Pavers with blue water flowing over

Proposal Process

The Office of Research and Innovation at Western Michigan University provides a number of resources to assist with the development of a strong external funding proposal. The principal investigator has primary responsibility for developing a proposal and a project budget that complies with applicable WMU and sponsor policies and regulations. The research office and research program officers are available for assistance and support throughout the process.

Researchers are urged to contact their research program officer as soon as a funding opportunity has been identified. It is never too early to consult with a proposal expert.

Proposal Development

Once a researcher has developed a project idea, identifies a funding opportunity, and consults with the department chair or unit director, the proposal is ready to take shape.  The Research Program Officer will assist with reviewing the Request For Proposal (RFP), preparing the proposal budget, budget justification, and routing documents for approval before submission.

 

Don't Forget! ORI hosts Discovery Acceleration and other training events.  Several Workshop recordings are accessible and others are available upon request.  Many sponsors offer workshops so be sure to look for those as well.

Route and Submit

In most cases, the University—not the principal investigator—is considered to be the applicant on a proposal. Any proposal that will be submitted on behalf of the University or that involves a project that will be performed by a University employee as part of a University appointment or will use any University resources must be approved by the appropriate WMU officials prior to submission.

The approval is completed using Cayuse, which facilitates compliance with University and federal regulations and is also a record of the commitment of University resources necessary to carry out a project if it is funded. Route the proposal for review for any proposal (letter of intent, pre-proposal, full) involving external funding where budgetary or cost share information is requested. A research program officer will work with the principal investigator to submit the proposal to the sponsor once the Cayuse form is approved.

For access to sponsor systems (Grants.gov, Research.gov, ASSIST, NSPIRES, etc.) or to secure letters of support signed by authorized officials, consult a research program officer.

More Resources

  • Writing a Proposal

    When writing a research or creative proposal to secure funding, carefully follow all format guidelines supplied by the granting agency. Research program officers and other staff in Western Michigan University's Office of Research and Innovation can assist faculty and staff in finding proposal editing and review services through a quality circle review or professional consultant. Expert feedback from a college dean or associate dean, a department chair and a few colleagues can prove invaluable to writing the proposal. If a proposal is declined, the evaluator's comment and critiques are especially helpful to recalibrate the proposal, as the review panel often show the true expectations of a sponsor and make the process less anonymous.

    Try and Try Again

  • Biosketch

    MyNCBI can generate sponsor-specific biographical sketches.

    Use SciENcv

  • Data Management Plan

    WMU researchers have access to a powerful tool for creating data management plans.

    Cool Tool

  • Scope and Management

    A project management plan is a means to ensure the grant's objectives are met in a timely manner, within the budget and according to a specified timeline. Grant funding agencies require a well-articulated plan.

    View Samples

  • Support for Arts and Humanities

    This speaker series was aimed at faculty and other researchers in those broad areas of inquiry who want to know how to obtain internal and external funding for their projects but don't know where to start. Featuring experts from outside the university and from WMU, the series is for faculty at any level who need inspiration and concrete advice on how to prepare, present, and compete for project grant support.

    View the Replays