B. Application. <\/strong>The following procedures apply to all extramural applications including, but not limited to, support from foundations, industry, businesses, and charitable organizations. The requests are coordinated by ORSO and are reviewed and approved by appropriate university personnel. ORSO serves as the central clearinghouse for extramural proposals and ensures that the commitments and obligations communicated in such requests are appropriate and acceptable for WSU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C. Roles and Responsibilities<\/strong>. ORSO teams with other University entities to administer sponsored proposals and awards to ensure regulatory compliance. This website<\/a> identifies the individual(s) or unit(s) responsible at each stage in the research administration process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n D. Required Non-Profit Submission. <\/strong>If the sponsor requires applicants to have a specific 501 (c) 3 non-profit status with no exception for institutions of higher education, or if the sponsor is listed on the WSU Foundation Private Grant Sponsor List<\/a>, the principal investigator or departmental administrator should contact the WSU Foundation (WSUF) to coordinate the application submission with ORSO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n E. Related Information. <\/strong>The Office of Research Advancement & Partnerships (ORAP) provides assistance in locating funding sources, proposal preparation, and preliminary budget development. For these specific services, please access information at the ORAP Website<\/a>. ORAP also assists in the review of internal WSU Faculty Seed Grant competitions and awards, and limited submission selection of proposals. Grant & Contract Coordinators within ORSO are also available to advise faculty and administrators on appropriate facilities and administrative costs, employee benefits, cost-sharing, and related matters for all funding opportunities. Guidance and policies related to proposal submission and budget preparation can be found on the ORSO Policies & Guidelines website<\/a>. Guideline 2, which provides detailed budget information, is periodically updated with current rates and regulations. Guidance is available for proposals or activities involving any of the following can be found on the ORSO website <\/a>and\/or at the additional links provided. If further help is needed, contact ORSO at orso@wsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n F. Topics Related to Research\/Sponsored Activity.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n G. Departmental Contact List. <\/strong>Many departments and colleges have research administrators and\/or fiscal officers who can assist with proposal documents and proposal budget preparation. When available, these individuals should be utilized to assist in the preparation of your application. See the Departmental Contact List<\/a> for individuals who assist in your department\/unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A. Proposal Contents. <\/strong>Some sponsors may require formal documents from applicants while other sponsors may only want a one-page letter provided to them for their award of funding. In most cases, formal and strict procedures are required when applying for funding. Below is a list of commonly used documents by sponsors. There could be a variety of combinations of these documents where some are required, some are optional, and some are not required by all sponsors. Please be sure to thoroughly read your proposal application instructions and other documents to ensure you have met all requirements. The following is a list of commonly required documents that may be required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n B. WSU Forms. <\/strong>WSU requires the following internal documents for each proposal being submitted to an outside sponsor be attached to the eREX form<\/a>: (this form is the mechanism used to route all relevant proposal information\/instructions for institutional approvals, review and submission – see further instruction on these documents in Section III.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n A. REVIEW OF PROPOSALS <\/strong>\u2013 After a proposal has been compiled by the Principal Investigator and\/or other departmental individuals, it should be submitted to ORSO for review. Below is a flow chart showing the course a proposal will take through WSU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Officials within the area, department\/unit and central offices of WSU will review the proposal for the following items, preferably prior to submission of the proposal to the sponsor. Should submission of the proposal occur before a detailed review of these items is conducted by officials within WSU, withdrawal of the proposal may occur should the obligations communicated in a proposal not meet the expectation of any such officials. Investigator proposal certifications can be found here<\/a>, and Chair\/Director and Dean\/VP\/Chancellor proposal certifications can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. All proposals for extramural support of WSU research and\/or other activities must be reviewed by all appropriate WSU officials prior to submission to the external sponsor. This includes requests for support of research, academic, scholarly, creative, instructional, extension, and service activities, and for the use of research facilities, traineeships and fellowships, institutes, and special teaching programs. WSU officials will review proposals taking into consideration the following aspects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n a.) the substance and merit of the proposal, including the academic appropriateness and desirability;<\/p>\n\n\n\n b.) acceptance only when consistent with the following objectives:<\/p>\n\n\n\n c.) Protection of the rights and welfare of human subjects where the proposed research involves their use. This review will be accomplished by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB)<\/a> in accordance