PVAMRF Home Download Forms Phonebook Project Administration Project Distribution

INTRODUCTION

This guide has been prepared to give you an overview of the services offered by the Prairie View A&M Research Foundation, and information concerning the policies and procedures. You should be aware, however, that this information is generalized in nature and that special circumstances and limitations may apply depending on sponsor requirements, Texas A&M University guidelines, or the unique nature of a particular project.  We encourage you to take the time to read through this material, and if you have any questions, please contact your Research Administrator.

We have one main purpose - to provide efficient administrative services for research with federal, private, and other sponsors.  Our overriding goal is to reduce the administrative burden on researchers in order to allow them to spend more time doing what they do best - research.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

The Foundation's Program Development Department provides assistance to researchers in identifying and contacting potential sponsors, and distributes information regarding possible funding opportunities. Program Development also offers proposal writing workshops periodically and meets with groups of researchers and departments to facilitate proposal development.

Researchers are asked to complete a Research Interest Questionnaire. This information is entered into a computer database to assist the Program Development Department in matching research interests of individual scientists and engineers with opportunities for funding.

A number of publications, including the Commerce Business Daily and the Federal Register, are reviewed on a regular basis and information is distributed to those who may have an interest. A library containing reference materials on potential funding sources, both Federal agencies and private foundations, is available for use by researchers.

A bi-monthly newsletter, the Prairie View A&M Research Foundation Funding Bulletin, is distributed to researchers. The newsletter contains information on new research opportunities and funding sources, deadlines for submissions of proposals, and other issues related to sources of funding. Current and back issues of the newsletter (without the deadlines section) are available on the Internet at http://pvamrf.tamu.edu.

The Foundation subscribes to the SPIN Database. This computerized database provides details on about 6900 available academic grant programs offered by government, commercial organizations, associations and private foundations. Funding sources are profiled with program names and requirements, grant amounts, application deadlines, and renewal information. Searches of the database are performed for faculty upon request.

The Community of Science (COS) database is designed to link researchers with research funding from around the world.  Information which matches a researcher's interest profile is e-mailed daily.  Funding opportunities are provided for federal agencies, state organizations, commercial entities, non-profit foundations, and professional associations.  COS also accesses the Commerce Business Daily and the Federal Register.  The institutional fee for this service is paid by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Associate Provost for Graduate Studies for faculty members at Texas A&M University.  Researchers may register at http://www.cos.com.  For additional information, contact Carolyn Cobb (847-9365).

The Foundation has established a modest budget for travel to contact potential sponsors. These funds, allocated to colleges within the University, provide for travel necessary to secure funding for new projects. Researchers who desire travel funds to meet with a sponsor are encouraged to contact the Associate Dean for Research within the College in which they hold an appointment.

Before beginning proposal preparation for submission to a Federal agency, contact the Program Development Department for copies of program guides and current proposal submission guidelines. Standard application packages for agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency are also available. For additional information, contact the Program Development Department at 857-2246.

PROPOSAL PROCESSING SERVICES

Proposal Processing

The Preaward Services Department handles all proposals to be submitted by the Foundation.  A Chronological listing of the process follows:

Logging in Proposals:

At the time you first notify the Foundation of your intention to submit a proposal, you will be asked a series of standard questions pertinent to that proposal.  At this time, it will be helpful if you can provide the following information.

  • Sponsor and program for the proposal
  • Preliminary budget information
  • Monthly insurance rates for all personnel listed on budget
  • Period of performance dates
  • Routing text (rough draft or summary of text)
  • For NSF proposals, if use of FastLane (electronic submission of proposals) is required or preferred.

Preaward is able to submit NSF proposals via FastLane, NSF's electronic proposal transmission project.  Please advise the Proposal Specialist of your intent to submit a NSF proposal using FastLane.  At the conclusion of the logging in process, your proposal will be given a PVAMRF proposal number and will be added to the daily schedule for monitoring.

Budget Preparation and Routing:

As a Budget Specialist works on your budget, you will be contacted by telephone, fax, or e-mail and asked for comments and/or approval of the budget.  Once you have approved the budget and submitted a routing text, the Proposal Specialist will prepare a package to be routed on campus for all required signature approvals.  Department Head, Dean and System approvals are required before the proposal can be mailed.  Forty-eight (48) hours will be required for the routing process.

Final Text Preparation and Mailing:

The final text should be forwarded to the Proposal Specialist at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the mail deadline.  When the Proposal Specialist received the final text, the proposal is organized and formatted to meet sponsor guidelines.  The final text and other related forms can also be accepted in an electronic version as an e-mail attachment, or copied to a computer diskette.  The final quality check of the proposal is made and it is reproduced using the latest technology for quality copies.   Immediately after all signatures are obtained, the proposal is mailed.

Campus Copies:

Copies of the submitted proposal are prepared and distributed to the researcher and other signature authorities within approximately one week after submission to the sponsor.

The Preaward Services Department maintains records on human subjects, animal subjects, recombinant DNA, and conflict of interest. Forms must be submitted for University approval prior to the routing of the proposal.

Hints for Smooth Proposal Processing:

  • If the technical portion of a proposal is still being written, bring the budget to the Foundation to initiate processing.
  • When initiating a proposal, be available for questions or designate someone in your office as a contact.
  • When making changes to a proposal, call or send the changes to the Proposal Specialist working on your proposal so the changes can be incorporated in the final copy without delay.
  • Proposal processing time will be longer during the last week of the month because many sponsor deadlines are the first of the month.
  • Provide a 3 1/2" diskette containing your proposal text with the final printed copy.
  • Allow five working days for complete processing of your proposal.  This five day period includes the day your first notify the Foundation of your intent to submit a proposal, preparation of the budget, the routing (approval) process on campus, final quality check, and mailing the proposal to the sponsor.

Back Table of Content Next