are funding opportunities where the sponsor has limited the number of applications from an organization. This information can typically be found in the Eligibility section of funding opportunities. At the University of Arizona, limited submissions to federal and foundation opportunities are managed by Research Development Services (RDS)

If you believe the funding opportunity you are interested in applying to may be a limited submission, you can search for it in the Limited Submissions table here (you will need to log in using your NETID). If the opportunity is a limited submission, the table will provide you details of how to apply for the internal selection process, including due dates, and who has been awarded the "tickets" to apply. Should you find an opportunity where the internal due date for consideration has passed, but there are no listed ticket holders, we would recommend reaching out to the limited submission team to see if there are any tickets available.

If you are selected for a Limited Submission ticket, please note that you will still need to follow all the standard proposal submission procedures, which the Preaward team will be happy to support you through.

The Limited Submissions Newsletter lists all current Upcoming and Open Limited Submissions available. If you are interested in this, you can Subscribe here.

Federal departments and many other sponsors require proposal submission and award management through specific electronic research administration systems. Many require that investigators register as individuals prior to submitting a proposal; others require institutional registration, or both institutional and investigator. We encourage you to work with your RA to establish what accounts you may need to create, and to register early so that you can ensure access to the portal. This will allow us to confirm who needs to approve final submission and whether the sponsor has any Terms & Conditions that need to be reviewed before submission - this is especially important for more unusual sponsors.

Please note that individual investigators and department staff should not register the University for any electronic system - if an Institutional registration is required we will need to request this from Sponsored Projects, so if you encounter other systems or solicitation submission instructions that are unclear, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Detailed below are instructions for how to obtain a University of Arizona affiliated user account for the main Federal grant submission systems. Institutional information for the University, including our UEI which may be needed for these registrations, can be found here.

Obtaining an NIH Commons User Account

New investigator accounts are created by Sponsored Projects. For investigators with prior support from the NIH or who have applied to the NIH in the past, they may be able to find the existing Commons account with only your full name and email address. If you have never applied to NIH, use this form to request a new eRA Commons User ID.

Obtaining an NSF User Account

You can self-register for an account and request a system role from the Research.gov home page. NSF electronically notifies SPS of role requests for institutional approval.

Obtaining an NSPIRES User Account (NASA)

You can self-register for an account on NSPIRES if you will be included in the Proposal Cover Page or Grants.gov forms as a team member. NSPIRES electronically notifies SPS to confirm the user affiliation with the University of Arizona.

The University of Arizona provides comprehensive training and support for researchers to help you navigate and comply with federal, state and local regulations governing research conduct. This includes training on:

  • Conflict of Interest
  • Export Control
  • Responsible Conduct of Research
  • Human Subjects Protection Program
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Program

The exact training you will need will depend on the kind of research you do and your specific role, but a full list can be accessed here. Please contact the relevant compliance program(s) below if you have questions about which trainings you need to complete.

There are 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona. Each tribe has differing degrees of requirements to conduct research or extension on their lands. It is extremely important for researchers and educators to build a positive relationship with the tribal entities that they plan to work with and to learn what the tribal requirements are to conduct research. 

The Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office (NPTA0)'s Research and Engagement page is a wonderful resource for researchers. It includes information and guidance on

You can also learn about the 22 Federally Recognized Tribes in Arizona and their research policies.

ALVSCE also has Extension offices in five Native American nations in Arizona, who can assist with connecting communities with research and University resources.

If you have plans to conduct research and or engage with Native or Indigenous communities, please reach out to Trent Teegerstrom, Associate Director, Tribal Extension Programs.

Research Development Services provide a great overview of effective proposal writing here

The following links provide guidance and grant writing tips that may also be helpful 

General resources for proposal development

  • Making the Right Moves: A Practical Guide to Scientific Management for New Faculty - from HHMI
  • MAP Dashboard - Economic, Educational, Health & Social, Infrastructure, workforce & Demographic data for Southern Arizona
  • Open Science Framework - is a research collaboration platform that is freely available to all researchers. It allows for the management and sharing of research projects at all stages of research. It is capable of integrating with many tools and services you already use such as Box, Github, Google Drive, and many others so that you can continue to work within your existing workflow.
  • Kmap – a tool that allows you to search across the University of Arizona by research areas to find potential collaborations

Guidance and templates

  • Guidelines, templates, and tools for preparing specific components such as the biographical sketch, data management plan, project management plan, mentoring plan, small business contracting plan, letters of support, broader impacts statements, and more. 
  • You may also search for downloadable resources in Proposal Development Tools - this database holds general guidance, templates/outlines for proposals, RDS webinar slides and handouts, RDS recorded webinars, and other resources. Some files are for internal UA use only and require a UA NetID to login to Box to view or download.
  • Best practices for contacting your program officer
  • Assistance with Honors, Awards and Prizes