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Proposal Development

All proposals for funding from external entities must be routed through Northwestern's Sponsored Research Office (SR). This routing is overseen by the SESP research support team. The steps outlined below provide the basic framework for this process.

Proposal Development Steps

  1. Notify Carmen Robinson Miner, SESP Senior Research Administrator
  2. Carefully review funding solicitation
  3. Develop scope of work and determine if subcontracting or cost sharing is involved
  4. Establish and notify your project team (proposed senior personnel)
  5. Nine business days or earlier before published deadline the following proposal components are due to the SESP Research Admin Team:
    • Budget
    • Budget Justification
    • Executive summary/abstract
    • Project description/narrative
    • Biosketch / CV
    • Subcontract documents (if applicable)
    • Other application-specific requirements (e.g. references, current & pending support, facilities & resources, data management plan, postdoc mentoring plan, letters of support/collaboration)
  6. Review final draft, certify proposal submission via CERES, Northwestern’s electronic grants system
  7. Five business days or earlier* before published deadline the final, complete, ready-to-submit-to-sponsor proposal package is due to Northwestern Sponsored Research (SR)
    • ALL technical, administrative, & supplemental application components are present, accurate, and ready to submit to funding agency
    • NO placeholder or draft documents
    • PI has provided confirmation to submit
    • ALL school approvals and requirements are complete
    • ALL required SESP or SR corrections or revisions have already been addressed

* Please note: proposal packages submitted to SR after the 5-day deadline will not receive guaranteed submission and risk being withdrawn or rejected by SR or by the sponsor.