Proposal Deadline Guidelines

Internal Proposal Deadlines: The 30-10-5-3 Framework

Securing external funding is central to Baylor's research mission, and OVPR's Pre-Award team is committed to helping faculty submit strong, competitive proposals. 

When OVPR submits a proposal on your behalf, Baylor is making a commitment to a sponsor that carries obligations around financial accountability, regulatory compliance, and institutional certifications. As Baylor's Authorized Organizational Representative, OVPR is responsible for verifying budget accuracy, confirming regulatory compliance, ensuring required approvals are in place, and validating that all institutional certifications are complete before a proposal reaches a sponsor. This review protects investigators, their projects, and the university.

Internal deadlines provide the time necessary to do this work. The 30-10-5-3 framework, effective August 1, 2026, establishes four milestones, counted in business days before the sponsor's deadline, that support thorough institutional review and timely submission. Investigators are encouraged to engage with their Pre-Award URA four to six weeks before the sponsor deadline whenever possible.

The 30-10-5-3 Policy

Effective August 1, 2026, all proposals for external funding must be completed in accordance with Baylor's 30-10-5-3 Internal Proposal Deadline Policy. These internal milestones are counted in business days before the sponsor's deadline, which is Day Zero. Business days are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. CT, excluding weekends and university holidays.

The Four Milestones

Day 30: Proposal Initiation for Proposals Issuing Subawards

If your proposal includes issuing a subaward to an external institution, you must notify your Pre-Award URA and initiate the proposal in CARA no later than 30 business days before the sponsor deadline. Subaward coordination requires cross-institutional documentation, compliance review, budget development, and institutional approvals that cannot be compressed into a shorter window.

Day 10: Proposal Initiation for Projects Not Issuing Subawards

For proposals that do not include subawards, initiation in CARA is required no later than 10 business days before the sponsor deadline. This window allows your Pre-Award URA and OVPR the time needed to develop the proposal collaboratively and complete the institutional review activities required for submission.

Day 5: Complete Proposal Package Due by 5:00 p.m. CT

All proposal components must be final, uploaded in CARA, reviewed by your URA, certified by the PI, and approved for routing by Day 5 at 5:00 p.m. CT. The proposal narrative is the sole exception and may be in near-final form at this stage, provided that all decisions affecting research design, compliance, budget, and personnel are established. After Day 5, only minor editorial changes to the narrative are permitted.

All required research trainings and conflict of interest disclosures must be completed for all named personnel by Day 5. Failure to meet training and disclosure requirements can prevent institutional approval and submission.

Day 3: Final Narrative Edits and Approvals Due by 5:00 p.m. CT

All narrative revisions must be complete, and the proposal must be fully approved by unit leadership and all required ancillary reviewers in CARA by Day 3 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Proposals that are not fully approved by Day 3 may not be submitted.

What Happens if a Deadline Is Missed

Missing internal deadlines affects the level of institutional review OVPR can provide and, in some cases, whether your proposal can be submitted.

Day 30 or Day 10 missed: OVPR will determine whether a limited review and submission are feasible based on available time and capacity. A full institutional review cannot be guaranteed, and the proposal may need to be deferred to a future sponsor deadline.

Day 5 or Day 3 missed: The proposal will not be submitted. Exceptions are considered only in rare circumstances entirely outside the PI's control, such as a sponsor issuing or modifying a deadline without adequate advance notice and must be requested before Day 5. All exception requests require approval from the Department Chair, Dean, and Vice Provost for Research.

Limited Review

When internal deadlines are missed, sufficient time may no longer exist to complete a full institutional review. OVPR will determine whether a limited review is feasible based on available capacity and time remaining. A limited review is partial and does not carry the same protections for the PI or the university. Under a limited review, budgets may not be fully verified, compliance requirements may not be validated, and inconsistencies between proposal components may go undetected, any of which can result in automatic rejection by the sponsor. If funded, award acceptance may be delayed or denied pending a post-submission compliance review.

Resources

• 30-10-5-3 Internal Proposal Deadline Policy
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Proposal Components by Deadline Stage — 30-10-5-3 Policy Appendix
• Find Your Pre-Award URA

Questions? Contact your Pre-Award URA. We are here to help you develop a strong, competitive proposal and see it successfully to submission.