Proposal Preparation
Proposal Guidelines
- To allow sufficient time for appropriate review and approval all proposals are due in OSPA a minimum of 4 full business days prior to the submission deadline.
- Read the sponsor's guidelines! They are the road map to your success in developing a competent proposal.
- All proposals must be routed with a GoldSheet prior to submission; this includes proposals that may be submitted electronically.
- Indirect costs are to be recovered on all research proposals. If a sponsor has an established policy with a reduced rate, that reduced rate can be used. Please attach copies of the sponsor guidelines to the GoldSheet and highlight the indirect cost recovery policy. Appropriate off campus rates should be documented.
- ISU discourages cost share that is not mandatory from being included on the GoldSheet or the budget. If cost share is mandatory, please attach a copy of the sponsor guidelines to the GoldSheet and highlight the section on cost share. For further information regarding cost sharing please see: http://www.vpresearch.iastate.edu/docs/policies/cost_share_policy.pdf Frequently Asked Proposal Questions
- If your proposal involves subcontractors, please include subcontractor's signed budget pages, justification, any applicable assurances, and a letter of commitment if necessary. Appropriate cost share should be documented.
- If there are proposal problems that you cannot resolve or GoldSheet routing issues, please attach a note indicating your questions/concerns. This eliminates our office duplicating your efforts in contacting the PI.
Frequently Asked Proposal Questions
- This is just a Letter of Intent or Concept Paper (White paper), what do I need to do?
Answer: If the sponsor is requesting or requiring a budget (whether it's detailed or just a
gross estimate), you will need to submit the required documents through the ISU GoldSheet system. If
there is no financial reference in the submission, you do not need to route through the GoldSheet
system and you can simply submit it to the sponsor.
- Are there times when I don't need a GoldSheet?
Answer: Yes, you don't need a GoldSheet when you are submitting proposals for internal
grants (i.e. Special Research Initiation Grants-SPRIGs, High Performance Computing Grants) , Iowa Space
Grant Consortium, the Leopold Center, the Iowa Energy Center, or USDA task orders with the NADC.
Proposal Format
Read and understand the sponsor's guidelines! Many agencies (see below) have prescribed formats for proposal preparation, including required forms for text, biographical data, and budgets. Many also have page, type size and character per inch (cpi) limitations for the body (text) of the proposal.
For agencies that do not have specific formats, organize the proposal as follows:
- Transmittal Letter
- Title Page
- Technical Abstract/Summary
- Table of Contents
- Project Narrative
- References (literature cited)
- Project Budget
- Budget Justification
- Curricula Vitae
- Appendices
Sponsor Guidelines
- Grants.gov
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NSPIRES)
-
National Science Foundation - FastLane PI Registration
-
National Institutes of Health
- Resources for New Investigators http://grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/index.htm
- NIH Guide Program Announcements (PAs) - FY 1992-Present
- NIH Guide Requests for Applications (RFAs) - 1992-Present
- NIH Modular Research Grant Applications Page
- eRA Commons
- NIH Forms and Applications
- NIH Grants Policy Statement (12-03)
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U.S. Department of Agriculture
- CSREES - USDA - Funding Opportunities
- ARS National Programs
- CSREES - USDA - CSREES Standard Application Forms
- Do you want to know which F&A rate to use or if Tuition is allowable? Go to http://www.csrees.usda.gov/business/pdfs/cheat_sheet_06.pdf.
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U.S. Department of Education
- Grants & Contracts - ED.gov overview
- e-Grants - Welcome
- Institute of Education Sciences electronic application PRIMO - Login
-
U.S. Department of Energy
Read the sponsor's guidelines!
