Pre-Award / About Us

Welcome to the Pre-Award Division of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (formerly known as the Office of Research).

Our division is committed to serving as the central resource for faculty and staff who are seeking extramural funding for their research and other sponsored programs. Our mission is to provide administrative support to principal investigators in their pursuit of sponsored programs, while ensuring compliance with University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), federal, state, and private sponsor regulations, terms, and conditions.

All proposals for sponsored programs, whether new or continuing, must be processed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Pre-Award Division for formal UMMC approval and signature prior to submission to external sponsors. Internal projects must also route through Pre-Award for assurance approval. The ORSP serves as the administrative voice in the negotiation and acceptance of grants, contracts and award modifications. Please contact us for more information.  

Our services

• Review, approve and submit proposals for sponsored research, training and other programs
• Review, negotiate and accept grants, contracts and subcontracts that support sponsored programs, including CDAs, DUAs, and MTAs.
• Review and submit Just-in-Time requests and progress reports
• Initiate first-time no-cost extensions
• Serve as a business official/liaison with sponsors for award management
• Review and submit non-financial award closeout information
• Support principal investigators by providing information, interpretation and guidance from proposal preparation through closeout of an award.
• Assist with budget development
• Assist with the development of proposals to support research and other initiatives
• Assure compliance with sponsor guidelines, federal regulations, Cost Accounting Standards, and institutional policies for research involving human participants, animals, biohazards, radioactive materials and hospital and physician services
• Serve as the source of information for grants and contracts
• Provide education and training on issues impacting sponsored programs

The Pre-Award Division works closely with colleagues in the Post-Award Division to support funded projects throughout various stages in the lifecycle of an award. In addition, Pre-Award provides services in tandem with the Office of Clinical Trials for any federally-funded clinical trial grant applications.

Internal submission deadline

The ORSP requires that all proposal applications and contracts be submitted via Cayuse SP at least five (5) business days prior to the sponsor's deadline. While research strategies may be in draft form at this time, it is imperative to provide completed detailed budgets and budget justifications. An ORSP Pre-Award staff member will then be assigned to your proposal based on their expertise.

Funding Opportunities

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to use the institutional funding opportunity search tool, PIVOT-RP, to identify sources of funding. For more information and additional resources, please visit our funding opportunities page.

System Access

For access to internal and external systems, please contact a Sponsored Programs Project Manager or sponsoredprograms@umc.edu. Access support includes, but is not limited to, National Institutes of Health electronic Research Administration (eRA) Commons, Grants.gov, Health Resources and Services Administration Electronic Handbook, American Heart Association grant portal, National Science Foundation FastLane/Research.gov, and the Electronic Biomedical Research Application Portal (EBRAP) for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Proposal Development

Proposals are defined as an application submitted by the University of Mississippi Medical Center to a sponsoring agency on behalf of a principal investigator seeking project support. Most proposals contain a research strategy or statement of work, budget, budget justification, as well as other applicable documentation required by the selected sponsor. Proposals are typically submitted in response to a funding solicitation or funding opportunity announcement. For in-depth information on proposal and budget preparation at UMMC, please visit our proposal development or budget development pages.

Research Fast Facts

For a list of standard UMMC information and research rates, please visit our Fast Facts page.

Forms and Templates

Our Forms and Templates page provides budget templates, institutional approval forms, pre-approved contract templates, and more.