DCG Education Series:

Proposal Preparation and Submission

In a continuing effort to be responsive and supportive to the needs of the researchers and staff at USC, the Department of Contracts and Grants has developed a series of courses that are designed to provide an overview of the proposal submission process: (1) Fundamentals; (2) Foundations; (3) Advanced; and (4) Budgets.

The “Fundamentals” course focuses on basic sponsor and USC specific requirements for successful proposal preparation and submission. The course covers: (1) Research Administration terminology and definitions; (2) Elements of a proposal; (3) Building a budget and budget justification; (4) USC requirements; and (5) Sponsor submission systems.

• Who should attend: Faculty and staff new to research administration or who need a refresher
• Instructor led, live discussions
• Expected course duration: 4 hours

The “Foundations” course focuses on the particular complexities unique to developing and submitting proposals to non-federal sponsors and foundations. Specifically, this course is concerned with the administrative facets of: (1) Differences between gifts and grants; (2) Unique aspects of foundation/non-federal projects; and (3) Addressing basic budgeting principles, particularly those that differ from budgeting for federal sponsors.

• Who should attend: Faculty and staff who work with foundations and non-federal sponsors
• Instructor led, live discussions
• Expected course duration: 3 hours

The “Advanced” course covers sponsor and USC specific requirements for successful proposal preparation and submission. It differs from Fundamentals in that it focuses on: (1) advanced principles, particularly with respect to the preparation and coordination of complex proposals; (2) Proposals involving multiple principal investigators and schools (internally and externally), e.g. Center grants and interdisciplinary proposals; and (3) Systems issues related to complex proposals. ** The advanced course assumes that participants are familiar with the essential principles and terminology and know how to properly apply them as they relate to the proposal development and submission process.

• Who should attend: Experienced Research Administration staff.
• Instructor led, live discussions
• Expected course duration: 3 hours

The “Budgets” course focuses on the essentials of grant and contract budget building.  Aimed at those new to the process, the budgets class will teach the critical skills necessary to successfully prepare a proposal budget, laying the groundwork for more complex budget building skills to develop. Specifically, this course is concerned with: (1) Budgeting Rules and Regulations (2) Addressing Sponsor guidelines (3) Putting the rules into practice

• Who should attend: Staff and faculty new to budget development for grants and contracts
• Instructor led, live discussions
• Please bring a calculator
• Expected course duration: 2 hours

Online Registration