Proposal Deadline Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are solicitations with rolling or continuous open submission windows subject to the internal deadline policy?
The internal deadline applies only to solicitations with specific deadlines from the sponsor. DSP will do everything in its power to submit to a target or rolling deadline, even if provided less than two (2) days to review the proposal. However, DSP will perform a complete review and if there are other proposals received on time for published deadlines, these will take priority.

2. What if UF is a subrecipient to an organization that has its own internal deadline for submission of all proposal materials? (i.e. UF could be a sub to the University of Washington that has a 5 day deadline policy)?
When UF is a subrecipient on a proposal, all materials must be submitted to DSP at 9 AM one business day prior to the date that all materials are due from UF to the lead institution.

3. What about “rapid” submissions or short turnaround requirements (i.e. the state needs a response within 10 days)?
Any proposal with less than thirty (30) days turnaround from the date of notice or publication of the solicitation will be exempt from the two (2) day policy.

4. In the event that the solicitation of funding opportunity is made public in less than 30 calendar days, how will the PI or unit communicate this to DSP?
If documented notification of the funding opportunity was made less than thirty (30) days prior to the deadline, the unit will need to load this information into the UFIRST internal proposal documents and call it out on page 1.0 of the proposal SmartForm.

5. What will DSP do if the proposal is received after the deadline?
Absent of extenuating circumstances, proposals that do not meet the deadline requirements will not be submitted.

6. The policy states that, under extenuating circumstances, late submissions will be accepted. What qualifies as an extenuating circumstance?
Extenuating circumstances include unanticipated closure of the university; serious illness for PI or Co-PI; death of family member; documented sponsor complications or sponsor system technical issues experienced prior to the deadline. In the event of an extenuating circumstance, the PI or unit should contact DSP immediately with their written justification that also includes approval of the unit Research Dean. No waiver of the two day deadline is granted unless it is in writing from a director of DSP.

7. What does submit-ready proposal mean?
A “submit-ready proposal” is defined here.

8. How will DSP handle an oversight by the PI that leads to missing information?
If the review by DSP reveals missing or incomplete materials, DSP will attempt to contact the unit and PI to secure the missing materials and complete submission. Similarly, if an error is discovered in the submission, DSP will attempt to correct the error, or contact the unit and PI for correction of the error.

9. What if the PI or unit discover an error or missing document after submitting to DSP but before the sponsor deadline?
The PI or unit should immediately contact DSP to determine if the correction can be made.

10. What if an award or agreement arrives in DSP without having been submitted through DSP?
It is University policy that all proposals and communications with sponsors of proposed work be reviewed by the appropriate institutional officials including the Chair (or designee), Dean (or designee), Director (or designee) and DSP prior to submission. This policy is in part to support the need for this to occur prior to receipt of agreements and awards to avoid conflicts between institutional policies for issues such as F&A rate application and PI eligibility.
      a. If no published deadline was in place, DSP will perform the complete review at the time of receipt of the award or agreement. If there are any conflicts, budget discrepancies, or compliance issues identified, they must be resolved (even if this results in the need for additional funds requested from the sponsor or decrease in direct costs available to the project) before DSP will proceed with acceptance of the funds and allowing spending on the project.
      b. If published deadline, DSP will perform the complete review at the time of receipt of the award or agreement. If there are any conflicts, budget discrepancies, or compliance issues identified, they must be resolved (even if this results in the need for additional funds requested from the sponsor or decrease in direct costs available to the project) before DSP will proceed with acceptance of the funds and allowing spending on the project. DSP will also notify the Chair, Director and Associate Dean of the issue to ensure appropriate communications with the PI. Repeated occurrences of this may result in additional discussions with the PI and the Office of Research.

11. What type of review is performed by DSP between submission to DSP and submission by the university to the sponsor? What will be done during that time frame?
A complete outline of the proposal roles and responsibilities and the details of a complete review are available at the links below:
Roles and Responsibilities at: https://research.ufl.edu/dsp/proposals.html

Examples of Proposal deadlines:

Last updated 11/13/24