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Who Submits Proposals?
All proposals are submitted by each pre-award office representing the various tubs within the University: OSP Awards Management (University Area); Sponsored Program Administration (HMS); Office of Financial Services (SPH). No proposal may be submitted to a sponsor by a pre-award office without review and approval by the Principal Investigator's department head or Laboratory Director and Dean. Each school / faculty within Harvard has its own procedures. Below is a brief, generic description to give you a sense of how the process works.
Department
Typically, while constructing a proposal, the PI consults the department head or Laboratory director regarding the availability and use of space and personnel and secures his/her approval. If the research involves human subjects, animal subjects, or hazardous substances, approval of the relevant committees must also be obtained prior to submission to the Dean or his/her designee.
Dean
The Dean or designee reviews and approves the proposal and forwards it to the appropriate pre-award office with the following:
- a signed Dean's approval form
- relevant internal approval forms (human/animal subjects, etc.)
- correct number of copies, including a copy for the pre-award office
Pre-Award Offices
Proposals should be submitted three business days in advance of the sponsor's deadline for the final institutional review for conformance with University and sponsor requirements. The pre-award office submits the proposal to the sponsor.
Proposals to federal, state, and the majority of other sponsors must always be signed by an authorized institutional representative. Each pre-award office has individuals so designated.
Some things to remember when assembling and then submitting a proposal…
- If a proposal is in response to an RFP, please send the RFP (or the URL
of applicable Web site) to your pre-award office at least one week prior
to the deadline, to allow adequate time for review of the RFP's terms
and conditions. On occasion an RFP may include terms and conditions that conflict
with Harvard's research policies. Your pre-award representative may need some
additional time to secure special approval or strategize on how to proceed.
- If you will be unable to discuss any questions your pre-award office may
have about a proposal, please provide the name of an individual who is available
to answer questions or make changes as required.
- If the project involves Co-Principal Investigators from different schools, each school should follow its own policies for determining who will act as lead investigator. A Dean's approval is required from both schools. One person should be assigned to coordinate the proposal process to facilitate its processing with the pre-award office.
