Under no circumstances should a PI submit a proposal (including draft budgets) directly to a sponsor. All proposals must be sent through the Kuali Research for official review and submission.  This is applicable to all proposals for external funding of sponsored projects regardless of budget amount or whether we are the lead applicant or to be included as a subaward on another institution’s proposal.

To ensure on time submission, proposals must be submitted to the WCNR Proposal (WCNR_Proposals@mail.colostate.edu) group at least 10 business days before the due date.  All materials need to be in near final form at that time.  If materials are still being developed there may be a delay in review and submission. All final proposal documents must be uploaded or replaced in KR PD at least 48 hours (2 business days) prior to the sponsor deadline to allow the proposal team time to review and to incorporate into the application for submission to the sponsor.

Items listed below are due no later than 10 business days prior to submission deadline date:

  1. Kuali Research (KR) record started 
  2. A deadline date must be in Kuali Research for it to show up on reports
  3. Draft budget
  4. Draft scope of work
  5. Request for proposal or guidelines if applicable 
  6. Budget justification 
  7. Request to the WCNR Proposal Team to review or assist with Kuali completion, include the KR number

The WCNR Proposals team will review proposals in the order they are received.

To be fair to all principal investigators, proposals that have not been submitted to routing within the 10 business days processing window will NOT be assured of being reviewed and approved on time and will NOT bump other proposals that have met the 10 day deadline.

Proposal Policies

WCNR will not support proposals that have cost share listed, unless it is explicitly required in the solicitation/guidelines by the funding sponsor.

All proposals must have demonstrated, and charged, effort by all key personnel, unless explicitly prohibited by the solicitation/guidelines.  CSU has defined demonstrated effort as 1% effort annually. Key personnel is defined as an individual who contributes to the scientific development or execution of the project in a substantive, measurable way. The full policy can be found at http://policylibrary.colostate.edu/policy.aspx?id=756

Direct costs are costs that can be identified specifically with a particular sponsored project that can be directly assigned relatively easily with a high degree of accuracy.  

Indirect costs are costs that are incurred for common or joint objectives and therefore cannot be identified readily and specifically with a particular sponsored project.

Normally DirectNormally Indirect
Technical Staff SalaryAdmin/Clerical Staff
Lab SuppliesOffice Supplies
Telecom toll chargeBasic Phone Service
Animal care costPostage
ConsultantsAccounting services
Specialized servicesPurchasing services
SubcontractsOperation/Maintenance
Dept. AdminBuildings
Project TravelRenovations
Proposal CostLibrary Expense

Proposals should adhere to Uniform Guidance and CSU account principals

KR Proposal Creation Guide

Start the KR Record

  1. Start the KR record https://aar.is.colostate.edu/, Kuali Research (KR) is in the right menu. 
  2. Click on Researcher (top menu) then click on Create Proposal.
  3. Enter required data on the Create Proposal page then click on save and continue. 
  4. Enter Sponsor and Prgoam Information (left menu)
  5. Enter Key Personnel (left menu)
  6. Add special review
    1. Click on the Animal, Human, Biosafety link on the left Navigation panel.
    2. click the Add compliance entry button.
    3. The Add Compliance Entrywindow will open.
  7. Upload Personnel Attachments
    1. Some sponsors require Personnel Attachments, such as a Biosketch and/or Current & Pending documents. Please make sure to check the instructions for your opportunity.
  8. Upload Abstracts – Open for non-S2S Submissions
    1. While in the Attachments panel, click the Abstracts tab.
    2. Click the Add Abstract button. The Add Line window will open.
    3. Select the Abstract Type from the Abstract Type drop-down and enter the abstract text in the Abstract Details field.
    4. Click the Add button to add the Abstract to your proposal.
  9. Complete Questionnaire (left menu)
    1. Depending on the Sponsor/Opportunity to which you are submitting, multiple questionnaires may display. CSU Specific Questions are required for all proposals.
  10. Enter Supplemental Information (left menu)
    1. The Brief Synopsis field replaces keywords as part of proposal development and data collection. Use this field to indicate elements of the project not captured in the title.
  11. Email the WCNR Proposals Team

More information can be found on Sponsored Programs Website: https://www.research.colostate.edu/osp/guidance/