Proposal Routing & Submission

Any proposal submitted for financial sponsorship of a project or program, research grants or contracts, pre-proposals that combine a work statement and budget estimate, or proposals to be submitted through another university (subcontract to U-M) must be routed for approval through internal channels as follows:

Step 1

Work with Dearborn Office of Research Administration develop the budget and other required sections of your proposal and complete the University's Proposal Approval Form (PAF) process in eResearch.

• eResearch Proposal Management (eRPM) is a web-based system used to coordinate the electronic routing, approval, and submission of proposals to external sponsors.
• The PAF (Proposal Approval Form) is a standard routing and data-entry form used at all three University of Michigan campuses to obtain institutional approval for external grants and contracts. It is used for all proposals, whether submitted through Grants.gov, mailed to corporate sponsors, for pre-proposals that include a budget estimate, and proposals submitted by another institution where UM will be a subcontractor or subgrantee. 
• It is important that you provide accurate information, particularly that related to human subjects, restrictions on publication, and conflict of interest as these are important regulatory issues that must be known to your chair, dean, Dearborn Research Office, and UM-ORSP.

Step 2

When the PAF is complete and budget/major sections of the proposal are final, Dearborn ORA will send the PI a request to review and electronically sign the PAF and conflict of interest statement.

Step 3

The PAF will be routed for internal unit review and approvals from your Chair, Dean, and Dearborn Office of Research Administration.

The budget and other documents indicating campus commitments (e.g. facilities & resources) must be final before routing, however the PI may still work on the proposal narrative and other documents during the internal approval process. The proposal will not be routed to Ann Arbor for submission until it has been finalized (i.e., all documents are complete and the package is ready for submission).

Step 4

The finalized proposal is routed to the Office of Research & Sponsored Projects (ORSP) in Ann Arbor for review, final approval, and signature by the University's Authorized Organizational Representative if required. Generally ORSP will then submit to the sponsor, or they will notify the Project Team that the proposal has been approved for submission.