with university, state, and federal policy. The reviews conducted by the IRB are coordinated by the Office of Research Assurances<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d.) Principal investigators proposing research involving the use of bio-hazardous agents, recombinant DNA molecules and known carcinogens, mutagens, or infectious diseases must be trained in the use and regulations related to the use of these materials. PI\u2019s should review ORSO Policy 13 on Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Policy<\/a>; ORSO Guideline 8 Research Compliance Training Required for WSU Researchers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.) Commitments of faculty and\/or staff time and the possible effects of such commitments on the teaching and other obligations of those personnel involved in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n f.) WSU space and\/or WSU facilities needed for the performance of the project, giving a higher level of scrutiny for projects which may require new space and\/or facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n g.) The proposal budget:<\/p>\n\n\n\n B. WSU ELECTRONIC REX (eREX) APPROVAL PROCESS <\/strong>\u2013Upon completion of the sponsor required proposal documents (along with the internal WSU certified budget and any related documents) the Electronic Request for Approval of Application for Extramural Support Form <\/em>(eREX) should be completed as noted below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE: Some WSU areas, departments, and off campus units may have specific procedures that need to be followed within the appropriate divisions prior to the submission of the eREX to ORSO. Please contact the Research Administrator listed in the Departmental Contact list<\/a> for the appropriate department to determine what steps should be followed with those specific divisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Complete the online eREX <\/strong>found at ORSO Forms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n a.) Answer the necessary questions being sure to pay attention to the instructions in the details as an incomplete eREX will cause delays during the electronic approval process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n b.) Attach the full copy of the proposal document in the attachments section of the eREX. This should be in the form in which it will be submitted to the agency. (e.g.: Workspace\/ASSIST\/Fastlane\/Researh.gov\/ezFedGrants\/NSPIRES print preview, word document to be emailed, a copy of the proposal as it will be entered on the sponsor website, etc.) See Narrative Hold Primer<\/a> for federalsubmission options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n c.) Attach the WSU Budget which has been approved by a Certified WSU Budget Individual (see ORSO Guideline 2<\/a>) in the indicated attachments section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d.) Attach any other required documents. Such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n e.) Be sure to list all of the appropriate PI\u2019s, Co-PI\u2019s, and Chairs\/Directors\/Deans\/VP\u2019s\/Chancellors in the approval areas for all those employees having responsibilities outlined in the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Submit the completed eREX <\/strong>with all the necessary attachments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n a.) ORSO will receive your submitted eREX electronically<\/em><\/strong>. Once received, the eREX is reviewed for correctness and completeness prior to beginning the online approval process. In some cases, eREX forms may require resubmission if information is missing or incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n b.) Once the eREX is considered correct and complete, ORSO will begin the Electronic Approval Process (EAP) <\/strong>for all WSU area and department officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n i. Types of approvals. There are two types of approvals which can be completed within the eREX process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n c) An email indicating the eREX has been submitted and their approval IS REQUIRED, in which case the individual must follow the link provided to review the substance and merit of the proposal. Particular attention should be paid to the budget items, including the salary and effort of proposed personnel (including funding sources and salary caps), and all aspects of the proposal which may affect the role and mission of the college\/unit, and the use of WSU space and WSU facilities assigned to the department\/unit and the college. The Chair\/Director\/Dean will pay particular attention to any comments made by previous individuals who have reviewed and approved the eREX and proposal. This review and acceptance constitutes their endorsement of all aspects of the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d. ORSO\u2019s AVP\/Director will be the final approval required on the eREX. The Director will review the eREX package, ensuring that the lead PI has specifically approved the eREX or provided written approval for a person to approve on their behalf. Once the final approval from the Director of ORSO has been received, ORSO will move the electronic eREX and attached proposal documents into the ORSO MyResearch database and routed to an ORSO Grant & Contract Coordinator for administrative review and submission to the Sponsor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n e. HINTS: Paying careful attention to the following will expedite the review<\/em><\/strong> and approval of your eREX and attached proposal at the specific level of<\/em><\/strong> approval mentioned below:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Other WSU Officials\u2019 Review of eREX and Proposal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n a) In some cases WSU Vice Presidents may be required to review the eREX. Higher WSU officials will usually pay particular attention to the budget details of the proposal, special cost share commitments