Maryland Population Research Center...

MPRC Administrative staff can help faculty associates with adherence to guidelines, budget preparation, preparation of support materials, editing proposal text, proposal routing and proposal submission. **Please note: MPRC has some important timetable guidelines to ensure that we have enough time to assist you prior to the proposal submission deadline. For one-on-one help, please contact the Center Administrator Barbara Hillinger.

Assisting with Guidelines

From providing forms to checking font and margin rules, the MPRC administrative staff can help ensure that your grant proposal follows the guidelines mandated by the funding organization. The majority of proposals submitted by MPRC Faculty Associates go to the NIH or NSF. Click on any of the links below to learn more about proposal guidelines for each agency.

ORAA Proposal Handbook

NIH Grant Application Information (includes PHS398 Forms and Updates): this information is primarily used for non-electronic proposals) as Most of NIH proposals are being moved to electronic submissions, the following link provides information on submitting through grants.gov.

NIH Electronic Submission of Grant Applications

NIH Planned Transition Dates for Electronic Submissions

NICHD Small Grants Program

NSF Grant Proposal Guide

NSF Fastlane (Proposals, Awards, and Status)

NSF Fastlane Electronic Proposal Submission Guidelines

Help Preparing the Budget

MPRC can provide as little or as much assistance in the budget process as needed by the Principal Investigator (PI). If the PI prefers to prepare the budget, we can provide a review to ensure that grant guidelines and policies are adhered to, including allowable costs and cost-sharing requirements. Alternatively, MPRC staff can meet with the PI to outline the project’s financial needs and draft the budget, including appropriate salary projections, fringe benefits, and indirect cost rates. In addition, if collaborative arrangements with other institutions are involved, MPRC will ensure that all the necessary paperwork for the consulting and/or subcontracted agreement(s) are in place for the proposal. Once the budget is finalized, MPRC will write a budget justification in language that granting agencies require. Putting the administrative details of the budget in the hands of the MPRC frees the PI to concentrate on the heart of the proposal: the research plan.

Please note: The budget must be finalized one week prior to the proposal submission deadline to allow enough time for processing by ORAA. See the timetable for proposal schedule information.

Preparing Support Materials

All grant proposals require the inclusion of support documentation in addition to the proposal narrative. MPRC can prepare these materials on appropriate forms for the investigators.

UMD Routing form:
This form is required by ORAA for every grant proposal submission.

Biosketches:
MPRC maintains a file of each Faculty Associate’s curriculum vitae and can update or prepare the requested forms (NIH Biosketch, NSF Biographical Information, etc) as needed.

Resources Page:
MPRC will include an up-to-date description of MPRC facilities to augment your proposal.

Checklist:
MPRC will calculate the project’s Indirect Cost using the current University negotiated rates.

IRB Human Subjects:
If your project includes the use of human subjects (including already collected data), MPRC will assist in preparing the required application for IRB approval. Awards cannot be granted without this piece in place.

Editing Proposal Text

MPRC staff can perform various levels of editing for your research plan text ranging from a quick read-through for spelling and punctuation to a full edit, including comments and suggestions for rewording and restructuring text and verification of agreement of citations and referenced literature listings.

If you would like someone to edit your research plan text, please submit a draft of your research plan to the MPRC at least two weeks prior to the proposal submission deadline. See the timetable for proposal schedule information. MPRC will return an edited copy of your text to you at least 4 business days prior to the submission deadline.

Compiling and Routing Proposal

MPRC will compile all pieces of the proposal for you and route it for all necessary signatures at the Office of Research Administration and Advancement (ORAA). ORAA requires one week to review and give institutional approval for a proposal submission. The full proposal that goes to ORAA must contain final versions of all sections (including the budget) except for the research plan. You can continue to work on your research plan and provide a final version to MPRC for submission closer to the submission deadline. Please see MPRC’s proposal submission timetable for details.

Submitting Proposal

MPRC will arrange for your final approved proposal to be delivered to the funding organization by the submission deadline. Please see MPRC’s proposal submission timetable for guidelines on when to provide MPRC with different portions of the proposal in order to make the deadline.

MPRC's Proposal Timetable

Please note that ORAA now requires that all proposals are received in their office at least 5 business days prior to the sponsor's deadline. In the timetable below, the deadline refers to ORAA's deadline, NOT the sponsor's.

   4 weeks before deadline
Inform MPRC that you will be submitting a proposal and what kind of support you will need.

There may be several people submitting grants for the same deadline, so MPRC would like some advance notice of your intent to submit a proposal for task planning purposes.

  2 weeks before deadline
If you would like MPRC to assist in budget preparation, meet with MPRC staff to discuss budget detail.

If you want MPRC to edit a draft of your research plan, provide MPRC with a draft.

There may be several people submitting proposals for the same deadline, and MPRC needs time to fulfill all editing requests and provide feedback to the authors. MPRC will return an edited copy of your text to you at least 4 business days prior to the submission deadline.

  1 week before deadline
Submit your final budget and other support materials and a draft research plan to MPRC.

At this time, MPRC will deliver your grant to ORAA.ORAA requires one week to process grant proposals and acquire all necessary signatures. The proposal that goes to ORAA must be final in all respects except for the research plan. A draft research plan can go with the proposal to ORAA and be updated before the proposal is sent to the funding organization.

  1 day before deadline
Submit your final research plan text to MPRC.

MPRC would like to have one day in order to make necessary copies of the proposal and arrange for delivery to the funding organization.

  Deadline Date
MPRC Administrative staff will have the proposal picked up for delivery to the funding organization no later than this day.

Please Note: This timetable reflects the latest points at which each step should be performed. Completing the tasks above ahead of schedule is certainly always encouraged and appreciated!

Maryland Population Research Center

0124N Cole Student Activities Building (#162)
College Park, MD 20742
Phone: 301-405-6403
Fax: 301-405-5743