Routing and Approvals

Faculty and staff projects usually involve a commitment on some part of the College, i.e., its facilities, staff time, accounting services, equipment, or funds. These commitments need to be coordinated with other College obligations. Therefore, before a proposal can be submitted, it must have the approval of those parts of the College that will be affected if the project is funded.

The College requires that applications for externally supported projects be processed through and submitted by OGSP. Proposals are reviewed by means of an internal routing process.  The College may not submit proposals to an outside agency without formal approval.  The President, who serves as the “Authorizing Institutional Signature”, will only sign off on applications when the internal routing process has been completed.     

The internal approval route for proposals is as follows:

1.      Principal Investigator

2.      Department Chair

3.      Appropriate Deans

4.      Director of Grants and Sponsored Projects

5.      Vice President for Academic Affairs

6.      Vice President for Administration and Finance

7.      President

The OGSP prepares the internal routing sheet after the PI has completed the proposal and budget.  The OGSP requires that proposals be submitted for institutional signature at least one week prior to the funding agency’s deadline. You should allow at least five (5) working days for reviews and approvals on campus. Although the process can sometimes be accomplished more quickly, the "real world" is not always flexible. The most important consideration is that when you contact our office, our time may already be committed to other faculty members, and the reviewers may already be committed to other activities. Unusually large proposals or proposals with elaborate institutional commitments will necessitate more lead-time. The possibility of changes required by the on-campus signatories will add time to the process.  

Your proposal will move through the approval process more expeditiously if you complete as many of the following as possible:

• Discuss the proposal in advance with your chair, your dean, and any service centers (computer, extended education, etc.) that will be heavily involved. Be sure they are willing to make the commitments you want them to make. You will improve your proposal by getting their advice, and they will be able to review your proposal more quickly when it comes to them for approval.

• Be sure OGSP has a copy of the sponsor's guidelines and forms well in advance of the deadline so they can fill out the forms and check the guidelines while you are still writing and editing. Be certain to tell the staff whether the deadline is for the sponsor's receipt of the proposal or for getting the proposal postmarked.  

• Discuss the budget in advance with OGSP staff.

• Give OGSP your office and home phone numbers so you can be reached quickly if any questions or problems arise. This office will handle the logistics of carrying the proposal to the reviewing offices, and will assist, if possible, in helping all concerned parties on campus reach agreement on their commitments.

The Proposal Route Sheet

This form provides summary information for the College reviewers on what facilities, services, and personnel are being proposed for the project and who will pay for them. After reviewing the routing sheet campus reviewers can then investigate the details in the text and budget. If matching contributions from BSC or other organizations are promised to the sponsor, OGSP will specify which unit or person is making the commitment and from which account (by number) the funds are promised. The reviewers need to have the final form of the budget and a "near-final" form of text. The text should be complete and readable except for detailed adjustments of format phrasing. These final polishing touches can be applied to it while the proposal is in circulation.

    Proposals are not exempt from the approval process merely because the deadline is too close, or because the sponsor initiated the idea, or even because the funding has already arrived.

The signatures of approval become the College's expression of commitment to your project. You and the sponsor then have the assurance that the College approves of the submission and will honor its commitments. The College and the BSC Office of Grants and Sponsored Projects reserve the right to withdraw proposals that have not been properly approved, or to return funds granted for proposals that have not been properly approved.

 

Last Modified: February 3, 2009