External Grant and Contract Timetable

Submitting External Grant and Contract Proposals

The outlined procedure must be followed whether the faculty or staff member serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on a grant, subaward, Letter of Intent, or contract (paid with external funding).

Step 1: Inform

Once you have identified a funding source, obtain approval from your dean or unit head and notify Dr. Carla Hermann, Interim Director of Research (carherm@iu.edu). For assistance with writing, interpreting application requirements, or fulfilling post-award obligations, contact Becky Crump (beccrump@iu.edu). If you have a specific project or research idea, please get in touch with Faculty Central to explore external funding opportunities.

Step 2: Write the Proposal

Seek assistance early from Faculty Central to ensure your proposal is thorough, compliant with funder guidelines, and aligned with IU and IUS policies. Early support helps avoid errors and improves the likelihood of success. IU Proposal Development Services (PDS) can provide valuable support with up to six weeks’ notice for large or collaborative proposals. Faculty Central can connect you with PDS.

Step 3: Budget Approval

Faculty and staff must work closely with Faculty Central when preparing their budgets to ensure compliance with funder requirements, IU Southeast policies, and ORA guidelines, helping to minimize delays in obtaining a budget code if the grant is awarded. Sarah Ruff (saruff@iu.edu) at Faculty Central will review the budget to identify compliance issues and assess university cost sharing. Once finalized, Faculty Central submits the budget to IUS Accounting Services for approval. Before hiring for grant work, consult with Faculty Central or Accounting Services to ensure policy compliance. Missteps in budget planning can result in financial consequences for the department. Additional resources should be included in the grant budget after consulting with Faculty Central.

Step 4: Submitting Proposal & Budget to ORA for Approval

ORA must review all grant proposals before submission. Faculty Central submits all proposal materials and budgets to Kuali Coeus (KC), IU’s electronic award management system. ORA requires proposals to be forwarded to them at least four business days before the sponsor’s deadline to allow time for review and approval. After review, ORA routes the proposal for approval through the Dean, Interim Director of Research, and Vice Chancellors. Once approved in the system, the proposal is routed to the approvers, including your dean, director, and chancellor.

Step 5: Implementation

Once a grant is awarded, Faculty Central will support the PI/Co-PI with effective grant management practices. This includes ensuring compliance with IUS, ORA, and funder requirements, assisting with performance and other reports, helping with budget amendments and PI changes, and addressing other funder requests. Faculty Central will monitor spending and progress toward goals and objectives and help with IRB applications if required.

Last Updated on 05/05/2025