PI Proposal Planning Guide

Common Considerations for Faculty Preparing Proposals

We have complied a list of the common tasks for PIs to consider early in the proposal planning stages. This is a dynamic resource, so if you have additional items that you would like to see included here, please reach out to Annie Lindgren.

Please contact the Associate Vice President for Research in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, or the appropriate SPA proposal management team with any questions.
Confirm that you have an appointment at PSU that grants you PI eligibility.
If you are not automatically granted PI Eligibility status with your appointment, you must work with a supervisor to complete the eligibility request form prior to taking any additional actions.

The Research Development Office provides a number of resources, tools and templates to help you in the early stages of proposal planning.
Sponsored Projects has an overview of the common components of a proposal here and also offers training videos for new PIs.
PI responsibilities over the life of a research proposal and funded project can be found here.
Determine if your proposal will require letters of support from PSU Administrators. For College-level letters, contact your appropriate dean. For Leadership letters, please review the guidelines found here.

The “notification of intent to submit” form must be completed at least 21 calendar days prior to the deadline. For more complex proposals, please submit a notice 4-6 weeks prior (or more) whenever possible. In rare emergencies with faster deadlines, PIs can complete a” timeline exemption form.” Please note, exemptions create unanticipated work that SPA staff are not often able to take on, are not often or automatically granted and should be made only in exceptional circumstances.
Work with SPA on a general timeline as early as possible.
While it is critical to work on your budget in collaboration with SPA, it is strongly suggested that you not wait until the 3 week deadline NOI to begin thinking about budgeting.
When possible, Proposal team encourages PIs to submit the NOI form earlier than the minimum deadline to allow for sufficient budget planning.

If this is a Limited Submission Opportunity, please ensure that you have taken the appropriate early steps to seek approval to move forward. Deadlines may vary based on the complexity of the proposal, but are generally at least 12 weeks in advance of the external deadline for full proposals.
Common Limited Submission Opportunities and deadlines can be found here.

Develop a plan for roles and responsibilities early. Here is a template to help you think about how to allocate credit and responsibilities based on the work each team member will do.
PSU faculty members listed as PIs or Co-Is must have PI status at PSU. To determine if a colleague can serve as PI, review the eligibility criteria and the process to request an exception to PSU’s policy.
If you have Co-Is new to the proposal process, please have them complete the necessary training. More information can be found here.
Determine if a Project Coordinator is a required (or necessary) component of the project.
Undergraduate research and internships. If your project will involve funded student research or internship placements and/or internship and research mentoring (>2 students/year), please work with SPA to ensure appropriate student onboarding and stipends are developed into your budget.
Graduate Students. If you would like help or guidance on graduate student mentoring, please visit the Mentoring Academy website.
Postdoctoral researchers. Please review HR guidelines on postdoctoral scholars and complete the Individual Development Plan.

External partners and collaborators should be engaged as early as possible. If you need assistance developing partnerships please contact the Research Development team in RGS.

Common compliance related work that requires early coordination includes:

IRB: Review the Human Subjects Research Protocol & Submission Management Process
IACUC: Review the Animal Care & Use (IACUC) Protocol & Submission Management Process

Subawards: Please review the Guidelines for Subrecipient Determination. Reach out to your subaward recipients as early as possible (ideally >6 weeks prior to submission deadline). Complete the subaward request form. You can also review the Subrecipient Commitment form that will be shared with your external partner.
Contractors and Consultants: Review the Subrecipient/Contractor Commitment to determine whether an external payee is a contractor or a consultant.
Cost Sharing: Review the Cost Share Policy early in proposal preparation to ensure compliance.

PI Proposal Planning Guide

Common Considerations for Faculty Preparing Proposals

Have you completed a full review of the solicitation to ensure eligibility and begin planning your timeline for proposal development?

Have you begun thinking about what partners, letters and supports you will need to ensure proposal and project success?

Have You Submitted a Notification of Intent to Submit Form to SPA?

If this is Limited Submission Opportunity, have you followed the correct steps?

Is your team finalized?

Does your proposed work have any additional compliance issues or protocols that must be followed (e.g. IRB)?

Have you finalized any external partners and/or consultants your project will need?

Other Helpful Links

PSU’s Research Development Office:

PSU's PI responsibilities:

Research Administration Forms and Policies:

Quick Links for Investigators:

F&A Rate Agreement documentation: