Grant Submission Deadlines Policy

Grant Submission Deadlines and Requirements

All proposals and applications for external funding by faculty and staff, including subrecipient commitment forms and other materials involving KSU in grant applications submitted by other institutions, must be reviewed by and submitted in coordination with the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) Sponsored Programs Services (SPS). ORI is the only delegate to accept and submit proposals on behalf of KSU.

To ensure compliance with KSU and federal or non-federal sponsor policies, requirements, and regulations, Principal Investigators (PIs) must adhere to the Grant Submission Deadlines Policy outlined above. This includes submitting an Intent to Submit (ITS) form 30 days prior to the sponsor deadline, near-final budgets two weeks prior, and complete grant application packages in final form five (5) business days before the sponsor’s due date. The final submission package must include a Grant Submission Form signed by the PI’s Dean or Department Chair. Failure to meet these deadlines will result in the proposal not being submitted to the sponsor on behalf of KSU.

Following this timeline allows PIs to receive valuable feedback, address errors or oversights, and ensure a smooth submission process, resulting in a more competitive proposal. Additionally, PIs must ensure that all required compliance reviews, such as conflict of interest disclosures, human subjects or animal research approvals, and accurate budget justifications, are completed prior to submission.

PIs are required to complete a Grant Submission Form and obtain signatures from their Department Chair and Dean before ORI/SPS will submit a proposal, application, or subrecipient commitment. The Transmittal Form, available on the ORI/SPS Forms page, is a necessary step for tracking submissions, ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations, and facilitating the setup of grant awards.

If a sponsor requires a Pre-Proposal or Letter of Intent (LOI) to be signed or submitted by an institutional official, the same Grant Submission Deadlines Policy applies, and it must be routed through ORI/SPS for approval if it involves university resource commitments, a detailed budget, cost-sharing, or indirect cost rate exceptions; however, routing is not required for LOIs with rough budget estimates or those not expected to result in direct awards.

Roles and Responsibilities

The following is a general outline of the responsibilities of the Principal Investigator, Chair, Dean, and Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs in the preparation and submission of proposals and grant applications.

The Principal Investigator is responsible for:

  • Proposal development and ensuring that the proposal has technical merit.
  • Budget development and ensuring that the budget items and amounts are appropriate for the project.

The Department Chair and Dean review the proposal to:

  • Assure the overall soundness of the project
  • Assure consistency with the goals, objectives, and interests of their department and college.
  • Assure availability of resources if awarded.

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs is responsible for:

  • Ensuring the proposal complies with the funding agency’s regulations and guidelines, as well as the University’s policies and interests.
  • Reviewing and correcting the budget as needed.
  • Reviewing the proposal and identifying changes that may be needed to the proposal or ways of improving the proposal.
  • Verifying that institutional commitments regarding matching, cost-sharing, or in-kind contributions have been obtained.

Electronic packages for submission through Grants.gov, Research.gov, or other electronic application systems must be completed by the Principal Investigator prior to release to the Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs.  Faculty and staff can receive assistance and training from the Office to complete work on the electronic package upon request.