5. Proposal Review and Submission
Introduction
Once a proposal is completed, it must go through an internal approval
process prior to submission to the external funding agency. This is to
ensure that all of the sponsor’s requirements have been met, and that
the proposal complies with all applicable regulations – both internal
and external. Additionally, depending on the nature of your proposal, other
approval processes may be necessary. This section highlights what has to
happen for proposals to be submitted at Morehead State University, who
has responsibility for various approvals, and what is being approved
when reviews of proposals and signatures are provided.
In order to ensure adequate time for review, notification of
corrections that need to be made and institutional approvals, all
proposals must be submitted to ORSP in final form at least five business
days prior to the designated deadline. This deadline applies to all
proposals, but it is particularly important for those proposals that are
being submitted through the mail, due to the additional time needed to
ensure the proposal meets the agency’s deadline.
Once proposals have been submitted to ORSP in their final form, ORSP
staff will generate standard forms that must be signed by the PI/Project
Director and their supervisors. The two standard forms are:
- Internal Review and Approval for External Proposal
- This form summarizes the proposal, lists all collaborators and
budget information. The form is to be signed by the PI, all Co-PIs and
their respective chair, dean or unit administrator as indicated on the
form.
- Investigator Financial Disclosure Form
- Morehead State requires investigators on proposal to all external
agencies to disclose prior to submittal of the proposal, any significant
financial interest (including those of spouse and dependent children)
which would reasonably appear to affect the project.
Once these forms have been signed by all parties and returned to
ORSP, they are officially filed along with a copy of the proposal,
budget, and any other pertinent documents relating to the project.
In addition to the approvals described above, investigators must
obtain other special approvals for their research. Some of these
requirements apply to all research projects. Others apply only to
particular types of research. These approvals are summarized below, with
links to Web sites where more detailed information can be obtained.
The term “human subjects” includes not only individuals who
participate in research studies, but also other living persons from or
about whom information is collected and whom the investigator can
identify individually. Most research involving the use of human subjects
requires advance review and approval by Morehead State University’s
Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects (IRB).
Whenever a researcher affiliated with the University engages in a
project that involves human subjects, MSU must guarantee that the
researcher will comply with federal policies safeguarding human subjects
of research. This is true whether the research is supported by federal
funds or not, or whether the research is conducted at MSU or not.
If a sponsored project requires the use of human subjects, or tissue
or other human material that may be identifiable, the PI must confer
with the Research Integrity and Compliance Director to determine whether
review and approval are required. Most agencies now allow proposals to
be submitted with IRB review “pending,” but some will not make a funding
decision until IRB approval is granted, and neither the sponsor nor the
University will allow research involving human subjects to proceed
without IRB approval or certification of exemption.
For additional information about the IRB approval process, or visit the IRB Web site here.
Whenever a researcher affiliated with Morehead State University
engages in a project that involves animal subjects, MSU must guarantee
that the researcher will comply with federal policies or guidelines,
which affect the use of animals in research, teaching, and testing.
This is true whether the research is supported by federal funds or not.
If a project requires the use of vertebrate animals, approval must be
obtained from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).
Most funding agencies will accept evidence that IACUC review is pending.
However, research that involves animals may not proceed (and animals
may not be ordered from a supplier) until the IACUC has approved the
protocol.
For additional information about the IACUC approval process, or visit the IACUC Web site here.