Institutional Approval

Are you ready for proposal submission or are you interested in beginning a formal search for external funding? The Office of Research and Grants Administration is required to first review and approve your proposal or your external funding idea before a proposal can be submitted to an outside sponsor.

For individuals who have a project idea, but no proposal or identified funder or RFP: You must first complete the External Funding Interest (EFI) Form and submit it to either representative listed below:

Lisa Smolski
Associate Director
304 Roberts Hall
Direct line: (401) 456-2809
Office: (401) 456-8228
Email: lsmolski@ric.edu

Linda A. Jzyk
Grant Specialist
408A Roberts Hall
Direct line: (401) 456-8139
Email: ljzyk@ric.edu

The only individuals who are required to submit this form are those who have a project idea and wish to proceed, but who are not applying to a specifically-known funder or RFP.

For individuals who already have an approved EFI form, who have already prepared a proposal or who have a clearly identified sponsor or RFP to which they are submitting: You must complete a Proposal Summary and Approval Form (PSAF) in order to be authorized to submit a proposal to an external funder. No proposal may be submitted from Rhode Island College to an external sponsor without this form's completion. An incomplete form can and will delay a proposal, even to the point of missing a deadline, so you are highly encouraged to complete this form and obtain all signatures at least two weeks prior to proposal deadline.

Every individual submitting a proposal where RIC is the applicant organization must complete this form prior to submission.

Award notification

Please note that some funding agencies can take up to six months after proposal submission in notifying us of project approval or disapproval. Notification is often received directly by ORGA. If you receive a Notification of Grant Award, or NGA, please deliver it to our office as soon as possible. If a proposal is returned for revisions, please contact us. Budget revisions will require additional approval before resubmission. Negotiations must also be handled primarily by the Office of Research and Grants Administration.

If your proposal is not funded, note that most federal agencies have established procedures for communicating reviewers' comments. This is important, as past experience has shown that these comments can be extremely helpful to investigators in formulating resubmissions.

Spending Your Award Money