This page provides an overview of best practices and regulations to follow for submitting a proposal for research funding to an external funding organization (e.g. federal agencies, foundations, etc).

Proposal Development Services 

If you’re new to the proposal process at Brown, or pursuing a large, complicated opportunity, we recommend you start by contacting the Research Strategy and Development office, which can assist you in thinking about all the components required for a competitive proposal. The Office of Research Strategy and Development provides information, training opportunities and one-on-one support to faculty members who are planning a proposal submission with the goal of making proposals more competitive. We can help you navigate the resources and offices at Brown that you’ll work with on submitting your proposal, and plan ahead for various deadlines. We offer expertise in all federal agency proposals and will help faculty develop the non-discipline specific sections of a proposal (i.e. management plan, broader impacts, facilities descriptions). Also, we provide project management for large, complex proposals. For more information contact Edel Minogue at [email protected] or visit our pages linked above. For proposal development services on foundation grants, please see the Office of Foundation Relations, and for corporate-sponsored research please visit Brown Technology Innovations

Proposal Review and Submission 

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) is the Authorized Organizational Representative through which Brown University receives external funding. Thus, all proposals for external funding must be processed through OSP. For faculty in the Division of Biology and Medicine (except for Neuroscience and the Brown Institute for Brain Science), grant proposals are processed through BioMed Research Administration (BMRA) and contract proposals are processed through OSP.

OSP and BMRA ensure compliance with sponsor requirements and help to manage grants once awarded. All proposals at Brown are submitted and managed through a grants management system called COEUS (transitioning to InfoEd).  For more guidance about the Office of Sponsored Projects please follow the links above or contact Patrice A. Carroll at [email protected] or [email protected] or (401) 863-2777.

Compliance Considerations and Requirements 

Depending on the work you propose, as you prepare your proposal you may need to consider requirements pertaining to research involving human and animal subjects (IRB and IACUC),  implications of export control laws and regulations when research involves international collaborations or controlled technology, assurances and reporting related to conflicts of interest, and training in responsible conduct of research. The Office of Research Integrity supports all these compliance areas and you can learn more at the link above.