Proposal Submission

Roles & Responsibilities

Principal Investigators

  • Coordinate the submission of a complete myGRANT proposal development record to the Office of Research Services for review at least five (5) business days prior to the submission deadline
  • If the sponsor does not allow central office access to their electronic proposal submission system, ensure that ORS approval is received for proposal submission, coordinate on-time submission of the proposal, and forward proposal submission confirmation to their assigned ORS specialist
  • If the sponsor requires hard copy submission, ensure that the appropriate number of copies of the proposal have been properly prepared in accordance with sponsor requirements, and coordinate on-time delivery to the sponsor
  • Maintain up-to-date conflict of interest disclosures

Fiscal Administrators

  • Ensure the myGRANT proposal development record contains a complete and accurate proposed budget which conforms to sponsor and university requirements
  • Submit electronic workflow approval in myGRANT to signify the above requirements have been met

Chancellor / Dean / Director/ Chairperson

  • Submit electronic workflow approval in myGRANT to signify acceptance and assumption of full responsibility for the administration and fiscal accountability of, and provision of necessary resources for, the proposed project

Office of Research Services

  • As authorized organizational representative for proposal submission on behalf of the University of Hawai’i, conduct final institutional review of all program and academic aspects of the proposal to ensure conformity with sponsor and university requirements, and governmental regulations
  • Ensure all proper compliance approvals have been obtained
  • Ensure all required conflict of interest disclosures are up to date
  • Ensure all documentation required by the myGRANT proposal development record has been provided, including all electronic workflow approvals
  • Submit electronic copies of the proposal to the sponsor by the sponsor’s submission deadline; or ensure that submission approval is emailed to the PI in a timely manner where:
    • Central office access to the sponsor’s electronic proposal submission system is not allowed; or
    • The sponsor requires the submission of the proposal via hard copy.
  • Follow up, negotiate and monitor the status of the proposal with the sponsor

See Administrative Procedure AP 12.401 for more information.

Process

As UH’s authorized organizational representative (AOR), ORS is responsible to conduct final institutional review of all extramural proposals prior to submission to the sponsor. Any complete proposal submitted to ORS with less than five (5) business days for review will be considered a late submission.

If an award is made based on a late submission, the PI’s unit will be responsible to cover all costs incurred by UH as a result of any proposal errors. Such costs may include cost sharing commitments or the covering of unallowable commitments of UH resources.

 

Prepare myGRANT proposal development record (PD)

Proposals for extramural funding are required to be submitted to sponsors through ORS as UH’s authorized organizational representative. To forward a proposal to ORS for review and subsequent sponsor submission, a proposal development record (PD) must be created in myGRANT, UH’s central extramural proposal and award system. The complete and fully approved PD must be received by ORS at least five (5) business days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

  • You must have a UH username to access myGRANT.
    • If you are a UH or RCUH employee and do not have a UH username, you may apply for one here.
    • If you have a UH username and require myGRANT access, please email orshelp@hawaii.edu.
  • A User Guide for myGRANT PD creation is posted here. If you are a new user, please allow yourself ample time to familiarize yourself with the system and submit your completed and fully-routed PD to ORS at least five (5) business days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

Address Conflict of Interest (COI) Issues

All investigators and key personnel must complete the following before proposal submission:

For further information about COI disclosure, see the following:

Obtain any UH-required documentation

Subawards

The following must be attached to your myGRANT PD for each subaward contemplated in the proposal:

  • Letter of intent signed by the subrecipient’s authorized official (or use sponsor template, if required)
  • Subrecipient’s scope of work, detailed budget and budget justification
  • Any subrecipient documents required by the sponsor

Notes:

  1. An ORS Form S-5 should be completed for each intended subrecipient and retained in the project file in case of audit. Detailed information on the subrecipient vs. contractor determination may be found here, or you may email ORS at subaward@hawaii.edu for assistance.
  2. If the subaward is expected to be $25,000 or more, Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (HRS) §103-53 requires non-governmental subrecipients to provide proof of tax clearance from the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation and the Internal Revenue Service. Registration in Hawaiʻi Compliance Express is required to obtain proof of tax clearance. As the tax clearance process may take a long time, PIs should advise potential non-governmental subrecipients of the tax clearance requirement at the proposal phase so that subaward issuance and payments thereunder are not delayed.

Internal collaborators

For internal collaborations, PIs must negotiate and obtain agreement from all parties on the Research Training and Revolving Fund (RTRF) credit split, and enter the credit split in the myGRANT proposal development record. Full workflow approval will become formal documentation of the credit split for RTRF fund allocation purposes.

External collaborators (domestic and international)

All External Collaborations

The following must be attached to your myGRANT PD if the proposal includes external collaborators:

  • Letter of support from the participating institution, signed by its authorized official (satisfied by the subrecipient letter of intent if subaward to be issued)
  • Any approvals required by the prime sponsor or participating institution

Foreign/International Collaborations

In late 2017, the United States (US) government announced its dedication to promote and protect US research and innovation from the risk of illicit appropriation and theft by foreign competitors. While UH encourages international collaboration, it is important for investigators to be transparent about their foreign relationships and activities. Accordingly, if your proposed project involves foreign/international collaboration, the following are required:

  • Any and all significant financial interests or outside interests received from any foreign entity (including governments and universities) must be disclosed per Executive Policy EP 12.214 and Administrative Policy 12.304. To create or update a conflict of interest (COI) disclosure, log in to myGRANT, then click on “my COI Dashboard”.
  • Any form of research support (including financial support and gifts) from, or travel to, foreign entities should be disclosed to the sponsor even if it relates to work performed outside of an investigator’s appointment period. Check the sponsor’s current disclosure requirements carefully to ensure proper compliance.

See Foreign Influence in University Research for more information.

Non-federal, non-UH co-investigators

A completed SFI/COI Disclosure Form must be provided for every subrecipient or external collaborator who will be a co-investigator on the project if the subrecipient or external collaborator:

  • Is a non-federal employee; and
  • Has any significant financial interest (SFI) or conflict of interest (COI) to disclose.

Address SBIR / STTR issues

If you are submitting a proposal for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding, the following guidelines apply:

  • The PI on subcontracts/subawards to UH and the PI on the SBIR/STTR award to the small business must be different individuals. For SBIR funding, the PI may not be a UH employee unless prior approval has been obtained from the UH Vice President for Research and Innovation.
  • The proposed research to be performed at and by the small business must be clearly delineated and distinct from the research to be performed at UH.
  • The small business must provide evidence of adequate facilities to perform the work and may not use any UH resources for any of their activities.
  • UH employees and any members of their immediate family who have an ownership interest in the small business may not conduct or direct research in their own laboratory through subcontracts/subawards from that small business.
  • All licensing and intellectual property issues must be reviewed by the UH Office of Innovation and Commercialization and required agreements put in place before any UH subcontract/subaward is executed.

Implementation of a conflict of interest management plan may be required when these guidelines are inadequate, and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Questions related to SBIR / STTR proposals should be directed as follows:

Inquiry Type Office Email
General ORS Assigned Pre-Award Specialist
Conflict of interest ORC coi@hawaii.edu
Licensing & intellectual property OTT uhott@hawaii.edu

Address intellectual property issues

The UH Office of Innovation and Commercialization (OIC) or the UH Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) should be consulted as soon as possible if your proposal will involve any of the items below. Expand the indicated item for process and/or other information.

Potential for the proposed project to result in a new invention or novel technology with commercial value

If your proposed project has a deliverable or the potential to result in a new invention or novel technology, such as a new product, device, plant, software, website, material, compound, research tool or improvements to existing technology, please contact OIC at the proposal stage. They will work with you to determine next steps which will speed up the process from award acceptance.

Pre-existing intellectual property

If your proposed project involves the use of pre-existing intellectual property, such as inventions, copyright works, patent pending inventions or proprietary materials, please notify OIC at the proposal stage. They will work with you to put protections or permissions in place, if needed.

