Institutional Endorsements

A completed and signed hard copy version of the ORC Proposal Transmittal Form (download in MS Word and PDF) or an electronically signed proposal through My Research must be submitted to ORC with each proposal in order to receive endorsement from the University of Central Florida. This process must be completed prior to actual proposal submission.

To receive official endorsement, proposals should include at a minimum:

1. A completed and signed ORC Proposal Transmittal Form (hard copy or electronic).
2. A statement of work.
3. A detailed budget and budget justification or narrative.
4. If a subcontract is involved, a statement of work, signed letter of commitment, and signed budget by the subcontractor's institutional representative is also required.
5. Signed compliance paperwork that may include Special Hazards, Cost Sharing, Materials Transfer, CAS exemption, etc. Please check with your Proposal Manager for specific details.

Internal (UCF) Proposal Processing Deadlines

It is necessary to establish internal proposal processing deadlines to ensure timely review and completion of the all internal and external proposal requirements. In addition, these deadlines assist the ORC Pre-Award staff in organizing and prioritizing their individual workloads. Lastly, it will allow time for the Proposal Manager to interact with UCF and external agency staff as necessary.

Completed proposals, with all required signed internal documents, should arrive at the Office of Research & Commercialization no less than 48 – 72 hours prior to the agency required mailing date. If no due date is required by an agency, every effort will be made by the Pre-Award staff to process your proposal within 48 - 72 hours of proposal receipt. If extenuating circumstances dictate that a proposal be submitted before this internal deadline or on the same day of receipt into ORC, please promptly notify your assigned Proposal Manager as these will be handled on a case-by-case basis and should not be misconstrued as a standard operating procedure.
 
Specifically, this timeline allows a Proposal Manager adequate time to ensure the proposal follows agency guidelines, complete and sign necessary assurances, certifications and representations, verify the budget, initiate or receive subcontractor documentation, receive or initiate UCF internal compliance documentation, and have sufficient time to implement last minute proposal changes.

In some instances, a contract or legal review may be required due to the inclusion of specific contractual language provided by the agency as part of the RFP or proposal submission process (i.e. intellectual property, data sharing, FAR and/or DFAR clauses, materials transfer, non-disclosure agreements, etc).

There are two ways to submit a completed proposal to ORC: (1) using My Research or (2) hard copy format. When using My Research, please also notify the Proposal Manager via email or phone message to avoid any confusion in notification or external submission.

Additionally, there are two ways to submit a proposal to an external sponsor: (1) Utilizing predetermined sponsor electronic submission process, or (2) hard copy format via Federal Express (ORC preferred method for mailing). It is not recommended that the researcher submit his or her proposal directly to the sponsor.

Hard Copy Proposal Submissions (Federal Express)

The Principal Investigator is responsible for submitting the proposal to the Office of Research & Commercialization at least two (2) full working days prior to the proposal mailing/electronic submission date. For example, if a proposal must be mailed on Thursday, it should be delivered completed to the Office of Research & Commercialization by Tuesday.

Proposals requiring special binding (comb, three ring, etc.) should arrive at least three (3) full working days prior to mailing.

Proposals received within these guidelines will receive a Full Level of Service. Proposals not received within these guidelines may receive an Expedited Level of Service. In all cases where a thorough review of the proposal did not take place prior to proposal submission, the Proposal Manager will then review after proposal submission and follow-up with an email explaining any inconsistencies, possible corrections, and/or internal compliance issues for resolution.

ORC Electronic Proposal Submissions

My Research Internal On-line Submission:
Please use the following guide when completing the ORC Proposal Transmittal Form (PTF) electronically:

1. Go to www.research.ucf.edu
2. Click on My Research.
3. Make sure your internet browser is enabled to receive pop-ups for this site only.
4. Insert user name and password (If you do not remember your user id or password, please click on Forgot your password?). Enter your user or email address and the system will automatically send you your user id and password. If the system indicates this is an invalid email address, then contact your Proposal Manager to update your email address in the My Research database.
5. On the left side menu under "Research Administration," place the mouse over "Submission Forms" then click on "Research Proposal" from the drop down menu. Follow the instructions. There are several tabs to complete so please access each one and complete all areas with a red [R] that apply. At this point, you can submit the proposal for signature or save as an incomplete draft and access it at a later time to submit or delete. (If you would like group or individual instruction on how to submit an internal proposal transmittal form electronically, please contact your Proposal Manager). It is important to upload all necessary documentation so the reviewers who are approving this proposal submission will have access for evaluative purposes (.e. budget, abstract, etc.)
6. Click the save button for an incomplete draft version or the submit button to complete the proposal. (After submission is completed, the proposal will automatically be routed to all college, department, Center, Institute, and ORC personnel as listed in the workflow management for approval. To change the workflow management, please contact your Proposal Manager). This signature process must be completed prior to submission to the sponsoring agency.

External Agency On-line Submission

The Principal Investigator is responsible for selecting or allowing the appropriate Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) in the UCF Office of Research & Commercialization (Proposal Manager) access to the completed and ready-to-submit proposal at least two (2) full working days prior to the deadline date. For example, if a proposal must be submitted on Friday, access should be provided by at least Wednesday. The Office of Research & Commercialization must receive all required signed internal documents before a proposal can be electronically submitted.

The number of federal, state, local, and nonprofit agencies requiring electronic submission of all or a portion of a proposal is increasing. It is very important to contact your assigned Proposal Manager when submitting proposals to agencies electronically early in the process. ORC is the responsible division within the university to register for all electronic proposal submission systems.

