Route & Submit

The Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA) is the only institutional unit legally able to submit proposals to external entities for financial support in the form of a contract, grant, or agreement, and legally able to commit the University on behalf of the Board of Regents in the event an award is made.

Process of Submitting a Proposal

Departments are responsible for completing a Funding Proposal record in MN-GEMS and obtaining the required signatures before the Funding Proposal is routed to SPA for final review and submission.

SPA will review the proposal to ensure the budget items are allowable, properly calculated, and adequately justified. SPA will also review additional proposal documents for compliance with sponsor and University requirements. If errors exist, SPA will work with the principal investigator (PI) department to resolve them.

After the proposal has been fully reviewed by SPA and no errors exist, SPA will officially submit the proposal to the sponsor. SPA is the only legally authorized institutional unit that may submit a proposal on behalf of the Regents of the University. Should questions arise from the sponsor, SPA will work with the PI/department and sponsor to address questions and perform any needed negotiations.

For a more detailed outline of the responsibilities of principal investigators (PIs)/departmental administrators and SPA when submitting a proposal for electronic submission, read this PI Quick Guide.

Deadlines

Use the SPA Deadline Calculator to ensure that you are initiating your work with enough time for the process to be completed.

Late proposal spreadsheets:

MN-GEMS Funding Proposal (FP)

The MN-GEMS Funding Proposal is a smartform that captures the University’s internal approvals required to submit an application or negotiate an agreement for external funding; it is never transmitted to a sponsor. The FP is routed through the department and college prior to proposal submission to:

  • provide the department head, dean, and/or other central administrators basic information regarding the project
  • act as a checklist to ensure that all compliance obligations have been considered and are met, or have been submitted and are pending approval
  • provide the departmental and/or collegiate approvals necessary to submit an application
  • provide information for institutional databases on grants and contracts
  • provide the budget and other documents necessary for approver review

The PI should work with their department’s (pre-award) research administrator to prepare the Funding Proposal and any other required submission documents (i.e. budget, scope of work). The completed Funding Proposal must be routed to the PI's department head (or his/her designee) and dean’s office for review and approval.

After the Funding Proposal (including all proposal documents and any sponsor provided guidance materials/documents) has been approved and submitted in MN-GEMS, it is routed to your Grant and Contract Officer (GCO) in SPA. The GCO then reviews the Funding Proposal package and submits the application to the sponsor. When necessary, SPA will also work with the sponsor to perform any negotiations and submit (with the assistance of the PI) any additional documents that may be required.

Find a MN-GEMS approver for your unit.

The creation and submission of a Funding Proposal in MN-GEMS is the starting point for SPA's official activities. Once the Funding Proposal has been created by a department, it can be tracked in MN-GEMS. SPA manages its workload through the tracking system in MN-GEMS.

PIs who intend to submit a proposal should begin the communication process with their department head and SPA well in advance of the sponsor’s deadline. Advance notification to the SPA grant administrator enables SPA to assess potential impacts, raise questions before the proposal’s final processing, and make any necessary arrangements. If you desire SPA’s assistance, please contact your assigned SPA Grant and Contract Officer to make an appointment well in advance of SPA published deadlines. This advance communication does not change the requirement for the approved Funding Proposal package prior to the proposal submission or commencement of agreement negotiation.

Go to the MN-GEMS login page to begin the creation of your Funding Proposal.