The SAM Office is the only office vested with the authority to sign and submit research proposals and required certifications on behalf of the University of South Carolina. All requests for funding should be submitted for approvals in USCeRA. There are three levels of approval – Chair, Dean and the SAM Office.  In instances where multiple departments are involved, the Chair and Dean of all departments also must review and approve the proposal.

A completed proposal consists of:

• Statement of work
• Budget in Excel
• Budget Justification
• Subaward documentation, if applicable (at a minimum):
  • • Statement of work
    • Budget and budget justification
    • Complete and signed Subrecipient Commitment Form
    • Letter of Commitment/Intent from the Subaward entity
    • Current  F&A rate agreement
• Internal forms in USCeRA, as applicable
• Complete and final agency/institutional required documents
• Link or copy of sponsor solicitation/guidelines/instructions

Timeline for Proposal Submission

SAM is committed to assuring the timely submission of complete, accurate and excellent proposals. To achieve this, it is critical that SAM administrators receive proposals in sufficient time to provide adequate review and allow for the additional processing time associated with electronic submissions systems. 

A copy of the complete and final (ready to submit) proposal must be submitted at least 3 business days in advance of the sponsor’s due date. The 3 day lead time does not include the time required by the local unit/department/school for its review.  

If the sponsor requires a pre-proposal or letter of intent which contains a budget or an estimated cost, those must also be routed for institutional approval in USCeRA.  Be sure to include in USCeRA a detailed, preliminary budget.  Should you be invited to submit a full proposal, route your full proposal by clicking the ‘Post Sponsor Revision’ button in your approved USCeRA pre-proposal.  Add the new documents for the full proposal so they meet the completed proposal criteria outlined above.

Proposals submitted with adequate lead-time will be given priority over late submissions, unless an agency specifies an earlier time in the day for electronic submissions. SAM will submit proposals no later than the close of business on the due date, whether or not a later time stamp is permitted by the agency. 

The SAM administrator will make every effort to submit all proposals by the required deadlines, but successful submission cannot always be guaranteed for proposals submitted with fewer than three days lead-time (see internal policy).

After a proposal has received all the necessary departmental/college approvals in USCeRA, it will route to SAM for final institution approval. Your SAM administrator will verify that a proposal is current, complete, and accurate. Your SAM administrator will review the sponsor guidelines, proposal instructions and the proposal documents to ensure university and agency requirements are met. All budgets will be checked for accuracy and completeness.

If the proposal is to be submitted to the sponsor electronically by an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) or Sponsored Programs Official (SPO), SAM will ensure that the proposal is submitted prior to the sponsor deadline.  If the sponsor doesn’t require electronic submission of the  proposal, SAM will create a transmittal or commitment letter to  accompany the proposal.

In instances where the PI is required to create a proposal in an external proposal preparation system where an AOR/SPO is not required to submit, your SAM administrator will review the proposal documents for approval and notify the PI that the proposal is approved and ready for submission.  The PI can then submit the proposal. The PI will provide their SAM administrator with any submission verification correspondence, which your SAM administrator will upload in USCeRA.