The Office of Academic Affairs has the administrative responsibility to facilitate the faculty research proposal development and submission process. The office submits research proposals to external funding agencies on behalf of Robert Morris University.

The following steps are to be taken when processing and submitting a research proposal to an external funding agency:

1. Faculty notifies the Office of Academic Affairs of their intent to file a research proposal.  The Office of Academic Affairs will then assist faculty in proposal preparation, development and submission according to the guidelines established for the sponsoring agency.

2. Faculty submits the "Research Proposal" to the Office of Academic Affairs.

3. Office of Academic Affairs prepares the proposal budget.

4. Office of Academic Affairs prepares the "Research Proposal Process Form". The federal government guidelines must be followed if the "Research Proposal" is not exempt from Human Subject review prior to the next step.

5. The "Research Proposal" accompanying the "Proposal Budget" and the "Proposal Process Form" are reviewed and signed by the Department Head, Dean, Associate Vice President, and the Budget Officer.

6. The Office of Academic Affairs submits the proposal to the funding agency on behalf of Robert Morris University.

7. The Office of Academic Affairs distributes a copy of the full proposal documentation to the faculty member, the Department Head and the Dean. This will include the "Submission Cover Letter:, Research Proposal", "Proposal Budget", and the "Research Proposal Process Form".

8. In the case of an "Award", the Office of Academic Affairs distributes a copy of the "Award Notification" to the faculty member, the Department Head, the Dean, and the Office of Business Affairs.

9. The Office of Business Affairs creates an "Account" for the grant, and together with faculty, manages the project expenditures.

10. The Office of Academic Affairs submits mid-progress and final reports prepared by the faculty, and it handles communications with the granting agency, if and when needed.