Timeline and Milestones Prior to Sponsor's Deadline
6 to 12 Months
- Develop an idea.
- Find a funding opportunity.
The associate dean for research and operations is available for discussion on specific topic areas of interest and associated research/scholarship activities and will help develop a list of potential funding opportunities.
- Develop an elevator speech for your research and scholarship activities that can be shared with the GWD and project officers.
- Start drafting a concept paper or abstract to share with the GWD, project officers and colleagues.
- Set-up a profile on Pivot and create a saved search that will alert you of any new opportunities.
- Talk to colleagues about where they have received funding.
- Check the acknowledgements page of publications from your field.
2 to 3 Months
- Draft specific aims, project summary or letter of intent (LOI).
- Sketch out a rough budget.
- Peer review: The associate dean of research is available to review and provide faculty with feedback on their draft specific aims, project summary or LOI.
- Email the associate dean of research and operations to request a peer review.
- If needed or requested, the ADR can also arrange for the draft to be reviewed by faculty with content expertise at VCU.
- Email chsresearch@vcu.edu to request assistance with the following:
- Budget development: Request to meet with a research administrator to discuss the costs associated with the project.
- Coordination with external collaborators: Provide contact information and an overview of the collaboration so CHS-SPO can initiate the administrative processes.
- Large-scale proposal support: Request support with coordinating the grant development, writing and submission process for complex proposals (e.g., center grants).
- Email project officer and set-up a time to discuss your idea.
- Circulate specific aims, project summary or LOI among colleagues (internal and external to VCU).
- Firm up relationships with collaborators.
- Contact/meet with CHS-SPO to obtain a complete list of all sections and documents required for your submission.
- Aim to have a complete rough draft of the science ready to share with colleagues two months out.
- Email collaborators and request biosketches. Offer to write the narrative portion and to help with formatting.
1 Month
- Notify CHS-SPO of intent to submit a proposal at least 30 to 60 days before the deadline.
- The final budget and budget justification should be submitted to the assigned SPO Grants Research Administrator (SPO-GRA) a minimum of 13 business days before the deadline to ensure timely review of the budget.
- All draft (research plan and human subjects section, if applicable) documents and final documents (biosketch/CV) should be sent to the assigned SPO-GRA for review. The PI is expected to route the proposal in SPOT 10 business days before the deadline.
- Submit any revised, final documents 3 business days before deadline. Examples of documents include biosketch, abstract project summary, specific aims, research strategy, project description, research plan, project narrative, human subjects, references, evaluation plan, work plan, logic model, facilities and other resources, statement of work, current and pending support, data management plan, etc.
Faculty must, at minimum, notify the CHS-SPO of their intent to submit 30 to 60 days in advance of the sponsor deadline. Please review this short presentation providing an overview of the CHS-SPO proposal submission procedures [PDF].
- Budget development.
- Obtain cost share authorizations.
- Coordinate letters of support.
- Complete sponsor forms.
- Review and edit proposal documents.
- Write non-technical portions of proposals.
For all requests related to these topics please email chsresearch@vcu.edu.
- If you have not already, notify CHS-SPO of your intent to submit ASAP!
- Send all proposal related questions and documents to chsresearch@vcu.edu.