Quick Glance: Proposal Process at The University of Tampa

1. Read the proposal guidelines/RFP/RFA thoroughly to determine your interest and eligibility. Interface with the sponsor’s point of contact when appropriate.
2. Contact the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) as early in the process as possible for assistance, particularly with guidance on submission timelines, budget development, and overall proposal process and editing. 
3. Discuss your proposal with your department chair and dean. 
4. Once a proposal has been drafted, email all materials including the budget and budget justification to the Office of Sponsored Programs no later than fifteen (15) business days prior to the submission deadline. 
5. The Office of Sponsored Programs will review and approve the proposal for eligibility, completeness and procedural accuracy. If necessary, the proposal will be sent back to the principal investigator/project director for revisions before the office’s approval. 
6. Once this process is finalized, OSP will assist you in completing the Sponsored Program’s Checklist for you to sign. The full proposal and checklist will then be forwarded to appropriate the dean for their review and endorsement before it is sent to senior staff and the president. You are expected to work with OSP to ensure that the dean has adequate time for their review. 
7. No later than ten (10) business days prior to sponsor deadline, the Office of Sponsored Programs will send the full proposal and all accompanying materials to the following parties for notification and endorsement purposes: the provost, vice president of administration and finance and the president. Failure to meet this deadline may result in the denial of approval to submit the proposal. 
8. If necessary, the proposal will be sent back to the principal investigator/project director for revisions before final signature. 
9. After the proposal approval is received by the OSP, the PI will be notified that the proposal has been approved for submission. Under no circumstances should a proposal be submitted by a principal investigator/project director without this approval. 
10. Plan for all proposals to be finalized and submitted to the sponsor by OSP at least three (3) but no less than two (2) business days before the published sponsor deadline. This ensures that OSP has time to complete the submission and address any errors.