Sponsored Projects Handbook: Sources of Funding

Identifying Funding Opportunities

It is important to our success as a university participating in research and other sponsored endeavors that a proper match of faculty interests and funding opportunities take place. To this end, ORA makes available several resources, some of which are available by direct access via the Research Administration homepage, to assist faculty and others in identifying potential sources of funding. Visit FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES to learn more about these resources, which include:

  1. SPINPlus (Sponsored Programs Information Network), which is an online database of funding information that is updated regularly with new sponsor announcements. Contact ORA atextension 5359 to schedule a pre-search interview or to subscribe to either SMARTS (a database function to match investigator interests with funding opportunities and provide electronic notification when matches occur ) or GENIUS (a research interest database in which investigators can maintain their own profiles );
  2. Commerce Business Daily (CBD);
  3. Federal Grants and Contracts Weekly;
  4. The Grant Advisor Plus
  5. SCIENCEWISE (formerly FEDIX Opportunity Alert!);
  6. GrantsNet
  7. Federal Register
  8. In addition to the above resources, ORA regularly distributes funding opportunity information in either hard copy or electronic format and maintains a small library of recent funding announcements;

Contacting Sponsors

Contacting a sponsor prior to submitting a formal proposal can be a positive step in building a relationship with that sponsor and learning about current research interests. An investigator may initiate this process by telephone, e-mail, office visit, or submission of a letter of intent or preliminary proposal (Note: Corporate and Foundation Relations should always be contacted prior to making such initial contacts when the sponsor is to be a corporation or a foundation.). All contacts with sponsors by the above means are for information gathering purposes only. It is important to remember that representations that commit the University should not be made without the prior review and approval of the Office of Research Administration.

If, as a result of an initial contact, a sponsor requests a letter of intent or a preliminary proposal, investigators should discuss these actions with department heads and/or other appropriate University officials. Letters of intent, proposal abstracts, and/or preliminary proposals can be reviewed by ORA for budgetary considerations, if such assistance is needed. An informational copy should be provided to ORA at time of submission to initiate the University's official file.

Adherence to Proposal Guidelines

Providing potential sponsors with the information they need in the format they require is critical to the success of any proposal. Investigators should request copies of application kits and/or guidelines from these sponsors. If the sponsor does not have any specific proposal submission requirements, the proposal format in the following section can be used as a guide.

ORA maintains a supply of application kits and guidelines for proposals to be submitted to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Some application kits are also available electronically by visiting Proposal Toolkits on the Research Administration homepage.

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Last modified: August 29, 2007 11:14:58