Preparing and Submitting a Proposal

Objective: This section outlines the key components and procedures for preparing and submitting proposals to external sponsors at MIT.

What you need to know:

• Roles and Responsibilities – the parties involved in the process and their defined responsibilities
• MIT Facts for Proposal Development
• Proposal Preparation Basics – the fundamentals of the proposal development process, including resources for writing proposals and a proposal checklist
• Budget Development – budget categories, sample budgets, and budget justification
• MIT Approval and Submission Process – fundamentals of the Institute’s approval and submission process
• General Guidelines for DLC Administrators in Preparing Proposals.  For Sponsor specific information and checklists, please go to the Sponsor Information page.

Five-Day Calculator

This tool has been developed to help determine when a proposal is due to OSP.

Proposal Due Date:
Date Due to OSP:

Key References

• MIT Policies and Procedures: “14.0 Research Policies and Public and Private Support”
• Sponsored Programs Reference Manual, “Sponsored Programs Basics” (PDF)

FAQs

Where do I find information on sponsor requirements?

This is the critical first step in preparing a proposal. Check the sponsor’s website for solicitation guidelines and correct forms. For federal sponsors, use www.grants.gov. Be sure to confirm that the principal investigator (PI) has the current, accurate program solicitation. Refer to Funding Opportunities.

How do I find the information about MIT that the sponsor is requesting?

Check the Institutional Data link at MIT Facts for Proposal Development.

How do I prepare a research proposal for industry consideration?

In cases where there is no pre-defined proposal format, OSP recommends you use the Common Components of a Proposal for guidance. In addition, MIT will provide the sponsor with a MIT Standard Industrial Agreement for their review. Please also review http://web.mit.edu/osp/www/resources_standard.htm. Please contact OSP as early as possible regarding industrial agreements.

Should cost sharing be included in a proposal?

Unless the sponsor guidelines mandate cost sharing, MIT policy discourages voluntary cost sharing. Refer to cost sharing section for more details on cost sharing.

My PI is responding to an RFP. Are there special requirements for a contract proposal?

Yes, there are often additional requirements for government contracts. Read the RFP carefully and contact your OSP administrator with questions.