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Proposal Submission & Follow Up

After the completed proposal and accompanying proposal budget have received final OGSR approval, the proposal is ready for submission to the sponsor. Reproduction and mailing of the proposal will be done by OGSR, if the completed proposal is received at least five days before the deadline. Regardless of the mode of delivery-courier service, U.S. Postal Service, or in-person delivery by the PI, it is advisable to obtain a dated receipt.

Internal review

When an agency’s own staff of full-time, trained personnel is responsible for the technical review of proposals, the agency is said to have internal proposal review. These personnel, called program officers, determine which projects will receive funds by considering each proposal’s excellence and suitability to the agency’s program needs. Several levels of administrators within most agencies must also approve those proposals selected for funding. Sometimes internal reviewers seek outside opinions from other agency scientists, other agencies, and universities.

External review

When the evaluation of proposals is conducted by professionals not within the agency’s employ, the agency is said to have external proposal review. External review is often referred to as peer review since reviewers are chosen from different parts of the country and from special segments of the population of scholars in a particular field.

External reviews may be conducted through the mail or e-mail (reviewers selected by the agency are mailed or e-mailed the proposal for evaluation), through meetings (reviewers meet with agency and staff several times a year to evaluate proposals that have been circulated prior to these meetings), or through a combination of these two methods. External reviewers advise the agency on the appropriateness of the budget and make recommendations for funding; however, final funding decisions often rest with agency officials.

Sponsor Review

In general, large foundations and federal agencies review proposals at three specific levels: (1) independent ad hoc reviews by several investigators, (2) meetings of standard review panels, and (3) evaluation by chief administrators or boards of directors. These levels are incorporated into two basic review systems: internal review and external review. Obviously, an awareness of the type of review and the criteria for evaluation will contribute to your ability to write a successful proposal.

Please contact the OGSR office at x3255 when you are ready to submit your proposal for external funding. ALL proposals must be approved through OGSR before being submitted.

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