Below is an overview of the typical grant proposal process lifecycle. 

1. Identify the opportunity (See information on finding funding), download the pdf solicitation of the program and read through the details. The solicitation will typically be a Broad Area Announcement (BAA) or Request for Proposal (RFP). 
2. Contact the assigned research administrator in your department and inform them of the deadline, the sponsor and attach a pdf of the solicitation.
3. Partner with the research administrator to scope out budget, allowable expenses, etc., and initiate the Cayuse Project Record. (More information on the Cayuse Research Suite.)
   1. Contact the Associate Dean of Research if your proposal involves High Performance Computing (HPC) or any special IT needs.
   2. Contact your Department Chair to initiate any cost share requests. We encourage PI's to use Academic Year Cost Recovery to generate funds that can be used in this manner.
4. Content: Develop the technical narrative and the budget components in partnership with your research administrator.
5. Proposal submission:
   1. The research administrator will submit the proposal via Cayuse and it will route through department and the Dean’s Office for approval and then onto SPO. 
   2. All proposals MUST arrive at SPO at least 5 business days before the sponsor’s submission deadline. This is out of the college’s control and must be adhered to. The crucial items are the forms and budget. Although the technical narrative should also be included, it can continue to be refined during the SPO review.
6. Post-award: Congratulations you have secured a research grant, now you must work to manage the personnel, expenses and the budget. Work closely with your department research administrator on this, including budget status, reporting and forecasting.
7. Close out. This stage is as essential as the rest. Failure to close out grants in a timely manner has repercussions on the individual faculty member and the institution. Typically, awards must be closed out within 90 days of end date of the grant.

Full details of the process can be found the Office of Research guide to proposal preparation and submission.