Any time you are applying for research funding (whether you are the PI or co-PI), please contact the Faculty of Health Research Support Office. We can provide feedback on your proposal and can help you secure institutional approval.
If you are a co-applicant on a grant that requires an institutional signature from York, please follow these steps:
- Notify us that you are a co-applicant on a grant
- Complete an ORS checklist [PDF] signed by you and your Department Chair or Director.
- Provide us with the checklist and as complete a version of the grant as you can, including the budget. We recognize that proposals may be in process, and do not expect to see a finished draft of each section. However, we cannot provide an institutional signature without the budget.
- Let us know if you intend to pick up the signed signature pages or would like to have them faxed to the PI at another institution.
- We will review the proposal and budget, secure the Dean’s signature, and forward the application to ORS for the final institutional signature.
Some grants do not require institutional signatures for co-applicants. In these cases, we appreciate being notified that you are part of a proposal, but an ORS checklist is not mandatory at the time of submission. However, if the application is successful and funds will be transferred to York, an ORS checklist will be required before the University can accept the funds. An ORS checklist is mandatory for all applications that require an institutional signature from York.
Co-Applicants and the 48 hour signature practice
Please be reminded that a 48 hour signature practice is in effect at York. ORS will enforce a strict 48 hour (2 working days) signature practice for all grant applications and contract proposals. No institutional signatures will be provided for applications or contract proposals brought into ORS less than 48 hours before the deadline.
Note that for the purposes of co-applicants, this deadline could be even earlier. If the lead institution has a deadline in advance of the agency deadline, York will consider that date as the grant’s deadline. The proposal must reach ORS for signature 48 hours in advance of the lead institution’s deadline.
Before you submit your application...
It’s a good idea to discuss roles and responsibilities any time you are asked to be part of a research team. How will you be expected to contribute to the research? How much time will it take? What resources will be available to you and what resources might you be asked to commit?
You may need to hold a portion of the funds as a sub-grant at York to carry out your responsibilities as a co-applicant. Agree on an appropriate amount at the time of application. If you don’t need funds at York to successfully collaborate, you may want to consider whether the budget includes funds to reimburse your travel costs for research meetings or conferences.
Similarly, discuss whether you (and by extension, York) will be asked to commit any resources to the project. For example, will you be asked to provide space for a research assistant, or access to a piece of equipment?
Lastly, you might also want to initiate a conversation about publications and authorship. Setting clear expectations at the proposal stage can prevent conflict down the road.