Find a funding opportunity

• Funding opportunities can be found using COS PIVOT, Grants.gov, funding agency websites and by searching for UofSC internal funding opportunities like those available from the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Determine applicant institution and availability

• Proposals should be submitted with UofSC as the institution name. The South Carolina Research Foundation is used only if the sponsor requires a 501(c)(3).
• Faculty should ensure that they are eligible to apply for funding after reviewing the sponsor guidelines.
• When applying for a limited submission, if the announcement indicates that only one proposal per institution is allowed, contact the Office of Research and Grant Development for further instructions.

Prepare

• Carefully read the sponsor’s content and format guidelines to ensure you know what’s needed.
• If only one proposal is allowed for the institution, this is a limited submission; contact the Office of Research and Grant Development for further instructions.

Gather and complete required forms

• Most federal funding opportunities are available at Grants.gov. Beginning January 1, 2018, proposals submitted to Grants.gov must be created in Grants.gov's Workspace. (For NIH proposals, ASSIST may be used to create and submit proposals). Registration is required to use Grants.gov Workspace and ASSIST. SAM has prepared support documentation to help PIs with Grants.gov Workspace.
• Determine if you need to download and complete any UofSC internal forms.

Gather institutional data

• Find UofSC or SCRF tax ID numbers, human and animal assurance numbers, and other institutional details on our UofSC Business Information page.

Develop your budget

• Budgets must be submitted in whole dollar amounts.
• Use the tools and information provided in the Budget Preparation section of this guide.

Get help

• Contact your SAM representative if you have any questions.

Create proposal

• Log into USCeRA  and complete the Proposal & Award Processing form (PAP). This creates the mechanism to route your proposal for internal approvals by your chair, the dean's office and SAM.
• Follow USCeRA prompts to complete all required UofSC forms and upload all necessary forms and documentation for the proposal. At a minimum, an abstract or summary, a final budget and budget justification should be uploaded prior to submitting the proposal for UofSC approvals.
• Submit the proposal package for internal approval via USCeRA once the PAP form and all required documents (those required by UofSC and by the sponsor) are completed and uploaded into USCeRA. (The USCeRA system does not submit the proposal to the sponsor.)

Track approval process

• Track the approvals on your proposal carefully to ensure timely completion; send reminders if needed.
• SAM requires a minimum of three business days [pdf] to review a proposal and provide institutional approval.

Get help

• Email uscera@mailbox.sc.edu or contact your SAM representative if you need help using USCeRA

Submit

• SAM Administrators are the designated Authorized Organizational Representatives (AOR) who will review and submit the proposal to the sponsor. SAM will make every effort to submit all proposals by the required deadlines, however successful submission cannot be guaranteed for proposals submitted with less than three days of lead time.
• Refer to the Proposal Submission section for guidance.

Get help

• Contact your SAM representative if you have any questions.