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Proposal Development
Proposal Submission

Proposal Submission

General Information

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) is the office authorized to submit proposals for extramural support on behalf of researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All proposals must be routed through WISPER and approved by CALS and RSP prior to submission. Any document requiring an institutional official’s signature must be signed by a designee authorized to do so.CALS has a long-standing proposal lead time requirement of 5 business days prior to the due date, to allow sufficient time for review and approval.  The CALS Research Division carefully reviews all aspects of a proposal to ensure compliance with institutional requirements and policy, ensure the budget is accurate and reflective of the scope of work proposed, and that all sponsor requirements have been addressed.

Applications to Federal Agencies

UW-Madison uses Cayuse424,a web-based system for submitting applications via grants.gov, the federal government’s “one stop shop” for finding and applying for funding.

Anyone with a UW-Madison NetID and password can access Cayuse. First-time Cayuse users: To submit or be listed in a proposal in Cayuse, contact your CALS preaward team request a Cayuse profile.

Cayuse Proposal Submission Tips

  • To view a proposal, you must search for it on the proposal tab. Once you enter the proposal itself and return to the proposal list, it will then appear on your recently viewed list.
  • Add permissions for faculty, on-campus collaborators, and department staff who need access to the proposal. You do not need to add permissions for CALS Research Division staff.
  • Double-check your routing chain (under Routing & Approvals). If the PI’s name does not appear first or there are less than 3 boxes in the list, contact the CALS Research Administrator for your department.
  • All documents must be loaded in PDF format.
  • If a new Cayuse profile is needed or an institution needs to be added, contact the CALS Research Administrator for your department.

Applications to Non-Federal Organizations or Agencies

Many grantors now require proposal submission via electronic systems, and many sponsors require an Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) to submit the application. CALS Research Administrators and RSP Proposal Team members are authorized to submit proposals on behalf of the institution.  In certain cases, sponsors may allow a Principal Investigator to submit the final application – but this should only be done after the proposal has been approved by CALS and RSP.

If you are working on a proposal in a system that is new to you, or you are unfamiliar with the submission requirements, please contact the CALS Research Administrator for your department for assistance.

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