Grants.gov On-line Proposal Submissions (www.grants.gov)

Grants.gov allows organizations to electronically find and apply for more than $400 billion in Federal grants. Grants.gov is the single access point for over 1000 grant programs offered by all Federal grant-making agencies. The US Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community.

Once you have located a grant opportunity for which you wish to apply, check to see if it is required to be submitted online through grants.gov. In most cases, the solicitation will have direct access by using a web link such as “Apply Now.” This is very important to know as many competitions may have multiple CFDA numbers. If you choose the incorrect mechanism, it may be returned without review. You will need to enter a competition identification, funding opportunity, or CFDA number to access the application package and instructions. In order to view application packages and instructions, you will also need to download and install the PureEdge Viewer.

The PureEdge Viewer is a small, free program which will allow you to access, complete and submit applications electronically and securely on Grants.gov. Grants.gov is currently working with PureEdge to develop a unified download solution. However, temporarily:

http://www.grants.gov/DownloadViewer

Please do not register the organization, as an individual, or as an AOR. UCF has completed all necessary registration requirements to enable a grant application to be submitted.

Office of Research & Commercialization Levels of Service

The Office of Research & Commercialization strives to provide as much proposal preparation assistance as necessary to maximize the competitiveness of your proposal. To ensure the staff is available for maximum proposal preparation assistance and questions, ORC asks for faculty cooperation in meeting the below listed internal proposal deadlines.

Full Level of Service (at least 2 full working days prior to the agency deadline)

If the proposal is delivered within ORC's internal deadline, the Proposal Manager will:

• Assist with budget preparation
• Assist with forms management
• Prepare and sign agency required certifications, assurances, and representations
• Prepare and sign cover letter and proposal face page (if applicable)
• Review completed proposal for conformance with agency requirements
• Review completed proposal for initiation of specific compliance requirements
• Copy proposal
• Prepare and sign the institutional endorsement letter
• Process proposal mailing, as required to meet agency guidelines

Expedited Level of Service (1 full working day before actual submission or same day)

If the proposal is delivered after UCF's internal deadline, the Proposal Manager will:

• Review budget for accuracy
• Prepare and sign the institutional endorsement letter

If time permits:

• Make corrections/suggestions to budget data and agency forms
• Prepare and sign agency required certifications, assurances, and representations
• Prepare and sign proposal face page (if applicable)

Under expedited level of service, the complete proposal package may be returned to the faculty member to complete the proposal copying and mailing unless required electronically.

Proposal Duplication and Mailing

The Office of Research & Commercialization provides duplication and mailing of proposals to the sponsor agency if the proposal is received within UCF's internal proposal processing guidelines. However, if the proposal is received after the internal deadline, the Principal Investigator or the College, Department, Center, or Institute Research Coordinator or their designee may be responsible for copying and mailing the proposal to the funding agency.

Who can serve as Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator?

The current policy of the University of Central Florida states that "no one other than full-time faculty members, full-time research staff members, full-time staff members, or Post-Doctoral students (prior approval required) employed by the University of Central Florida can be listed as a Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on any project proposed to an agency, business and/or foundation. This same policy is true even if an agency refers to this person by another title (Project Manager, Program Director, etc.)

Exceptions

Any exceptions to the university policy must comply with the following and be in writing:

• A departmental review should be conducted regarding the individual's credentials, references, and other documents in the same manner as would be completed when hiring a faculty member.
   
• If the individual is determined to be an acceptable representative of the university, the Department Chair must send an email or written signed memo to the Office of Research & Commercialization.
   
• Please address the letter to M.J. Soileau, Vice President for Research and send a copy to the Proposal Manager assigned to your area authorizing the individual's participation in research. This authorization is kept on file for internal use and reference and placed in the award file. E-mail or facsimile authorizations are also acceptable.
   
• Authorizations may be unrestricted or restricted. Unrestricted implies a blanket authorization to service as PI and Co-PI. A restricted approval refers to a particular project or specified time frame. Restricted authorizations may require periodic review and renewal by the Department Chair. Funding for the approved individual must be included in the proposed budget.
   
• If the department chair is not available, the Research Coordinator can provide authorization only if authorization by the department chair has been given in writing. E-mail approval is acceptable. Authorizations must be received and on file at the Office of Research & Commercialization at the time of proposal submission.

What if there is an agency imposed limitation on the number of proposals permitted under a specific program announcement?

The Limited Submission Programs for upcoming federal grant programs that have a limitation in the grant program whereby UCF is allowed to submit only one or two proposals for the grant is published on the ORC website under "Funding Opportunities."
We encourage all faculty that plan to apply to a limited submission grant program to have a short project summary (3 pages) and budget of their proposal submitted to ORC by the internal deadline. This will give ORC enough time to review all the UCF proposals and select the proposal/s to be submitted to the sponsor.

When a specific program limits the number of proposals permissible from one institution, the Office of Research & Commercialization will institute the following internal university procedure:

• A notice will be published by the ORC Grants Development Office to notify each Center, College, Department, and Institute about the opportunity to submit a limited number of proposals under a specific agency announcement.
   
• The notice will contain an internal deadline for receipt of a brief statement of work or abstract from interested faculty members. Summary proposals or abstracts will consist of a one-page abstract or statement of work and a budget.
   
• The ORC Grants Development Office will coordinate the review of summary proposals with the Vice President for Research and members of the UCF Research Council.
  
  
• Select which proposals will be submitted to the sponsoring agency and notify each potential Principal Investigator, in writing, of whether he or she was selected to represent the university during a specific limited submission competition.