Proposal Submission
YOUR PROPOSAL IS READY TO SUBMIT!
Before your proposal reaches the sponsor, it needs to clear internal review with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) Pre-Award team. Because OSP (not the individual PI) is the institution's authorized submitter, Pre-Award reviews every proposal for compliance with sponsor guidelines and UNT Health policy, confirms the budget aligns with the scope of work, and verifies that all required certifications and approvals are in place before signing and submitting it on your behalf.
Plan to route your complete proposal package to Pre-Award with enough lead time before the sponsor's deadline. This gives the review team room to confirm everything meets both sponsor and UNT Health requirements, and to work with you on resolving any questions, without putting your submission at risk of missing the deadline. The earlier you engage with Pre-Award, the more flexibility everyone has to address issues calmly rather than under time pressure.
Learn more about the submission process below.
PLAN YOUR INTERNAL REVIEW WINDOW
OSP needs time to review your proposal before the sponsor’s deadline — submitting your finalized proposal to OSP at the last minute puts your application at risk. As a general rule, route your complete proposal package to OSP several business days ahead of the sponsor deadline so there’s time to resolve any questions without rushing the submission. Timelines may be adjusted as necessary based on sponsor requirements or proposal complexity.
WHAT PRE-AWARD REVIEWS
Before any proposal leaves UNT Health, the OSP Pre-Award team completes an institutional review to make sure it's complete, compliant, and ready for an authorized signature. During this review, Pre-Award will:
- Check the proposal against the sponsor's guidelines and the funding opportunity announcement, including formatting, page limits, and required components
- Confirm the proposal follows UNT Health policy and applicable federal regulations
- Verify that the budget is accurate, uses the correct F&A and fringe rates, and aligns with the scope of work
- Confirm that all required certifications, disclosures (such as RCOI), and approvals (such as cost share, IRB, or IACUC, as applicable) are in place
Some funding opportunities include terms that conflict with UNT Health policy, such as restrictions on publishing results, sponsor ownership of intellectual property, limits on the participation of foreign nationals, or unusual payment or cost share requirements. When this happens, Pre-Award will work with you and the sponsor to resolve the issue before submission. Because these conversations can take time, let Pre-Award know as early as possible if anything about the sponsor's requirements seems unusual.
WHEN UNT HEALTH IS THE SUBRECIPIENT
Sometimes UNT Health joins a proposal led by another institution. In this arrangement, the other institution (the prime recipient) submits the proposal and receives the award from the sponsor, then passes a portion of the funding and programmatic work through to UNT Health as a subaward. If you've been invited to participate this way, let OSP Pre-Award know early and share the prime institution's name, its sponsored programs contact, the sponsor and funding opportunity, and any submission instructions the prime has provided. OSP will prepare and sign UNT Health's commitment documents (such as the letter of intent, scope of work, and budget) for the prime institution to include in its application. Keep in mind that the prime institution often sets its own internal deadline well ahead of the sponsor's, so building in extra time helps avoid a last-minute scramble.
TRACKING YOUR SUBMISSIONS
Once your proposal is with OSP Pre-Award, you can check on its status at any point in the review process. If the sponsor requests changes, additional documentation, or a resubmission, OSP will route those requests back to you and your Pre-Award representative.
Request a Proposal ReviewContact Pre-Award
Next Stage >
Award Setup