Proposals for Sponsored Funding

The University of Central Florida's Office of Research is here to support your grant development and submission efforts. As an applicant organization, UCF has an institutional responsibility to verify the accuracy, validity, conformity, and eligibility of all proposals submitted to a sponsor on behalf of UCF. This responsibility is shared between several institutional stakeholders, including the Principal Investigator (PI), the PI's Chair or Director (or designee), business manager, grant administrator, and the Office of Research.

As the authorized organizational representative (AOR) delegated by UCF (see UCF Policy 4-214), the Office of Research reviews all proposals for sponsored funding to make the necessary representations, certifications, and assurances to the external sponsor. The AOR is responsible for ensuring that proposals are compliant, and that institutional, state, federal, and sponsor policies and guidelines are met, including the administrative, fiscal, and scientific information in the proposal. As the official signatory of UCF, the AOR will submit or approve the submission of all proposals for sponsored funding. The proposal review and approval process is performed through the Huron Research Suite ("HRS," "Huron Grants").

    Location and Hours:

University of Central Florida
Office of Research, Ste. 501
12201 Research Parkway
Orlando, FL 32826-3246


Monday – Friday
8am – 5pm


Note: Although agencies may have deadlines in the evening or on the weekend, the Office of Research does not conduct business after 5pm, on weekends, or during stated UCF holidays. 

Proposal Review Process

Proposals, supplemental funding applications, and pre-proposals with detailed budgets must be submitted to the Office of Research for review and approval five (5) full business days prior to the sponsor's published deadline according to UCF's 5-Day Rule.

To begin the review process, the PI or business unit must create and submit a complete Funding Proposal (FP) record in Huron Grants. For detailed instructions, click here.

Once the Funding Proposal record is submitted through Huron Grants, it receives qualified reviews by trained Proposal Specialists in the Office of Research.

Funding Proposals undergo a two-step review process - Initial Review and Final Review. A complete Funding Proposal record at Initial Review includes the following elements, at minimum:

List of items required at Initial Review - 5 days prior to sponsor deadline

  • Sponsor guidelines (Direct Sponsor and Prime Sponsor)
  • Sponsored-required documents and forms
  • Draft Technical Narrative/Scope of Work
  • Detailed budget and detailed budget justification
  • Subcontractor documentation, if applicable
  • Consultant Commitment Form, or letter of intent, if applicable
  • PI Submission Endorsements
  • Portal application printout, if applicable
  • Required approvals or requests for approval
Following Initial Review, it is the responsibility of the PI or business unit to resubmit the Funding Proposal through HRS for Final Review and submission at least two (2) full business days prior to the sponsor's deadline. Submission for Final Review certifies that the proposal is ready to be submitted to the sponsor. A complete Funding Proposal record at Final Review includes the following elements: 

List of items required at Final Review - 2 days prior to sponsor deadline

  • All previously listed items
  • Final Technical Narrative/Scope of Work

Pre-Proposals

A pre-proposal is a short description of a project that does not involve a binding commitment of university resources. Depending on the sponsor, a pre-proposal may be called a preliminary proposal, white paper, letter of intent (LOI), or concept paper.

A pre-proposal may include a total cost estimate; however, it does not typically include a line-item budget and is not expected to result directly in an award. (Note: even when a line-item budget is not being provided, the total estimated project cost presented to the sponsor should factor in indirect costs, unless indirect costs are unallowable per the sponsor's written guidelines.)


    Important to Note:

• JustGrants portal submissions - It is highly encouraged to submit proposals for review more than 5 days prior to the agency deadline to ensure sufficient time for processing

• All proposal elements must be in final form when a Funding Proposal record is submitted for review. Only the technical narrative (scope of work) may be in draft form until two (2) business days prior to the submission deadline.

•Portal Submissions - If the submission occurs through a portal, the portal application and all attachments must be complete and uploaded to the Funding Proposal record when it is submitted for initial review. The Proposal Specialist should also be granted access to the portal record to support the submission process.

• Effective 1.1.21 - the Biographical Sketch, Current & Pending Support, and Other Support forms are reviewed by Proposal Specialists for inclusion or omission only.

•Hard Copy Submissions - the Office of Research can prepare and mail a proposal package if the FP record is submitted for Initial Review eight (8) full business days prior to the deadline, and five (5) full business days prior to the deadline for Final Review. Otherwise, the business unit will prepare and submit the package.

Typically, the purpose of the pre-proposal is to make a preliminary determination on a research project, or to gauge the interest, size and/or range of competition for a particular funding program. Based on the pre-proposal, the sponsor may request a formal proposal including full technical and budget information.

If a pre-proposal includes a detailed budget or cost share, it must be routed to the Office of Research for review via Huron Grants five (5) business days prior to the sponsor's deadline. Pre-proposals that require AOR signature but do not include a detailed budget or cost share can be emailed to the assigned OR Proposal Specialist three (3) business days prior to the deadline.

Pre-proposals that do not include a detailed budget, cost share, or AOR signature may be submitted by the Investigator. However, Investigators are advised to include the following statement when submitting a pre-proposal directly to a sponsor: "UCF requires that all final proposals be submitted through the UCF Office of Research." For more information about submitting a pre-proposal, click here.

Below is a decision tree to assist business units in choosing the appropriate routing process and timeline:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Serving Faculty


The Office of Research serves UCF scholars as the official liaison between UCF and funding sources and by helping faculty work through the proposal and contract management process.

This site includes information to assist university scholars through the announcement, application and post-award stages and to familiarize prospective partners with the breadth of funded research conducted at the university.

UCF is committed to the pursuit of excellence and intellectual growth and seeks to excel at moving ideas to innovation and realization. The Carnegie Foundation rates UCF as a "very high research activity" university. We�ve been on an upward trajectory for years and in 2021 UCF surpassed the $212.9 million dollar mark in external funding. UCF's pioneering efforts to commercialize technology continue to stimulate local economies throughout the state. The number of patents at UCF also continue to climb with 64 U.S. issued patents produced in 2021.

Budget Templates


Below you will find NIH and NSF budget templates. Although they are tailored for NIH or NSF, they can be used for developing your budget for any funding source.


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