600.00 Completeing the Proposal Clearance Form
- Table of Contents
- 610.00 Page One of the Proposal Clearance Form
- 620.00 Page Two of the Proposal Clearance Form
- 630.00 Page Three of the Proposal Clearance Forms
No proposal will be accepted by the Office of Sponsored Programs without a Proposal Clearance Form (PCF). Hard copies of the PCF are available from the Office of Sponsored Programs and through departmental offices. It also can be completed electronically on the Vice President for Research, Creativity and Technology Transfer home page.
It is preferable that a draft of the budget be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Programs for preliminary review.
If any cost sharing is to come from departmental funds, it must be authorized and agreed to by providing an index/fund number from which the expenditures will be made.
The above steps require time: plan ahead. Call to make certain that those who are required to sign and check the proposal are in; do not wait until the day the proposal is due to the sponsor. Office of Sponsored Programs' internal requirement is that proposals must be submitted to their office for review at least 24 hours before the final submission deadline.
610.00 Page One of the Proposal Clearance Form
- Agency to receive proposal.
This should be the name and address of your proposed sponsor, plus the name of any contact person at the agency, if known.
- University Organization Number.
A six-digit number assigned to your department, usually starting with 4XXXXX. This can be obtained from departmental personnel.
- University Department Name.
Your department name, e.g., Math, Physics, etc.
- Title of Proposal.
The formal title of your proposal.
- E. Principal Investigator.
The Principal Investigator (also known as the Project Director) is responsible for the performance and management of the project described in the proposal. A Co-Principal Investigator, if specified, shares direct responsibility with the Principal Investigator. For a more complete description of the requirements of a PI, reference the MSU-Bozeman Faculty Handbook.
- Authorized Signatures.
The Principal Investigator may wish to designate signature authority to another individual to sign certain documents, or to sign in the PI's absence. (A Co-PI is not automatically assumed to have signature authority.)
- Type of Application.
Is this a new proposal, continuation of or a revision to an existing proposal? If this is a revision of budget only, a new Proposal Clearance Form is not necessary. However, the Office of Sponsored Programs must receive a copy of the new budget before it is mailed to the sponsor.
- Period of Support Requested.
This is the anticipated period of time you will need to complete the proposed project.
- Minority/Handicap Section.
If your proposal includes participation of Native Americans or other minority communities, it is recommended that the appropriate approvals be obtained before the submission of the proposal. Assistance in this regard can be obtained from the Center for Native American Studies.
- Certification Section.
If your proposal includes the use of animals, humans, hazardous substances, radioactive substances or space allocation, then additional signatures from the appropriate Institutional Review Committee are required on the Proposal Clearance Form. The Institutional Review Committees include:
- Human Subjects Committee. This committee reviews research projects involving human subjects or materials derived from them.
- Animal Care and Use Committee. This committee reviews research projects involving all vertebrate animal related studies.
- Radiation Sources Committee. This committee reviews research projects involving any radioactive material or radiation source.
- Biosafety Committee. This committee reviews research projects involving any infectious agent, hazardous materials, or genetically altered microorganism (e.g., recombinant DNA).
- Controlled Substances. Jack Frost (994-6803) reviews research projects involving animals and controlled substances. Otherwise, see your department head.
Further information about these committees, their chairs, and their members can be obtained via MSU Info or by calling the Office of Research, Creativity and Technology Transfer.
If your proposal will involve renovation, new space allocation, remodeling or change in utilities, the Director of Facilities Services must sign the PCF and you must describe, in an attachment, the details.
- Conflict of Interest Statement.
If you, as the Principal Investigator, any family member or any of the involved researchers or their family members have consulting agreements, management responsibilities or substantial equity (greater than $10,000 in value or greater than 5% total equity) in the sponsor, subcontractor or in the technology, you must explain on the back of the PCF and have the Director of Intellectual Property Administration and Technology Transfer (IPATNT) (994-7868) initial it to indicate that a management strategy is in development.
- Relation to Instructional Programs.
The Provost must sign the PCF if your proposal relates in any way to the instructional programs of the University.
- Participation of Native Americans.
If the research involves participation of Native Americans or other minority communities, it is recommended that the appropriate approvals and commitments be obtained from these communities before submission of the proposal.
- Distance learning.
If yes, the PCF needs a signature from the Intellectual Property Administration and Technology Transfer (IPATNT) Office. (994-7868)
- AES Project Number.
This information is needed for the College of Agriculture Experiment Station accounts only and is used as an internal tracking mechanism. The Source Code is an extension of the AES number. For more information on the AES number, contact the College of Agriculture.
- Location Code.
Grants will now be tracked by where the research physically takes place. Use the map at the end of the PCF to determine the correct code. More than one code may be used.
620.00 Page Two of the Proposal Clearance Form
Page two is comprised of two sections: the top section relates to the budget you are requesting from the sponsor, as well as to any cost sharing to be completed by MSU-Bozeman only, while the bottom half of the page asks for specific detail regarding the cost sharing only. (Please refer to cost-sharing section.)
The proposed budget section is asking for the first year's budget and the total budget from the sponsor (figures are the same for a one-year project). The same information is requested for any MSU-Bozeman cost sharing that will occur. Caution: If cost sharing information is submitted, you as the Principal Investigator, will be held accountable for this commitment. We strongly recommend that if cost sharing is not required by your sponsor, any cost sharing commitments be voluntary only, and noted as such. The grand total column consists of the total requested from the sponsor, plus the total cost sharing commitment.
The cost sharing section of page two is asking for specific index/fund numbers that will be supplying the cost sharing listed above in your budget. List the amounts and the Banner account numbers under the appropriate source of funds, either PI, Department Head or Dean, depending upon who is responsible for the funding source.
If the Vice President for Research, Creativity and Technology Transfer is supplying additional cost sharing, a signature from the Vice President will be required.
Location Codes. We will now track grants by their location. This is to ascertain where the research physically takes place. Use these numbers in the space labeled "Location Code" on page 1 of the Proposal Clearance Form. A grant can have more than one location code. If it encompasses the entire state, use MT07. When the research is done outside the state of Montana, the code is 00.
630.00 Page Three of the Proposal Clearance Form
Proposal Approvals. Prior to approval by the Office of Sponsored Programs, all appropriate signatures must be obtained. Normally this would include the Principal Investigator, Department Head and Dean. Signatures for the Department Head or Dean by the secretary are no longer accepted. Once your proposal is presented to the Office of Sponsored Programsit will be carefully reviewed by the appropriate Grant and Contract personnel to assure that all signatures have been gathered, that the budget is correct, assurances are included, etc. Proposals must be submitted to the Office of Sponsored Programsfor review at least 24 hours before the final submission deadline. Once approved by the Fiscal Officer, the Grants and Contracts Director will sign as the authorized representative for MSU-Bozeman. Remember, only the Assistant Vice President for Research or the Vice President for Research, Creativity, and Technology Transfer or their designees are authorized to bind the institution to these types of agreements.