Your First Line of Assistance: Pre-Award Specialists & Department Administrators

Your Pre-Award Specialist or Department Administrator (DA) will be a valuable resource throughout the application process. Your support staff provides assistance with proposal planning and coordination, budget development, human resource issues, document compilation, and proposal submission. These staff members also serve as liaisons to the various central research offices. Contact Us.

Eight Steps to Submitting Your Application

  1. Select funding opportunity
  2. Notify your assigned Pre-Award Specialist or Department Administrator (DA)
  3. Read/review solicitation; your support specialist ends copy to the Office of Sponsored Research Services (OSRS)
  4. Develop scope of work
  5. Confirm collaborators
  6. Prepare budget and budget justification
  7. Complete sponsor’s application per solicitation
  8. Prepare forms and obtain signatures:
  • Obtain approval from your chair, the dean, and the Office of Sponsored Research Services (OSRS) to submit the proposal.
    • *Include time in your proposal submission planning to gain internal approvals (est. 5 – 10 days). Time may vary depending on the complexity of the proposal. Proposals with cost share, subawards, or compliance issues, for example, may take more time.
  • Proposal Certification (PC) form (example)
  • Dean’s PC Form
  • Conflict of Interest (COI) financial disclosure statement (annual); Complete in RMS.
  • Financial Conflict of Interest (FCOI) training (one-time only); Complete in Learn@Work.

The Office of Sponsored Research Services (OSRS) serves as WU’s Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR), and is the only entity authorized to certify (ie. sign) proposal submissions and awards from the organization.

Proposal Development Timeline

Proposal Development Timeline (PDF download)

graphic image: proposal planning by weeks

Proposal Development Guides & Tools

View our kit of guides, tools, and documents to help you develop your proposal.