Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Office of Research Administration website includes links to various funding sources. In addition, opportunities can be found on the News page and are emailed weekly to all faculty and staff from the ORA. 

A proposal is a detailed request for funding prepared in accordance with the sponsor’s instructions. A sponsor can be a federal, state, or local agency, a private foundation, a corporation or other business entity.

A proposal must comply with University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center policies and sponsor requirements. A proposal, upon submission, becomes an official record of the work OUHSC proposes to do for the sponsor.

Throughout the life of your proposal and award, Sponsored Programs Administrators (SPAs) within the ORA will provide oversight and administrative support to investigators and departmental administrators. To find your SPA go here.

You must route your proposal any time proposals you are requesting new funds into the University. Routing forms are not required for rebudget, extension, and carryover requests. To initiate a routing form, enter your OUHSC user name and password into the SoonerTrack system here.

Your Department or College should be able to assist you with your budget preparation. Spreadsheet templates are available on the ORA website. A Detailed Budget Spreadsheet template and NIH Modular Spreadsheet template is available under All ORA Forms.

Yes. All completed grant applications and proposals must be routed through and reviewed by the ORA at least three (3) full business days prior to the sponsor's deadline. This includes all proposals to state, federal, non-profit, foundation, and industrial/pharmaceutical sponsors, regardless of the type of submission. An authorized agent of the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma in the ORA must approve and sign all proposals prior to submission to the sponsor. Faculty do not have the authority to sign any proposal or grant application, nor to submit any electronic applications without the prior written approval of the ORA

Contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator here. The extension request process varies by sponsor. Your SPA will advise you what documentation is necessary to begin the extension request process. Extension requests need to be completed prior to the end of the award period.

Please notify your Sponsored Programs Administrator (found here) as soon as you know you will be submitting a proposal.  Include a link to any guidelines or RFA. Please note that the full proposal package, including all the applicable forms, must be provided to the ORA three (3) business days prior to the submission deadline.

To determine which contract is appropriate, please review these Subrecipient vs. Vendor Guidelines. If you still are not sure, please contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator.

The OUHSC policy on PI eligibility is located here:  PI Eligibility

Incomplete proposals submitted with less than three (3) full University business days before the funding agency’s deadline will NOT be accepted without a waiver from the Vice President for Research (VPR) or his designee. .

The rebudgeting process begins with Grants and Contracts Accounting.

Please contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator here. If an award notice and budget information has been received and all required institutional approvals are in place, your award will be set up.  If your award requires contract negotiation or institutional approvals, you do have the option to prepare an Advanced Expenditure Authorization Form for Sponsored Funds (ECAV) so that you may begin spending prior to completion of the contract.  

Please review the information found here.

Requests for exceptions to the indirect cost rate are located in OUHSC Administrative Policies, Section 572.4. The exception request is not required for direct federal sponsors if the rate is capped in the program announcement. If a sponsor has a publicly state rate below the OUHSC rates, there is no requirement for a waiver.

Please email the ORA at HSCORA@ouhsc.edu to request an eRA Commons Username. Please indicate if you already have a Username from a previous institution.

Please review the information found here where you can find definitions, guidance and disclosure forms regarding Conflict of Interest.  If you believe that you may have or appear to have a conflict of interest, you must disclose at the time of proposal submission.

Immediately forward a copy of the document to the ORA mailbox, HSCORA@ouhsc.edu. The staff in the ORA will begin processing your award.

Carryforward requests vary by sponsor.  If sponsor permission is not required, the Grants and Contracts Accounting office can process the carryforward of funds into the next budget period.  If permission is required, please contact your Sponsored Programs Administrator here. Typical carryforward requests include carryforward dollar amounts along with the intended use of the funds.

Email your completed NIH Progress Reports need to be routed to your Sponsored Programs Administrator found here or to HSCORA@ouhsc.edu. Please remember that Progress Reports cannot be approved unless appropriate certifications (IRB, IACUC, IBC), if applicable, are current.

Sub-out: OUHSC is paying a contractor / subcontractor for research or training from a grant or contract that was awarded to OUHSC.
Sub-in:  Another party is paying OUHSC as a subcontractor for research or training from a grant or contract awarded to the other party (sponsored funds).

1. Subcontracts and Independent Contract Agreements must be routed in SoonerTrack:Agreements: https://soonertrackagreements.ouhsc.edu
2. These agreements will be routed to Purchasing. (Note: this step must be completed before ORA can begin processing the agreement).
3. Please send any questions to HSCORA@ouhsc.edu or the SoonerTrack Help-desk at soonertrackhelpdesk@ouhsc.edu.  

No, the primary agreement (award) must be in place and processed through the Grants and Contracts Accounting office before any subcontracts or ICAs can be processed on it.

Submit a new Routing Form or Cover Page and include a copy of the agreement you would like to amend. You can mark up the agreement to indicate exactly what should be amended or you can provide a detailed description of what needs to be amended on the Supplemental Page of the Routing Form or in the Scope of Work section of the Cover Page.