Grant proposal and submission FAQ

Grant proposal and submission FAQ

Have questions about submitting a grant through the Beckman Business Office? Read on to learn more.

Beckman in spring, pictured from the ECE Building

When should I as a principal investigator route my proposal through the Beckman Institute grants office?

The Beckman Institute, per the Indirect Cost Recovery Distribution Policy set by the Office of the Provost, is eligible to earn a percentage of the indirect costs generated by interdisciplinary grants:

“As a general rule, Beckman will administer grants that are multidisciplinary [faculty from multiple University of Illinois departments], when over 80% of the work is conducted at Beckman.”

While exceptions can be approved by administration, the policy also states that single investigator/single disciplinary grants will generally be administered in the home department of the investigator.

If you are seeking guidance as to whether your proposal should route through Beckman or through your home unit, please email the grants team.

Does my home department still benefit financially from grants that are submitted through the Beckman Institute?

Yes! Submitting grant proposals through Beckman not only earns the Institute a portion of the indirect costs, but your home department benefits financially the same as if the proposal were routed through its grants office.

When should I as a principal investigator let the Beckman Grants Team know of an upcoming submission that I will participate in?

You can never notify the team too early. As soon as you are aware of a funding opportunity and a due date for the proposal, complete the Beckman myProposal Submission Form. Once the form is received, someone will contact you within one to two business days.

What information should I include in the myProposal Submission Form?

Include as much information as is available at this stage. Please also consider:

  • If you have co-investigators, coordinate their participation prior to submitting the form. This is necessary in determining whether proposals qualify as single versus multi-disciplinary.
  • If there will be subawardees on the proposal, documentation from those external entities will be required with the University of Illinois’ submission.
  • Changes to the initially developed budget may be necessary as you move through the proposal process, but if you can detail your anticipated budget within the form, the grants staff can initiate an internal budget. Include salary needs for faculty, post-docs, students, travel, services, sub award, and publications.

When should I have the full application completed?

Your assigned grants coordinator or specialist will provide specific deadlines for you and all parties aiding in the proposal application. Please provide final standard proposal (R21, R01) documents to the Beckman grants team at least nine days ahead of the agency deadline.

Note: Proposal is due to Sponsored Programs Administration four days before the sponsor deadline.

Note: Submissions closer to sponsor deadline than nine days will receive limited review focusing on required documents.

How are responsibilities divided for those involved in a grand submission or award?

Please see the full breakdown for how these responsibilities are divided.