By reviewing an extramural proposal and signing the accompanying Proposal Review Form (PRF), the dean, director, or department chair certifies that the arrangements and time commitments proposed are compatible with the activities and resources of the unit and school or college, and also authorizes acceptance, within University policies, of an award that may result from the proposal.

Review of extramural proposals should cover all areas of University activities affected by a proposed project. The questions below are exemplary but not inclusive of those to be considered in each particular case.

These responsibilites are not to be delegated to staff. If the dean, director, or department chair is unavailable to review and approve proposals, another academic member of the unit should be delegated to do so.

If the dean, director, or department chair has a personal financial interest in the proposed sponsor of a project, someone else with appropriate authority must review the proposal and sign the PRF.

Financial Resources
Are the resources required to carry out the project currently available? Have cost sharing or matching commitments been made? If so, are appropriate resources available for these commitments? (SPO requires documentation of all financial cost sharing commitments to be submitted with the proposal and attached to the Proposal Review Form.) If two or more units are involved, are the cost sharing responsibilities of each clearly understood and documented?

Space
Is the space needed for the project adequate and available for the full project period? If additional space or facilities will be required, have appropriate commitments been made to assure their availability for the project? Have the deans and chairs of other involved units been consulted?

Faculty and Staff Time
Are the time commitments proposed by the faculty reasonable to achieve the goals of the project in light of teaching and other University responsibilities? Is release time likely to be required? If so, can it be approved? Will any faculty time be committed as cost share? This should be clearly indicated on the Proposal Review Form. Signatures of the Chair or Director of the Academic Unit on the PRF indicate approval of any faculty time commitments listed. Will the principal investigator/project director and other key personnel be available throughout the proposed term of the project? If the project involves staff employees, are they available and properly funded for the entire project period?

P.I. Status
If the principal investigator or project director will lead the project on an 'exceptional' basis, has the P.I. exception been established for this particular project? Will extension of an existing approval period be necessary? Are such arrangements already made or in progress? If so, the Dean should inform SPO that exceptional PI status has been requested for the P.I. so that the proposal will not be held up while this approval is being obtained.

Appropriateness
Is the proposed project acceptable under the principles of University Regulation 4 regarding faculty salaries and investigations of a purely commercial nature? Is the proposed project appropriate for the principal investigator/project director(s), the administering unit, and the campus to undertake? Does it serve the University missions of expanding knowledge and educating students? Is there significant graduate student involvement? If not, why? If the project involves other units on campus, have the chairs and deans of those units been consulted?

For assistance in evaluating administrative commitments in proposals, please contact appropriate Sponsored Projects Office staff.