The Principal Investigator is responsible for preparing the proposal, but normally does so with the assistance of a business manager within their unit.  It is everyone’s responsibility to review sponsor guidelines carefully.  When reviewing the guidelines, make sure you meet the eligibility and date requirements.  If your project involves consultants, subawards or brand specific equipment, you will need to allow additional time to gather necessary documentation for these specialized costs to accompany your proposal submission. 

Some sponsors (National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Health Resources and Services Administration) require financial conflict of interest disclosures (FCOI) from PI’s and senior/key personnel for new proposals and annual disclosure updates for awards.  FCOI disclosures are submitted electronically through USCeRA.

Once you have completed all the forms a sponsor requires, you will need to enter and route your proposal in USCeRA, USC’s electronic research administration system, for institutional approval.  Once you have routed your proposal in USCeRA,  your SAM administrator will begin to review the components of your proposal to prepare for submission.  SAM requires at least three business days before the sponsor’s deadline to provide a comprehensive review.