Proposal Development

Man at a computer

The CLA Office of Research and Graduate Programs offers many services to help faculty and graduate students develop projects and activities that receive funding and to craft and submit competitive funding proposals. Throughout the year, research-related workshops and events are available to faculty, staff, and graduate students along with a bi-weekly newsletter that shares upcoming funding opportunities. 

Event Schedule         e-Newsletter Registration       Request Support      Awarded Grants 

Roles and Responsibilities

To understand each role in developing a proposal, review the Proposal Roles and Definitions and Responsibility Matrix regarding proposal preparation, award receipt, conducting the project, and the project end and closeout processes. 

Timelines and Deadlines

To contact the CLA Research Development team about upcoming proposal submissions, complete the Intent to Submit form before the funder's deadline according to the timeline below to ensure staff are available to assist with your application. We are here to help PIs prepare their proposals and complete the required internal review and submission processes, including the completion of an extensive proposal form in MN-GEMS (the U’s internal grants management tool) for review of your proposal by Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) on behalf of the University.

  • At least one month prior to the funder’s deadline: PI fills out the Intent to Submit form.
  • Seven business days prior to the funder’s deadline: Proposal budget and all other proposal documents must be finalized. Proposal routing form (called a “Proposal” in MN-GEMS) must be filled out and validated (i.e., all errors resolved) in MN-GEMS.
  • Six business days prior to the funder’s deadline: The Grants Team will upload your proposal in the relevant online submission platform (in the case of federal funders) or upload it into MN-GEMS, as applicable.
  • Three business days prior to the funder’s deadline is the deadline for proposal submission to SPA for review. However, SPA is automatically notified that your proposal is ready for review once all the approvers have certified (i.e., signed) your Proposal Form in MN-GEMSt, so your proposal needs to be ready in MN-GEMS prior to the SPA deadline.

Please note that these deadlines also pertain to some fellowships. We can help you determine that; please email the fellowship information and any questions about the internal proposal submission process to [email protected].

Account Creation

When preparing an application, the PI (principal investigator) may need to register for an electronic grant application account depending on the funder. Sponsored Projects Administration (also called SPA) can help faculty and graduate students create electronic grant application accounts for the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Research.gov) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (ASSIST). Other funding sources have their own online proposal submission portals. If you have questions about establishing an online account, visit research.umn.edu. 

Proposal Development

Give yourself plenty of time to write a proposal.  The CLA Research Development team is available to provide feedback and substantive editing of proposal narratives as needed; select “Content Review” on the Intent to Submit form.  Subject librarians and research support services are available through the UMN Libraries, and Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services (LATIS) provides access to resources related to planning, conducting, analyzing and disseminating your work. 

Budget Development

Budget development is available through CLA Research Services. To get started with your budget, learn more about budgets and budget justifications. Complete the Intent to Submit form with information about the competition you’re applying to and some general ideas about components of your budget.

Data Management Plan

Many grants require data management plans that describe how data will be stored, documented, shared, and archived.  CLA Research Services can assist with writing a Data Management Plan and work with you to identify resources, as well as any associated costs, for storing, analyzing, and sharing outputs from your project.

Proposal Submission

All grant proposals and some fellowship proposals must be reviewed internally by SPA prior to their submission to the funder. In order to be reviewed by SPA, the CLA Research Development Team needs to create a Proposal Routing Form (PRF) for your proposal in MN-GEMS. Therefore, certain information about your proposal must be received no later than a week in advance of the sponsor deadline. It is imperative to complete the Intent to Submit form as soon as you know you are planning to apply for a grant or fellowship.

Award Management & Post-Award

The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) is the only institutional unit legally able to submit proposals to external entities for financial support in the form of a contract, grant, or agreement, and legally able to commit the University on behalf of the Board of Regents in the event an award is made. 

Once a proposal is awarded, SPA provides resources and services available related to notice of award and account establishment, award management, and post award & close out procedures.