Where To Start
Applying for External Funding
Do you have a project developed and want to find external funding or do you want to identify external funding and develop a project? Here are the steps to follow in working with Pre-Award staff in the Office of Research and Projects (ORP) to find those resources and submit a successful proposal.
Step 1: Identify a funding source for your project or area of interest.
- Use the Grant Forward database to find funding opportunities
- Contact Pre-Award staff for assistance in locating funding sources.
- Crowdfunding Procedures
Step 2: Download Guidelines of Funding Opportunity.
Be sure to review the agency Guidelines to determine:
- Applicant eligibility
- Program due dates (e.g. due dates, award amounts, eligible activities, etc.)
- Budgeting specifics
- Submission requirements (e.g. methods, registration requirements)
-Special circumstances related to program requirements (e.g. timeline, intent to submit, budgets, personnel, etc
- Budgeting specifics
Step 3: Create Application/Proposal in Kuali Research. An online tutorial is available 24/7.
Grants.gov and most federal grants: Kuali Research is a system-to-system (S2S) program and will submit grant proposals directly through the portal for Grants.gov and many other federal agencies. You can access the Kuali Research online tutorial at any time.- When you begin a S2S proposal, please ensure you click the S2S cell when beginning your proposal!
- When you create a proposal in Kuali Research your Dean or Assistant Dean is notified. However, make sure to have a conversation with the appropriate supervisors to ensure they can support your proposal.
Step 4: Create a budget in Kuali Research. NOTE: The budget CANNOT be amended once it is routed UNLESS it is returned to the creator.
Negotiate budget items, such as course buy-out or matching funds before you finalize the budget. The budget MUST match the scope of the work. If assistance is needed in budget development, contact ORP pre-award staff for assistance.
Budget development includes:
- Budget justification
- Sub-award and associated documents if applicable
- Cost share/matching funds budget if applicable
- ORP staff will be notified when you create a budget and can review it for you. You will be contacted with any necessary changes.
- Once you have hit "submit" you can check to see the approval stages using the Routing Log link at the bottom of your proposal.
Step 5: Register your proposal for submission [if required]
NOTE: If you are submitting a proposal through Grants.gov and many other federal agencies, you will need to work with ORP staff to ensure an account has been established.Many funders require establishing an account with the agency prior to submitting a proposal.
This timeline occurs before the submission deadline.
Funders that require registration include, but are not limited to:
- NSF - Fastlane
- NH - eRA Commons
- Grants.gov - while required by many federal agencies, SIUE has an institutional account that is maintained by ORP
- Private foundations often use their own submission platform. Consult the funder's website for information on how to submit your proposal.
Step 6: Complete the necessary compliance documents at the proposal stage in Kuali Research.
Compliance documents may include IRB, IACUC, or FCOI. Generally, only FCOI is required at the proposal stage.
Federal funders require FCOI disclosure when submitting a proposal. Submit this information through KR COI module.
For compliance questions, please contact researchcompliance@siue.edu.
Step 7: Regularly review the proposal status in Kuali Research.
A timeline will be established when you begin your proposal in Kuali Research indicating important dates in order to submit on time.
If you are the PI, make sure all other personnel are completing their sections in a timely manner.
Please ensure all sections are complete so that it can be submitted for approvals in Kuali Research a minimum of 10 working days prior to the agency's required due date.
Step 8: Ensure all sections of your Kuali Research proposal have been completed.
Conduct one last check for the following:
- Ensure proposal is in compliance with agency guidelines
- Any sub-award documentation has been completed if appropriate
- Required compliance and regulatory and assurances have been completed
- Ensure all attachments have been made BEFORE submitting in Kuali Research
- You may adjust attachments after submitting the proposal in Kuali Research. NEW attachments MAY NOT be attached during routing.
- A letter requiring the signature of the authorized organization Representative (AOR), Jerry Weinberg- Associate Provost for Research, is available upon request. Call the pre-award contacts for this letter.
Step 9: Submit your proposal in Kuali Research.
NOTE:This needs to occur a minimum of 10 working days prior to the agency's submission deadline.Failure to comply with this deadline may result in your proposal not being able to be submitted by the agency's submission deadline. When you submit your proposal in Kuali Research, the formal routing and approval process begins. Electronic approval in Kuali Research takes the place of obtaining signatures on the routing form as was done previously.
Once the routing process is complete, you will be notified that your proposal is ready to be submitted to the sponsoring agency.
Once you submit the proposal in Kuali Research, the budget will be locked down. You will still be able to make changes in the narrative sections and upload required forms if needed.
ORP staff will review the proposal to ensure it is complete and the budget is accurate.
You will be contacted regarding any discrepancies so they can be resolved prior to the required agency submission deadline.
