Once your proposal is submitted, funding agency review may take only a few weeks or up to several months. Please refer to your RFP for details on when awards will be announced.
After submission and before an award is issued, funding agencies may ask for additional proposal related materials. This can include IRB/IACUC certifications, updated current and pending support documents, and revised budgets. If you receive communication from the Program Officer requesting additional information, please contact your Pre-Award Grants and Contracts Specialist (GCS) for assistance.
Award Notice
Should you receive notification that your proposal has been funded, please contact your Pre-Award GCS as soon as possible. Principal Investigators (PIs) do not have authorization to sign a notice of award or accept a sponsored award on behalf of the IUP Research Institute or their university.
All award documents are reviewed to ensure the terms and conditions can be met. If the original proposal budget or scope of work needs to be modified, please work with your Pre-Award GCS so they can work with you to submit any needed changes to the funding agency.
Award Negotiation
Awards are negotiated through the IUP Research Institute (RI) and may include the university Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) and PASSHE legal counsel. This may take time, and the principal investigator (PI) cannot begin work on the project until the agreement is fully executed.
While the PI cannot legally sign the award agreement, it is their responsibility to read and understand the terms and conditions of their awards. This may include getting permission from the funding agency to announce the award publicly, acknowledging support from the funding agency, and getting prior approval for any publicly distributed materials.
Federal grants are regulated by Uniform Guidance. While not all grants and contracts are federal, the RI applies Uniform Guidance regulations to all sponsored projects to maintain consistency among awards.
Reviewer Comments and Success Rates
Should you receive notice that your proposal will not be funded, please notify your Pre-Award GCS. If available, ask for reviewer comments from the funding agency. It may also be helpful to ask for feedback from peers in your field. Revision and resubmission to the same or a new funding agency may also be possible. Many proposals are denied on their first submission, with some federal agencies having a 25 percent success rate for first-time submissions.