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Internal Routing

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) offers services that are designed to assist faculty in proposal development and to facilitate the overall grant process, while balancing the need for institutional and sponsor regulatory compliance. This page provides a listing of resources to guide investigators as they seek internal approvals before proposal submission.

Internal Routing & Approval

All proposals for external funding must be routed and approved by the University administration, regardless if UL Lafayette is the Prime Applicant or Subrecipient. Submission of a proposal without all required documentation will delay processing of that proposal and may result in the proposal not being submitted to the funding agency. ORSP cannot guarantee processing and submission of a proposal if a complete proposal package is received by ORSP after the internal deadline.

For standard proposals, the 10-5-3 timeline gives ORSP adequate time to assist you in submitting a proposal with the least amount of errors. It’s designed to reduce stress for PIs, enhance collaboration with ORSP staff, and ensure proposals meet institutional, state, and agency requirements.

  

30+ Business Days Prior
to agency deadline
  • Notify ORSP of your intent to submit. 
  • Begin collaboration with your assigned Pre-Award Grants Specialist.
  • Allows time for adequate budget development and enhanced review of all proposal components before departmental routing. 
10 Business Days Prior
to agency deadline
  • Submit a final, signed routing form (departmental level) and final drafts of all proposal materials.
  • Your Department Head/Dean may have an earlier deadline for review. 
  • Allows time for fixing document errors.
5 Business Days Prior
to agency deadline
  • Submit all final proposal documents.
  • Budget, Technical Narrative, and all sponsor-required documents are considered final and no further revisions accepted.
  • Allows time for compliance review of documents.
3 Business Days Prior
to agency deadline
  • Proposal routed for internal administrative approvals.
  • Final documents uploaded to submission portal, and ORSP performs system compliance review.
  • Provides time to troubleshoot upload errors and system glitches.
2 Business Days Prior
to agency deadline
  • ORSP will submit the proposal upon internal approval.
  • Same-day submissions are not accepted.

Proposal Categories: Standard, Complex, and Limited Submissions
• Standard Proposals: No subawards and total budget under $1 million.
• Complex Proposals: Include subawards, exceed $1 million, or deviate from standard agency guidelines.
• Limited Submission Proposals: Agency restricts the number of submissions per institution; an internal selection process is required.

Customized timelines will be provided for complex and limited submission proposals. Please consult with your Pre-Award Grants Specialist early in the planning process.

A full proposal package includes all documentation required by the agency for submission plus all internal approval forms. ORSP has compiled a comprehensive checklist (both electronic and printer-friendly) for for the components that comprise a complete proposal package. For listing details, please refer to the links below:

   Proposal Package Checklist when UL Lafayette is the Prime Applicant
   Proposal Package Checklist when UL Lafayette is the Subaward

 

Internal Routing Forms

Below is a listing of our downloadable forms and a description of each form. If you have any questions about whether a form is required or how to fill out the form, please contact your Pre-Award Administrator. 

Form

Description

Internal Proposal Approval Form (IPAF)

Also commonly referred to as a “routing form,” this form is required of all proposal submissions and must be sent with the narrative, budget, and budget justification (at a minimum) for your proposal. This form must be completed and signed by all investigators and their respective Department Heads, Deans, and/or Center Directors. Please note: This form is an internal document and will not be submitted to funding agencies or collaborators. ORSP has created an instructions document to help you fill out the IPAF or routing form.

IPAF - Additional Investigator Attachment Form

Use the Additional Investigator Attachment Form should you have more investigators than the Internal Routing Form can accommodate. Please note that all investigators and their respective Department Heads, Deans, and/or Center Directors must approve the proposal before it is routed to ORSP.

Facilities and Administrative Cost Waiver/Reduction Form

The submittal of the F&A Cost Waiver/Reduction Request Form is required only on those rare occasions in which the PI requests a waiver or reduction of the F&A rate below the maximum allowed by the sponsor. This form is NOT required if the F&A rate in the proposal is the maximum permitted by the sponsor’s written policy, even when that rate is lower than the University’s federally negotiated/approved rate. In those cases, attach a copy of the sponsor’s policy to the proposal for routing.

Cost Share/Matching Funds Approval Form

The Cost Share/Matching Funds Approval Form is required when the proposal budget includes cost sharing or matching funds.

Financial Conflict of Interest and Disclosure Form

Required for all investigators for NSF & PHS (including NIH) proposals or for an individual investigator if a financial conflict of interest exists, regardless of sponsor.