Prepare & Submit

This guide specifies which documents you need to submit to SPA with your application and provides some general hints. SPA can help determine what is required by the sponsor, and it is to your great advantage to involve your SPA representative in the early stages of proposal development.

If applying for a grant through Grants.Gov, please see the Grants.gov section of this web site.

After reviewing this information, read Proposal Review to learn about the SPA 5 day deadline and how SPA can help submit the completed proposal to the sponsor.

Required Documentation & Information for SPA Review of Proposals

There will be some variation in required documents, based on sponsoring agency and type of project. The following lists are based primarily on the NIH model for research projects. In all cases, follow the agency's guidelines and contact your SPA representative with any questions.

1. Proposals Where HMS is Prime Funding Recipient
   • Completed Application (the research plan may be in draft form)
   • Proposal Routing Form, including human (IRB) and animal (IACUC) approval status
   • Signed Conflict of Interest forms from all key personnel
   • Agency Application Guidelines or Funding Opportunity Announcement
   • Letter of Intent (if applicable)
   • Subaward Documentation (see section below)
   • For NIH modular budget proposals, a detailed budget for internal review
   • For SNAP applications, some of the above documents may not be required (refer to SNAP instructions).
2. Proposals That Have Subawards to Other Institutions (or to Another Harvard Department)
   from each subrecipient collect:
   • Institutional endorsement from the subrecipient organization (either a signed Statement of Intent or signed Face Page; or for a part-of account to another Harvard department, a signed proposal routing form)
   • Detailed budget and budget justification
   • Checklist page with F&A rate and calculation method
   • Statement of Work/Research Plan
   • Biographical sketch for subaward PI
   • IRB and/or IACUC approval status

General Hints

Proposal Routing Form

• Signature from authorized official at affiliated institution when affiliate space is required or personnel paid by affiliate will be working on the project
• Identify cost sharing if applicable

Budget

• Salary must commensurate with percentage of effort for all personnel listed in budget, and for federal awards, should not exceed the salary cap.
• Check for applicable cost sharing.
• For modular budgets, include budget and award categorical detail for SPA review (will not be submitted to sponsor).
• Ensure applicability of fringe rates (pro-rate if necessary).
• Check to be sure no personnel on Harvard payroll are listed as consultants.
• Ensure all costs listed are allowable and allocable.
• Make sure budget include indirect costs. Any deviation from approved federal or sponsor rates requires prior approval from SPA.

Effort Reporting

• Ensure total percent of effort committed to sponsored awards does not exceed 100% at any given time.

Last but not least....

• Make sure the sponsor required forms are current.
• Make sure correct page limits,, margins, and font requirements observed throughout application.
• In some instances, subcontract monitoring may require collection of additional documentation.
• Be sure to carefully read the Proposal Submission Guide to learn about the SPA review deadline.