Exchange or sharing of confidential or proprietary materials

If your proposed project contemplates the exchange or sharing of confidential or proprietary materials between UH and a third party, please notify OIC at the proposal stage. They will work with you to determine whether a material transfer agreement (MTA) or a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be required. If required, OIC will obtain relevant information, then negotiate the MTA and/or NDA directly with the third party and follow through to execution.

More information on MTAs and NDAs may be found here.

Review for accuracy and compliance

Once the proposal is in its final stages, it should be reviewed for the following:

Accuracy of UH institutional information

A quick reference of institutional information for extramural proposal submission is posted here.

Some important items to check are that the applicant name is “University of Hawai‘i”, and not a specific campus name, and that the correct DUNS number is being used. Once the federal government transitions from DUNS numbers to a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (expected in December 2020), check that the correct UEI is being used.

Compliance with sponsor requirements

  • Ensure all sponsor-required forms are complete, and that all attachments have unique file names
  • Comply with file size limitations (e.g., maximum recommended file size for Grants.gov is less than 5 MB)

Compliance with UH requirements

  • Full and complete copy of the proposal and all required documents are attached to the myGRANT proposal development record (PD), including:
    • Sponsor-required documents, typically a cover letter, abstract, narrative, project plan, budget and biographical sketches of key personnel;
    • Completed budget;
    • An indirect cost waiver, if required; and
    • Copy of the notice of funding opportunity (also known as request for proposal, or RFP)
  • All proposal questions in the PD are accurately answered. Common errors include:
    • Subcontractor or contractor involvement is misidentified;
    • Proposed project involves human subjects, vertebrate animals or any activity requiring compliance, but compliance questions are answered “no”; or
    • Certification confirming accuracy of answers is answered “no”
  • COI disclosures for all key personnel are up-to-date

Submit myGRANT PD for workflow routing & approval

Once you have determined that the myGRANT proposal development record (PD) is complete, click the “Submit for Review” button to start routing the PD for workflow approval. The system will notify each workflow approver individually when it is their turn to review the PD.

Approvers will have the option to “Approve” or “Return for Changes”. Returning a PD for changes will send the proposal back to the PD initiator to make changes and require re-routing through the entire workflow for approval.

After all workflow approvers have approved the PD, the PI’s assigned ORS specialist will receive a notification that the PD is ready for review.

For problems with workflow approval or to request workflow routing changes, please send an email to orshelp@hawaii.edu and include the proposal number (upper left of the PD) and/or the PD document number (upper right of the PD), together with a detailed description of your issue(s).

ORS proposal review and submission

Once ORS receives notice that the myGRANT proposal development document is ready for review, they will complete an institutional check of the proposal package and work with the PI/FA on any revisions, if needed.

When the proposal is final and ready for submission:

  • Electronic submission:
    • ORS will submit the proposal through the sponsor’s electronic portal and forward submission confirmation to the PI and FA.
    • If the sponsor does not allow central office access to their electronic proposal submission system, ORS will send an email to the PI approving the proposal for submission. The PI is then responsible for submitting the proposal in the sponsor’s system, then forwarding the complete proposal packet and submission confirmation to their assigned ORS specialist.
  • Hard copy submission: ORS will inform the PI that the proposal is approved for submission to the sponsor. The PI is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate number of copies of the proposal have been properly prepared in accordance with sponsor requirements, and coordinate on-time delivery to the sponsor.

Resources

myGRANT Information & Resources

System Login

Information & Resources

  • User guide
  • FAQs
  • Online training

References

Federal

SF424 Application for Federal Assistance – UH-tailored Guide for Completion

Grants.gov Workspace

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

Policies & Procedures

RP 12.202 Principal Investigator
RP 12.211 Ethical Guidelines in the Conduct of Technology Transfer Activities
EP 12.214 Conflicts of Interest and Commitment
AP 12.304 Procedures for Disclosing and Addressing Conflicts of Interest Related with Extramurally-Funded Activities
AP 12.401 Procedures for the Preparation and Submission of Proposals to External Sponsors and the Review / Approval Requirements
AP 12.410 Accounting for Cost Sharing