A proposal is an offer to do something in exchange for consideration. Consideration is usually in the form of money to the University, but in rare cases, consideration may be equipment, data, specimens, or something else of value. Faculty and staff prepare proposals at many different stages of a project, using the guidelines given by the sponsor. All proposals must be routed through and approved by the principal investigator’s respective Pre-Award office. With the implementation of Grants.gov, terminology defining types of proposals has been adjusted. The typical types of proposals are:
Letter of Intent — A letter proposal indicating the intention of submitting a full proposal. Sponsors sometimes use a letter of intent to identify, and possibly select, those organizations that may submit full proposals. They may also use this information to select appropriate review panels.
Pre-proposal — May be similar to a letter of intent or may be referred to as a white paper. The sponsor typically asks for a limited amount of information about the proposed project in order to select projects to invite to submit full proposals.
New — An original proposal submitted to a sponsor for the first time or for a competing continuation.
Continuation (Non-Competing) — A proposal to continue work on the same contract or grant. Some sponsors require that annual continuation proposals and budgets be submitted. This is equivalent to a Progress Report.
Renewal/Competing Continuation – A proposal competing to for additional years of funding to continue the original project. A renewal/competing continuation proposal is submitted when previous years of funding have elapsed.
Supplemental Proposal — A proposal to expand the scope of the original project for an additional amount of money and possibly time.
Revision — A revision of a new, continuation, or supplemental proposal, usually submitted after discussions or negotiations with the sponsor. A revised proposal is submitted prior to an award, or may be a condition of receiving an award. A revision is submitted during the same submission cycle. A proposal revision should not be confused with a budget revision, which occurs after the award.
Resubmission – A resubmission of a revised or amended application after the sponsor has completed review and provided principal investigator with feedback. A resubmission proposal will be submitted in a subsequent submission cycle. No-Cost Extension — A request to extend the project beyond the original dates, usually with no request for additional funds from the sponsor, though this may be in conjunction with a request for supplemental funding. The most common reason for requesting an extension is to complete the work as proposed. Funding agencies do not allow extension solely for the purpose of expending remaining funds. Transfer — A transfer proposal is submitted when the principal investigator is leaving UNM or transferring to UNM. See the section in this guide on transfers. Typically instructions are available from the sponsor on how to request a transfer of an award or pending proposal.
No-Cost Extension — A request to extend the project beyond the original dates, usually with no request for additional funds from the sponsor, though this may be in conjunction with a request for supplemental funding. The most common reason for requesting an extension is to complete the work as proposed. Funding agencies do not allow extension solely for the purpose of expending remaining funds.
Transfer — A transfer proposal is submitted when the principal investigator is leaving UNM or transferring to UNM. See the section in this guide on transfers. Typically instructions are available from the sponsor on how to request a transfer of an award or pending proposal.