1. Fill out a yellow Grant Application Approval cover sheet, available from your department secretary or the Grants Office.

2. Where appropriate, obtain signatures of the Institutional Review Board (for projects requiring the use of human subjects), Animal Care and Use Committee (for projects requiring the use of laboratory animals), the Chemical Hygiene Officer (for projects requiring the use of hazardous substances), or the Radiation Safety Officer (for projects requiring the use of radioactive substances).

3. For applications to federal agencies, each PI must sign a Disclosure Statement Regarding Conflict of Interest and submit it with the proposal to the dean/provost's office.

4. Obtain signatures of department chair, division director, and dean of faculty.

5. At least five days before your mailing date, take proposal to the Grants Office (G6 James B. Colgate Hall) for review and signature by the director of corporate, foundation and government relations, controller, and treasurer. The Grants Office will obtain these three signatures and note any corrections or changes that should be made before the proposal is submitted.

6. Before mailing the proposal, make two copies for the Grants Office and one each for the department chair and the division director.

To facilitate approval of your proposal:

• Contact the Grants Office early in the process. Let us know what your plans are and what your deadline is.

• Read Colgate Guidelines for Preparing Proposal Budgets.

• Make appointments with the appropriate people (the division director, associate provost, dean or associate dean of the faculty) to discuss aspects of the project that involve university funds or space. Some examples are: cost-sharing, release time, equipment needs, hiring personnel, construction or renovation of facilities, or space needs.

• Send a draft copy of the budget to the Grants Office for review well in advance of the deadline. Nearly all delays in the final routing of proposals are due to budget errors. Assistant controller Sabra Williams (7494) is a good resource for budget preparation assistance.

• Allow time to circulate the proposal and obtain signatures on the yellow Grant Application Approval sheet. After you have obtained the signatures of the department chair, division director, and dean of faculty, take a copy of the full proposal, final budget, and attachments to the Grants Office at least five days before your mailing date. Also include the agency's proposal guidelines and any agency forms requiring the signature of a university official. On agency forms, type Thomas A. O'Neill, Assoc. VP and Controller where the name of an "authorized organizational representative" of Colgate is required. At the Grants Office, we will proofread your proposal, check your budget, and obtain the remaining signatures. We will notify you when the proposal is ready, or if additional information or corrections are needed.

• When a proposal is funded, the Grants Office sends a copy of the award letter to the project director and to those who signed Colgate's approval sheet. If you receive notification directly from the funding agency, please forward a copy of the letter to the Grants Office immediately.

• National Science Foundation proposals must be submitted via FastLane. To obtain a FastLane password, call or e-mail Helen Kebabian, ext. 7451.

• Click on Reporting and Stewardship for information about reporting responsibilities for funded grants.