Prepare & Submit Proposals

Proposal Preparation & Submission

OCG's standard business hours are 8 am - 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

ALL proposals and applications for funding must be submitted by an OCG Authorized Official within OCG's standard business hours, which in some cases may be earlier than the sponsor's published deadline. 

The Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) is the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) for the submission of all sponsored research proposals. A proposal is required for all awarded projects.

OCG Proposal Analysts work closely with Principal Investigators (PIs) and Department Administrators, providing expertise in budgeting and proposal preparation to help PIs prepare the best possible, compliant proposal. While Proposal Analysts provide expertise and assistance with this process, it is ultimately the PI's responsibility to be familiar with all of the sponsor’s proposal requirements.

All federal proposals and proposals for most sponsored project funding need to be submitted through OCG. If PIs submit proposals on their own and funding will eventually come through OCG, the proposal must go through OCG to avoid detrimental budget errors and delays in SpeedType set up.

It may be beneficial to contact the sponsor's program officer in advance of the submission to discuss technical ideas. Click here for guidance/best strategies from the Research & Innovation Office (RIO) to discuss technical ideas with program officers.

Get Started Now

5 Business Day Rule

Submit a completed PSR form and budget to your Proposal Analyst at least five business days before the direct sponsor's deadline.

For a new, renewal, continuation or supplement proposal, PIs must send the following two items to their Proposal Analyst at least 5 business days before the deadline:

  1. To get the process started, the PI must complete and submit the online Proposal Submission Request (PSR) form which is then routed to their Proposal Analyst. For guidance on completing the form, see the PSR Resources page or hover over an item with your cursor for a brief description.
  2. The PI must provide budget details to their Proposal Analyst by email, generally these details are provided in bullet points or in Excel format. The Proposal Analyst will then review and update the budget, moving the details to the Cost Estimation Tool to estimate proposed costs for the period of support. The Detailed Proposal Process page provides further guidance on budgets and proposal development. Other Budget Templates are available on the OCG Forms page. 

Depending upon the requirements of your proposal, your Proposal Analyst may request additional information and documentation. Additional approvals are required for cost share, limited indirect costs, subcontracts, and other complexities. Our Detailed Proposal Process page provides more detail about preparing proposals and working with OCG. 

Specific sponsor information and processes for our frequent funders can be found on our Proposal Essentials by Sponsor page.

Did you receive an award?

Email it right away to ocg@colorado.edu for processing.

Who's my Proposal Analyst?

Find your department's Proposal Analyst in the Unit Directory.

Find Funding

The Research and Innovation Office provides many tools and resources for funding opportunities, including internal funding competitions and limited submissions.

CU Boulder Crowdfunding allows you to raise the funds needed for your academic research on a free campus online fundraising platform.