Internal Processes

OSPRA can assist you in finding grant opportunities for your research and special projects.

Once you have found an opportunity that you would like to pursue, please fill out an NIS Form and return it to the OSPRA. You can fill out an NIS form at any time, preferably as soon as you find the opportunity.

Grant proposals take varying amounts of time to prepare, depending on the agency to which you plan to apply. For applications to large government agencies such as NIH or NSF, allow two to six months for proposal preparation. Proposals to smaller agencies or organizations with fewer requirements might be written in four to six weeks. For all grant proposals, it is strongly suggested that you review the agency's guidelines in detail before undergoing the proposal preparation process.

OSPRA can help obtain all application forms and guidelines, interpret agency guidelines and seek clarification as necessary, find general UDM information and proposal templates, secure all institutional signatures, and submit your proposal in a timely fashion.

To facilitate the grant submission process and obtain all necessary approvals, an Internal Summary Form for Proposal Review and Approval along with the accompanying Internal Summary Form Budget must be submitted to the OSPRA at least seven business days in advance of the agency deadline. Please submit materials via e-mail to caldwecr@udmercy.edu. Additionally, please submit a hard copy of the budget/signature page.

In most cases, even though you prepare the research proposal and will direct the work if it is funded, it is the University which, as a corporate entity, formally submits the proposal and accepts responsibility for whatever funds you may be awarded. Before it assumes that role, the University naturally wishes to ensure the proposal's completeness in every respect--legal, fiscal and academic. The University of Detroit Mercy thus requires that all requests for external funding be approved by several University offices prior to submission. The signature page is located on the totals sheet of the Internal Summary Form Budget (above). Each proposal requires signatures from the following:

The Dean of your College or School, who guarantees the academic cogency of the proposal and the availability of adequate space and other resources for completing the project. The Dean also signifies his or her agreement to the proposed allocation of faculty time to the project if it is funded;

The Restricted Fund Accountant in the controller's office (who ideally should be familiar with your budget from an earlier stage in its development), who signifies that the proposal budget is consistent with University policy from a budgetary standpoint;

The Director for Sponsored Programs and Research Activities who reviews the entire proposal and all required certifications to insure that the proposal meets all University and funding agency requirements; and lastly

The Vice President for Academic Affairs who acts formally on behalf of the University to authorize submission of the proposal.

Routing a proposal in this way can take up to seven business days.