Internal Deadlines for Standard Proposal Submissions

6 Business Days Prior to Sponsor Deadline or Target Submission Date

To ensure timely, compliant, and high-quality proposal submissions, an internal deadline of 6 full business days prior to the submission date has been established for standard proposal submissions.

It is critical that proposals follow the internal deadline to ensure sufficient time for GCA Pre-Award to perform a thorough review of the proposal and complete GRAMS FP, which facilitates streamlined award execution and set-up processes while also confirming compliance with Federal, University, and sponsor policies and requirements.

PIs should ensure sufficient time is allotted for their specific Department and College to review and approve their GRAMS FP prior to their internal deadline. Departments and Colleges may have differing requirements for how much lead time they need to review and approve the GRAMS FP.

A proposal that meets the internal deadline consists of ALL of the following:

Fully Approved GRAMS FP that is in ‘Specialist Review’
A COMPLETED Proposal Application Provided in GRAMS, either via a completed GRAMS 424 application; OR as an uploaded attachment(s). The technical narrative can be a draft version for internal deadline purposes, but all other application components should be finalized.
If applicable, access granted to the COMPLETED application in the online submission portal (i.e., Research.gov; NSPIRES; ProposalCentral; etc.)

A comprehensive review cannot be performed without all needed aspects and approvals in place, so it is essential that all of the above criteria are met for your GCA Specialist to perform a review of the assembled application and internal routing record. If any of the above are not met, the proposal has not met the internal deadline. Proposals that do not meet the internal deadline may receive a modified level of review, as outlined in the GCA Review Levels below.

Proposals that have been submitted to GCA prematurely without needed components does not constitute meeting the internal deadline and will be returned back to the PI for completion and re-routing for approvals once the needed components are completed.

8:00 AM Day of Sponsor Deadline or Target Submission Date

The proposal should be finalized and ready to submit to the sponsor by 8:00 AM the day of the sponsor deadline or target submission date. A “Ready to Submit” proposal is a proposal that is deemed to be fully complete and in final format that is ready for submission to the sponsor.

By 8:00 AM the day of submission, the following must be completed:

Finalized Technical Narrative uploaded to the relevant application portal (i.e., Research.gov; NSPIRES; GRAMS 424 application; ProposalCentral; etc.). For email submissions, the final proposal package (including Technical Narrative) should be provided to your GCA Specialist via email.
If your GCA Specialist requested or recommended updates to other application materials, those updates should be finalized and included in the proposal application/package.
If applicable, full access to the sponsor portal must be granted, and the application should be “Ready to Submit”.

For proposals that have an atypical deadline (i.e., Noon; 9:00 AM), your GCA Specialist may set an alternate deadline for the final technical narrative and for the proposal to be finalized and “Ready to Submit”.

Internal Submission Deadlines for Complex/Multi-Project Proposal Submissions

Given the large, complex nature of Multi-Project submissions, the timeline and internal deadlines deviate from UNT’s standard internal deadline to allow sufficient time for preparing, reviewing, and submitting a multi-component application.

For NIH PF5 Collaborative International Research Project Submissions, the expected timeline and deadlines are outlined in the NIH PF5 Collaborative International Research Project Information & Timeline. The internal deadline for PF5 submissions will be 9 full business days prior to proposal submission. The internal deadline for receiving finalized technical narratives will be 8:00 AM the day PRIOR to submission.

For other NIH Multi-Project proposals submissions (i.e., P40; P20; etc.), the expected timeline and deadlines are outlined in the NIH Multi-Project Submission Timeline document. The internal deadline will be 12 full business days prior to proposal submission. The internal deadline for receiving finalized technical narratives will be 8:00 AM the day PRIOR to submission.

For other Complex proposals, your GCA Specialist may set internal deadlines similar to the above, depending on the complexity of the proposal submission. A proposal may be considered complex if it includes a large number of subawards (3+), complex foreign components, large cost share commitment requirements, binding terms & conditions that require legal review, Center program proposals, etc.

GCA Review Levels

GCA cannot guarantee a successful submission of proposals that do not allow for sufficient time to complete the necessary review and navigate an appropriate sponsor submission. UNT reserves the right to review and request changes prior to acceptance of an award or to decline an award if the budget or other commitments contained in the proposal do not conform to UNT specifications or requirements.

Proposals that do not meet the internal deadline will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis as time is available, and will not take precedence over other proposals that have met internal deadlines. Proposals that have not met internal deadlines will receive a modified level of review, as outlined below.

Full Review: Proposals that meet the internal deadline will receive a full compliance review that helps to ensure institutional and sponsor requirements are followed.
Limited Review: Proposals that do not meet their internal deadline, as described above, will receive a limited review focused on institutional compliance, and the review will be subject to staff availability.
At Risk: Proposals that arrive in “Specialist Review” 2 business days or less prior to the submission date are considered At-Risk and may not be submitted. Submission is not guaranteed, and no review for sponsor compliance will be performed.

gca review at risk breakdown

Common components of Institutional Compliance may include, but are not limited to: Ensuring needed disclosures, trainings, certifications are on file for needed individuals; appropriate internal approvals obtained; ensure administrative/institutional information is accurate (i.e. UEI; Sub commitment forms; rate agreement information); budget compliance with OMB Uniform Guidance; subaward documentation on file for inclusion of any subawards; cost share commitments/approvals on file; items that could create financial, audit, and/or policy risks for the University

Common components of Sponsor Compliance may include, but are not limited to: Page Limitations; Font/Margins/Formatting; correct templates or formats used for Personnel documents and guidelines followed; appropriate application materials and attachments included; budget compliance with sponsor requirements/limitations; title/document naming conventions followed.

Please note that our office will make every reasonable effort to support submissions. However, we cannot guarantee review quality, system validation, or successful on‑time submission for proposals that do not meet internal deadlines. Please be aware of the risks associated with late submissions, including—but not limited to—reduced administrative review, potential compliance issues, limited time to correct errors, and the possibility that the sponsor may reject the proposal. Any consequences arising from the late submission are the responsibility of the PI and will have to be addressed as allowable by the sponsor.

Late submissions often result in delays in award setup, as additional time is needed to review all proposal components and materials not completed with a full review. Issues of non-compliance may have to be addressed before an award is issued or accepted.