PREP Program

Pilot: proposal Review by External Peers (PREP) Program

The OSP is excited to announce our newest pilot program – the Proposal Review by External Peers (PREP) Program. The goal of this program is to give investigators access to quality feedback from expert peers in their field of study prior to submission of a substantial grant proposal. Through PREP, OSP will provide $300 stipends to external peer reviewers for providing expert review and feedback on a substantial grant proposal.

PREP is open to all faculty eligible to submit a grant proposal as Principal Investigator (PI) who have previously engaged with the OSP and meet the below criteria. Eligible faculty may receive this benefit once per fiscal year.

Eligibility

To be eligible for PREP, all of the following must be true:

  • The proposal is a research grant
  • The PI has engaged with OSP in some capacity in the last two years (e.g. individual consultations, proposal submissions).
  • The PI must commit to providing proposal documents - in close-to-final form - at least 4 weeks in advance of the sponsor's deadline.

Process

The PI must submit an application at least 8weeks prior to the sponsor’s proposal deadline. Upon receipt, the OSP will review the application to confirm eligibility and adequate timeline, and will make selections on a rolling basis until funding for the fiscal year has been exhausted. Your divisional Sponsored Research Officer (SRO) will contact you within 2 business days regarding the outcome of your application; and if selected, next steps. If selected and you do not already have a reviewer in mind, your SRO will research past recipients of this award/program/sponsor and will provide a list of potential reviewers from which the investigator will prioritize preference. Your SRO will contact the reviewer about the commitment, timeline, and associated compensation ($300) for completing review of your proposal.

Timeline

  • 8 weeks (minimum) prior to sponsor proposal deadline - Investigator submits PREP application, notifying OSP of intention to seek external peer review via Qualtrics form. OSP then works with PI to identify preferred reviewers.
  • 6 weeks (minimum) prior to sponsor deadline – OSP contacts preferred reviewers and communicates commitment, timeline, and compensation.
  • 4 weeks (minimum) prior to sponsor deadline – Investigator provides close-to-final proposal documents to OSP for transmittal to external peer reviewer. Feedback is requested from the reviewer within 10 business-days. 
  • 2 weeks prior to sponsor deadline – Internal reviews begin. Feedback must already be incorporated into proposal.

The more time provided, the more time you will have to identify a suitable reviewer and incorporate the feedback received.

Submit a PREP Application