Proposal / Application Preparation Timeline

To allow our office to best support applicants, we need notification at least 3 weeks before application deadline. To understand the steps involved with proposal preparation, please familiarize yourself with the RSO Proposal Timeline.

Research Intake Form (RIF)

• Research Intake Form (RIF) (Online Qualtrics Survey) - NEW! 
  The new CoLA RSO RIF is designed to save you time!

National Science Foundation (NSF) Checklist & Common Parts of an NSF Proposal 

The NSF proposal checklist outlines essential items to consider when preparing your NSF proposal. For more detailed guidance on each component, please refer to the NSF webpage titled, PROPOSAL PREPARATION CHECKLIST.

The list below briefly outlines Common Parts of an NSF Proposal: 

1. Project Summary
2. Project Description
3. References Cited
4. Documents Required for Senior Personnel
   1. Collaborators and Other Affiliates spreadsheet
   2. Current and Pending Support
   3. Biosketch
   4. Synergistic Activities
5. Proposed Budget and Budget Justification
6. Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources
7. Postdoctoral and/or Graduate Student Mentoring Plan (if applicable)
   1. Per NSF, DDRI proposals require a Mentoring Plan
8. Data Management Plan

Please note that while the checklist and common parts offer a comprehensive overview, they do not cover all proposal requirements and guidelines. NSF program solicitations may include modified guidelines. In such cases, it's important to follow the guidelines provided in the specific solicitation.

RSO Resource Library

Budget Templates 

The following templates can be downloaded, filled out and emailed to LAResearch@austin.utexas.edu as part of your proposal development.

• RSO Budget Builder (xlsx) - New! List of anticipated project costs (without calculations)
• Faculty Budget (xlsx)
• Faculty Budget Justification (docx)
• DDRIG Budget (xlsx) (xlsx)
• DDRIG Budget Justification (docx)

Student Appointment Guidelines

• • Graduate Research Assistant (GRA) Requirements 
  • Graduate Academic Student Rates

Storage & Sharing Solutions - For RSO Proposal Services - New!

Stache: UT's Secure Information Storage Solution

UT Box: A Secure Hierarchy of Shared Documents & Folders

NSF Submission Guide: Essential Components and Guidance for Application Success

The RSO office has created a submission checklist and guide specifically tailored for NSF applications. This resource comprehensively outlines all required NSF documents for submission, similar to the information provided in the NSF Checklist & Common Parts of an NSF Proposal. Additionally, it includes direct links to  NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), providing detail insights into each required document. Please note that while the checklist and common parts offer a comprehensive overview, they do not cover all proposal requirements and guidelines. NSF program solicitations may include modified guidelines. In such cases, it's important to follow the guidelines provided in the specific solicitation.

• • NSF Faculty Submissions Checklist & Guide 
  • NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIGs) Submissions Checklist & Guide 

The University of Texas at Austin Resources for Preparing Grant Proposals

• Indirect Costs (IDC Return Policy) (pdf download) 
• UT Libraries - Research Data Services, connect researchers with the appropriate tools, resources, and expertise required for dealing with data at every phase of research, from the earliest planning stages through to archiving and publication.
• The PI Book: A Principal Investigator's Guide to Conducting Research at The University of Texas at Austin, All research at UT Austin is principal-investigator (PI)-driven. The Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors (OVPR) has compiled the essential information that PIs need to navigate the UT research enterprise. Because policies and federal guidelines are subject to change, the PI Book is updated regularly. 
• The University Writing Center, a unit of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing, helps UT students become more proficient, more versatile, and more confident in their writing abilities.
• Sanger Learning Center, offers a number of services for UT Austin graduate students for any writing project.

Other Resources for Preparing Grant Proposals

• Candid. - Introduction to Proposal Writing
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing Tip Sheets
• The Grant Application Writer’s Workbooks, from Grant Writers’ Seminars and Workshops, LLC (GWSW) ($75).
• Scholarly Pursuits: A Guide to Professional Development During the Graduate Years. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, see "Chapter 5: Grantsmanship in Support of Study or Research" (pdf)

Contact Us

We are here to support you throughout the process of submitting a grant proposal at UT Austin. We often receive a high volume of requests. To ensure that your proposal gets the full attention it deserves, we ask that you adhere to our Grants Submission Timeline when contacting our office (laresearch@austin.utexas.edu).

Brook Davis
Manager, Proposal Services
Email: davis@austin.utexas.edu, Office: GEB 3.308

Sheena Moore
Contracts and Grants Specialist
Email: sheena.moore@austin.utexas.edu, Office: GEB 3.308

Lindy Aleshire
Manager, Award Services
Email: melinda.aleshire@austin.utexas.edu, Office: GEB 3.308