External Funding Approval and Submission Process

Externally Funded Project Approval Form: Word Document (.DOC) OR PDF

The form above must be completed and routed through Sponsored Research with a copy of your proposal prior to submission of a funding request to an external funding agency. If you have any questions about the form or the process, please call our office at 245-5547 or email rubright@geneseo.edu.

The form, accompanied by a copy of the proposal and final budget, needs to be signed in the following personnel in the following order:

  1. The Principal Investigator (PI) and any Co-PIs
  2. Department Chair, Director, or Dean for review and signature
  3. Sponsored Research for review and routing through upper level administration (Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Associate Provost for Finance & Administration, Provost, Vice President for Administration and Finance and President) for approval.

We expect that this process will be accomplished at least one week prior to the submission due date. It is permissible to circulate your proposal with a not-quite-final version of the proposal text, but the budget must be final.

Requirements for Electronic Submissions

  • Electronic submissions to federal agencies, including NSF, NIH and others require a registration process. 
  • While the College is already registered, agencies often require that the PI and any Co-PIs have been entered into their system with personal and log-in information. Soon the PI and Co-PIs also must register with the SUNY Pre-award and Compliance System (PACS), which also requires that all PIs and Co-PIs fill out a form that discloses any conflicts of interest (COI). Some proposed activities will also require that you take online CITI courses.
  • The Office of Sponsored Research is authorized to get you registered for individual funding agencies and for PACS.  YOU MUST DO THIS AT LEAST A WEEK BEFORE THE DEADLINE. 
  • Registration approval may take several days. If the agency emails you the details, make sure you provide our office with your login information (user IDs, passwords, generated alternative social security numbers, etc) so we can access all aspects of your proposal if necessary.

Submission Processes

The actual submission process varies according to the sponsoring agency. 

Federal Funding: Most federal funding agencies require that proposals contain certifications of compliance with federal regulations and laws related to such things as lobbying, construction, or discrimination. The Director of Sponsored Research is our Authorized Organizational Representative who must sign these certifications electronically or in hard copy in order for an application to be processed. PLEASE NOTE that federal grant applications must be submitted by Office of Sponsored Research staff from our offices.

Document Uploading: For some electronic submissions, it is possible for faculty to upload documents; however, it is most efficient if final documents are provided to our office for uploading. We will review the documents for compliance to length and formatting guidelines, and we will keep you apprised of any missing documents in your application package.  Once approved, a proposal can be submitted. We will retain a complete copy of the submission in our files and provide you with a copy.

Final Approval: Electronic submission to most federal agencies will result in an electronic notice to the Director of Sponsored Research, who will then log on to the appropriate website and give final institutional approval for the proposal. Applications that do not get institutional approval are rejected by the system without review.

Hard Copies: If hard copies are required, our staff will make the required number of copies and arrange to have them mailed to the sponsor.

Activities That Require Additional Approvals and Associated Committees

You do not necessarily need approval prior to submission of a proposal, but it will be required prior to project initiation, and may be required by the funding agency before an award can be made.