When applying for external funding, an internal routing is required before submitting your full application the sponsor. A routing secures institutional approval for your application and provides the University of Colorado Denver Office of Grants and Contracts with the information needed to confirm that your proposals meets university and sponsor guidelines. A routing will generally include a detailed budget, budget justification, biographical sketches and basic project information.
All proposals must include a detailed budget regardless of the format required by a sponsor. The most common categories to consider in sponsored research projects are personnel, travel, supplies, animals, human subjects research costs and indirect costs (i.e. facilities and administrative costs). You can use this simple budget worksheet to start estimating your budget, and the PASS group can develop a detailed version that meets UCD and sponsor requirements.
- Fillable Budget Worksheet - You can fill out this worksheet and send it to your grants consultant to draft a detailed budget.
- R&R Budget Form - Download and review the most common federal grant application budget form.
- Budget Excel Sheet - This detailed budget spreadsheet can help generate a budget framework for your project.
The budget justification provides additional information required by the sponsor on the funds requested in each budget category. It may also include other information the applicant wishes to include to support the budget request, such as quotes from consultants or vendors.
- Budget Justification Template
- Personnel Justification Sample (required for Modular Budgets)
The most common biographical sketch format is the NIH format, but some sponsors have their own biographical sketch requirements. Use the biographical sketches to demonstrate your research team’s experience.
Some sponsors like NSF and the Department of Defense ask for list of the other research support available to key personnel. When this is required in a proposal, we route it to the Office of Grants and Contracts.
- NIH Other Support (only needed for mentors at the application stage, key personnel at the Just-in-Time stage)
- NSF Current and Pending Support
The routing includes basic information about your proposal. PASS collects this information via the PreAward Routing Form, a mobile and desktop accessible form that gives PASS a framework to organize the preaward process of your funding application.
Routing requirements vary depending on the proposed project and sponsor. It may include additional information such as subrecipient commitment forms, cover pages to be signed by the Office of Grants and Contracts, or letters of institutional support from your department chair. The PASS group works with PIs to identify and prepare all documents required in the internal routing, saving valuable time when you are ready to submit the final application.