Ensure My Proposal Is Submitted to the Sponsor on Time

To create a timeline that ensures the proposal is submitted to the sponsor on time, learn about the routing and institutional review procedure and timeframes for your school.

Keep in mind, reviews do not have to be sequential. If you know a proposal will require a special approval, e.g., an indirect cost waiver or waiver for PIship, initiate those requests as soon as possible. Remember Stanford’s internal deadline is a critical element. Understand what is required by reading the Non School of Medicine and School of Medicine Internal Proposal Deadline Policy and FAQs below.

• OSR Internal Proposal Deadline Policy Memo 2015

• Q&A Clarifying the University Proposal Deadline Policy

• School of Medicine Internal Proposal Deadline Policy and FAQs

Suggested Timeline for Proposal Routing

The PI and support staff prepare the proposal in time for routing through department and school channels for approval.

30 days or more to prepare the proposal budget

RMG (Research Management Group) requests a 30-day or more advance notification (School of Medicine only).

Check eProtocol for panel schedule

If the proposal has an extremely high probability of being awarded soon, request a protocol approval by Stanford compliance panels when the research involves human subjects, stem cells, animal subjects, or hazardous substances.

Check PI Eligibility and Exceptions

Request a PI waiver for procedures specific to your school.

Check with your school for time required to request a waiver of F&A costs

The Dean of Research will consider requests for F&A cost waivers in very limited circumstances. The PI should initiate the request for approval first to her department chair and school dean's office. If approval is obtained, the request must be sent to the Dean of Research Office for approval.

For projects administered within the School of Medicine, the request must be sent to the Dean of the School of Medicine through the Research Management Group once it is approved by the PI’s department chair.

10 days prior to sponsor deadline

The PI routes the completed proposal to her school department and dean for review and approval. The proposal must be accompanied by a PDRF (Proposal Development Routing Form). The PI and department and school officers sign and route the PDRF electronically within the SeRA (Stanford Electronic Research Administration) system.

5 days prior to sponsor deadline

The school routes the approved proposal and PDRF to the institutional official. 

By the sponsor's deadline date and time

The IO (Institutional Official- OSR, RMG, OTL) will review, endorse and submit the proposal to the sponsor via the sponsor's requested method. Remember that the proposal may be due by a set time in a different time zone from ours (e.g., MST, EST, foreign country timezone, etc.)