Pre-Award Administration & Agreement Services

When to Contact the Office of Research: You should inform our office at least 20 business days prior to the sponsor's deadline if you are planning to submit an application, proposal, or request that would result in funding being awarded to the campus. See additional information below.

Signature Authority: Delegated Authority to sign documents on behalf of the university resides solely in the U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) in Ann Arbor regardless of whether funding is being requested. Items requiring signature must be routed to ORSP through the eResearch system. This includes non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements (NDA), memos of understanding (MOU), data use or data sharing agreements, certain licensing agreements, equipment loan agreements, etc. The UM-Dearborn Office of Research (OR) provides support to Dearborn faculty for this process. If you are asked to sign something, contact [email protected] so we can help.

Our goal is to provide the highest level of service possible in assisting you with assembling all the elements of your proposal package and ensuring there are no administrative errors that could result in a proposal being turned down or returned without review. 

Sufficient Lead Time Is Critical! To Get Started Working With Our Office:

1. Submit our Proposal Services Request Form at least 20 business days* prior to your sponsor's deadline. Our ability to provide services depends on the available lead time. Read about Timelines and Service Levels. This applies to full proposals, pre-proposals, and letters of intent (LOIs) as well as support needed for projects being led by other U-M campuses.
2. Once we receive your request form, a proposal specialist will connect with you to provide a summary of requirements and a timeline for submission of documents to meet internal and sponsor deadlines. Your proposal specialist will guide you through the internal process and assist you with the sponsor's application.

*20 business days is suggested for a standard single-PI proposal. Factors such as the following create additional complexities and may need at least the following additional lead time to prepare:

• cost sharing requirement >10% of total budget--5 days for CS approval
• subcontracts to other institutions included in your proposal--4 days per subcontract
• multiple investigators submitting senior personnel documents--3  days
• special sponsor forms required (e.g., DOE budget forms, Environmental Questionnaire, non-standard sponsor systems)--5 days
• Ann Arbor or Flint personnel included will need their unit review and approval -- 2 days per department

Regarding Pre-Proposals: UM-Dearborn requires the internal approval process for any pre-proposal that includes budgetary information, commitments of cost sharing, time/effort, or space, or third party commitments. This applies to concept papers, letters of intent, letters of inquiry, white papers, pre-applications, etc. This allows the administrative home unit, which has overall responsibility for the project, to review and approve what is being proposed. A PRE-PAF must also be completed if submission or signature by an authorized institutional representative is required, even if no budgetary information is included.

Services we offer, contingent on the lead time provided by faculty and adherence to our timeline, include the following:

• review sponsor guidelines to identify key requirements and confirm eligibility
• review of budget and budget justification for appropriateness and compliance, and delivery of a basic budget template
• preparation of the internal Proposal Approval Form (PAF) and obtain required signatures and approvals
• review of documents for completeness and compliance with sponsor's guidelines and U-M policies
• a PDF copy of the complete proposal package for PI review prior to submission
• request for sponsor approval to submit as a separate campus if necessary (full service only)
• advice on cost considerations, estimates for anticipated expenses, and development of cost rationale (full service only)
• completion of sponsor application/forms and assembly of required documents (full service only)
• uploading of documents to the sponsor's system (full service only)
• contacting the sponsor with non-technical questions related to proposal requirements (full service only)
• communication with subcontractors to obtain required information and documents (full service only)
• assistance with obtaining letters of support/commitment if needed (full service only)

Due to the administrative nature of ORA's services and the obligation to provide services to the entire campus, we are unable to provide maintenance of individual faculty CVs, biosketches, and/or current and pending support documents.