outlined, special obligations or commitments made and any special publicity or notorious items that may be communicated in the documents. It is important to take great care in communicating any special obligations which would require the review of a VP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n b) WSU Research Administrators and\/or an Area Finance Officers are required to review the eREX and proposal to ensure that the necessary prior checks and balances have been completed within each area and department\/unit prior to Chairs, Directors, Deans, Chancellors, and VP approval of the eREX. Work with these individuals prior to submitting the eREX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C. DEADLINES FOR PROPOSALS –<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to submit the eREX form with all proposal documents and approvals to ORSO five working days prior to the sponsor\u2019s deadline. It is important to allocate sufficient time for the routing process to obtain all necessary approvals no later than two working days prior to the sponsor\u2019s deadline to allow for a full proposal review before submission to the sponsor. Office of Research Support and Operations processes proposals that are fully approved up to two working days prior to the sponsor\u2019s deadline. In addition, it is strongly recommended that units\/areas\/campuses create an internal deadline policy for their faculty to encourage on-time proposal submissions. (See also BPPM 40.02) Many online submission sites run a validation process which reviews the proposal that has been input into their system, that validation creates a report indicating any errors or warnings regarding the submission to the PI and Authorized Official. Please address and correct any issues listed in that validation prior to routing it to ORSO for review and submission. Often, especially when federal submission sites are being accessed frequently by individuals from institutions across the US during times with heavy deadline cycles, validation and routing processes can get delayed and\/or experiences glitches which can cause proposals to be stalled. As well, there may be specific items which will cause rejection at the electronic processing site or at the sponsor reception site. The eREX submission recommended time frame of 5+ day allows ORSO to work through any rejections or glitches, while still meeting the sponsor deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ** This is the standard time frame expected to allow for all the electronic approvals to be received, and <\/em>for the ORSO Coordinator to review and submit with a thorough review of the proposal materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Proposals to be submitted where there is no agency deadline should be routed through the normal eREX Approval Process. These will be reviewed in order of receipt, keeping in mind the immediate deadlines of other proposals in the same pool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Hard Copy Proposals \u2013 Most sponsors no longer require hard copies of proposals be submitted. If you are working with one that does, please contact ORSO for assistance at orso@wsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n D. PROPOSALS SUBMITTED WITHOUT REVIEW AND\/OR APPROVAL –<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Proposals which are submitted without thorough review and\/or approval are usually due to one of the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n a. The eREX Form was not submitted within the time frames mentioned above, allowing ORSO only enough time to log and submit the proposal as it was presented, directly to the agency without thorough review and\/or the needed approvals from other areas and departments\/units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n b. The proposal was previously submitted by a WSU individual outside of ORSO. Informal discussion of proposals outside of university channels and prior to university review should be undertaken with caution. Where such discussions are involved in developing agreements for outside support, it is highly desirable to inform the Chair, Director, Dean, etc. at all stages, and provide copies of correspondence to ORSO, even at the preliminary stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n c. In circumstances as stated above, proposals not meeting the deadline shall be submitted with conditional approval only. In these cases, the PI shall be responsible for making appropriate changes to the proposal, at a later date, if subsequent review reveals that the proposal is incomplete, contains errors, inaccuracies, misrepresentations, or does not conform to WSU or sponsoring agency requirements. In addition, WSU reserves the right to withdraw the proposal if subsequent review reveals any of these problems listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n d. In cases where an eREX was submitted, but the required electronic approvals are not received in time to submit the proposal by the sponsor deadline, the department and college will need to work with the AOR\/Director of ORSO on whether or not to submit the proposal and garner the required approvals after the fact per the RUSH\/Waiver policy. (See BPPM 40.02<\/a> for details).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: <\/strong>Many agencies and foundations have deadlines for the submission of future proposals. These are usually stated in the sponsor\u2019s information brochure or other organizational publications. In the case of the Department of Health and Human Services for instance, new or competing renewal proposals have a series of deadlines, while non-competing renewals must meet a deadline set by the Program Manager or the previous project period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Section II : Completion of Proposal Documents<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Section III : Proposal Review and Approval within WSU<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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