Develop a Proposal

The Office of Sponsored Research partners with researchers throughout the proposal cycle. Planning is the first step. As soon as you decide to prepare a research proposal, contact your Research Services Coordinator (RSC). Your RSC will assist you with proposal preparation, including budget development and compliance checks.

10 Basic Steps to Proposal Preparation at UCSF

Overview

Preparing a research proposal can be a major undertaking, so it is highly recommended to plan ahead and become familiar with the proposal process. If appropriate, consider contacting your intended funding agency to ask about any specific guidelines or requirements they may have.  The funding sponsor's website may contain recommendations or guidance, along with reqiured forms.

UCSF has a defined internal procedure to follow for the proposal preparation and submission process. The following steps will assist you to successfully prepare and submit a proposal through UCSF's Research Management Services (RMS). These steps are presented as a guide, so please keep in mind that every researcher's situation is different.

Plan a Proposal

  • Step 1: Determine a possible funding source
  • Step 2: Review the instructions for eligibility, guidelines and deadlines
  • Step 3: Find your Research Services Coordinator
  • Step 4: Inform your RSC of intent to submit

Build a Proposal

  • Step 5: Prepare all required UCSF and sponsor documentation
  • Step 6: Prepare the budget and justification
  • Step 7: Determine if the proposal has special considerations

Review a Proposal

  • Step 8: Submit proposal documents to the institutional official for review
  • Step 9: Complete all changes requested by the institutional official

Submit a Proposal

  • Step 10: Final submission of proposal to funding agency