Large, center-level grant proposals—the kind that bring millions of dollars and transform research programs—take substantial time and resources to develop. The earlier you engage our team, the stronger your proposal will be. To help faculty plan effectively, we have developed a sample development timeline that outlines key milestones from initial concept through submission.
Plan
4-6 Months Before University Submission to Sponsor
- Support the identification and engagement of the team members, subcontractors, and consultants.
- Review project plan and address alignment with RFP.
- Develop a proposal writing schedule and timeline.
- Build preliminary budget.
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the context by analyzing funding mechanism, funder's materials, and samples.
Write
2-3 Months Before University Submission to Sponsor
- Collaboratively write proposal outline and draft.
- Begin illustration drafting.
- Begin drafting supplemental documents.
- Coordinate the collection of documents from investigators, partners, and officials.
- Ensure all documents are compliant with the funder's requirements.
- Secure Red Team.
- Revise the budget to ensure alignment with the project plan.
Revise
6 Weeks Before University Submission to Sponsor
- Provide iterative feedback on proposal drafts.
- Finalize illustrations.
- Finalize Senior/Key Personnel documents.
- Review and revise draft justifications.
- Begin building application in SPARTA and funder's system.
Review
4 Weeks Before University Submission to Sponsor
- Finalize illustrations, remaining supplemental documents, budgets and justifications.
- Help investigators revise based on Red Team feedback.
Submit
2 Weeks Before University Submission to Sponsor
- Compile and comprehensively review full application.
- Submit to SpartaGrants.