*In alignment with the NIH’s new policy on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in grant applications (NOT-OD-25-132), our office has revised the internal submission requirements and timelines. These changes will apply to all applications submitted for September 25, 2025, receipt date and beyond. Considering this new guidance, we will ensure NIH compliance across all proposals, even if not required by the external sponsor.

All proposals submitted by Touro University for external support of research, public service, and training must be approved by the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) prior to signature by Touro's authorized institutional official and prior to submission to sponsors. OSP has been given this charge by President Kadish in order to ensure conformance with both the policies of Touro University and the requirements of the sponsoring agency.

As part of its own approval process, OSP requires that there also be prior proposal approval by the Dean of the School in which the Principal Investigator holds his/her appointment (and, if required by that Dean, approval from the School's appropriate Department or Program Chair). The purpose of this requirement is to confirm that all commitments made in the proposal are consistent with the respective School's objectives and resources. The required Proposal Transmittal and Approval Form can be found at this link.

Full-time regular faculty may serve as Principal Investigators on sponsored projects. On occasion, other individuals with appointments at Touro University may also serve as Principal Investigators with the endorsement of the Dean of the School in which the sponsored project will be based and with approval by the appropriate Divisional Vice President.

Principal Investigators are strongly encouraged to begin the proposal preparation and the OSP review and approval process well in advance of the sponsor's submission deadline. Coordination among the various units and individuals involved can be time-consuming, especially given the geographic dispersion of the Touro University community. OSP is committed to providing prompt feedback at every stage of this process as all parties work together to meet internal and sponsor deadlines.

Below is a Targeted Timetable which we strongly recommend Principal Investigators (PIs) follow as they proceed with proposal development. This Timetable reflects not only work that a PI must do, but it also allows time for the review and approval steps that involve OSP. 

1. At least 30 days prior to proposal submission deadline(preferably sooner, whenever possible), the Principal Investigator (PI) should:
   • Inform the Dean (and the Department or Program Chair, if required by the Dean) of the intent to submit a proposal, provide either a link to the proposal announcement or a hard copy of the announcement, and schedule appropriate meetings with School officials as directed by the Dean to discuss proposal plans.
   • Inform the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) of the intent to submit a proposal, provide either a link to the proposal announcement or a hard copy of the announcement, and schedule a meeting with OSP staff to discuss proposal plans.
2. As soon as possible after signaling the intent to submit a proposal, the PI should:
   • Meet with the Dean (and Department or Program Chair, as required) to discuss the programmatic content of the proposal and how it fits in with the goals of the School and professional development/research objectives of the PI. Also discussed should be the scale of the project, any School space, equipment, or financial commitments that will be required as part of the proposal, and the project budget. With respect to preparing the budget, the PI should work with appropriate School officials, taking into account sponsor guidance and relevant Touro policies (including, for example, indirect costs).
   • Meet with OSP staff to discuss, at a minimum, both sponsor and Touro institutional requirements associated with submission of the proposal and key proposal administrative details.
   • Encourage any Touro University Co-PIs to initiate discussions with their own School officials (if they are not faculty members in the same School as the PI), essentially following the same proposal review and approval process required of the Touro University lead PI.
   • Initiate and secure any sub-recipient organization/institution proposals to be included in the sponsored program submission; this requirement also applies when collaborating with other Schools within the Touro College and University System.
3. At least 10 business days prior to the proposal submission deadline, the PI should submit to his/her School and to the OSP a copy of the draft budget and budget justification for purposes of eliciting feedback. Additionally, at that time the PI should provide OSP (for its review) draft copies of the proposal's required administrative pages as identified during the preliminary proposal discussion.
4. At least 7 business days prior to the proposal submission deadline, the PI should submit a full proposal for review and approval to the Dean (and Department or Program Chair, if required by the Dean).
5. At least 5 business days prior to the proposal submission deadline, the PI should submit the final School-approved proposal and the signed Proposal Transmittal and Approval Form to OSP. OSP will then obtain signature by the Touro University Authorized Institutional Official (the Controller).
6. Three (3) business days prior to the proposal deadline, the final proposal must be completely ready for submission. Then:
   • If the sponsor requires institutional submission, OSP will submit the proposal electronically, OR
   • If the sponsor requires PI submission, the PI will submit the proposal electronically, but only after first obtaining OSP approval and Touro University institutional signoff.

Federal Applications Submission Timeline

• All Federal applications must be finalized and submitted to OSP at least 14 days prior to the sponsor’s deadline.
• Please contact OSP as soon as possible if extenuating circumstances prevent compliance with this timeline.
• This 14-day window is essential to allow OSP sufficient time for a thorough review, including a rigorous verification process to ensure that AI tools have not been used in the application.  However, the most critical areas for scrutiny are those that describe the core scientific merit and innovation of the proposal – Research Strategy, Specific Aims and fabricated citations or data.

Important Compliance Note:

• Federal applications will not be accepted without the completed internal forms.
• Applications not finalized at least 14 days before the sponsor deadline may not move forward.
• There will be no exceptions to this policy.
• Limit 6 submissions per year.