The electronic (PDRF) Proposal Development and Routing Form) is used to collect and route all the proposal documents, approvals and waivers necessary for review and endorsement by Stanford University. Department Administrators (RPMs in the School of Medicine) should initiate the PDRF at the beginning of the proposal development process. PIs and administrators are required to use the PDRF which is accessed through the SeRA (Stanford Electronic Research Administration) system. 

Review and Approvals

The Principal Investigator’s review and approval collected in the PDRF provides certifications required by government agencies, and an agreement to comply with Stanford and sponsor policies.

Departmental review and approvals confirm financial commitments made in a proposal, and that stated personnel and facilities are available to carry out the project. Other required special approvals are also documented.

Review and Endorsement

The (IO) Institutional Official reviews the information contained in the PDRF to endorse the proposal. The IO submits the endorsed proposal to the sponsor on behalf of Stanford University.

View PDRF resources.

• PIs Completing, Reviewing, & Approving a PDRF
• PIs Reviewing & Approving a PDRF
• Other Stanford Faculty (Co-Investigators) Completing, Reviewing & Approving an OSF Form
• Creating University Research PDRF's (NEW July 1, 2013)
• Proposal Types and their Impact on PTA Setup (NEW July 10, 2013)

Grants.gov is where to find and apply for most Federal grants. Grants.gov replaces paper applications with electronic portable document format (.pdf) forms and requires electronic submission of all applications.

Getting Started

View  Grants.gov a Guided Tour. The video skips the first chapter on registration as Stanford is already registered in Grants.gov.  You can maximize the size of the video by selecting the full screen icon  in the lower right corner of the screen  [  ].  Happy viewing!

Grants.gov is where to find and apply for most Federal grants. Grants.gov replaces paper applications with electronic portable document format (.pdf) forms and requires electronic submission of all applications. Helpful tips are listed below:

• There is no logon for Grants.gov, and only Stanford Institutional Officials (IO) within the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) and the Research Management Group (RMG) are allowed to submit applications through Grants.gov.

• Do not create an account with Grants.gov. The Institution (Stanford) submits on your behalf and is the only account holder.

• Do not re-register Stanford in the Central Contractor Registry (CCR); Stanford has already been registered.

• Use the specific application package and instructions linked to each Funding Opportunity Announcement (“FOA”). Note that an FOA might have multiple sets of instructions and forms.

• If you need to share the file, the best practice is to either use a flash drive, eSubmit, department server, or attach to the PDRF in SeRA.

• Each solicitation must have a Funding Opportunity Number (FON) - check your agency website for general numbers for investigator-initiated or "unsolicited" or "investigator-initiated" proposals.

• Review the FOA (solicitation), instructions, and the application package. Note that many large sponsors have "general Grants.gov" instructions, and some sponsors create special instructions for each application. Be familiar with the instructions of the sponsors to whom you submit so your application will be completed properly. Crucial information can be buried in the FOA or instructions!

• Never copy or reuse an old package on resubmissions, even if all the information is the same! The proposal package file can only be submitted once! (Note: any PDF attachments that have not changed may be reused for other applications).

Download Applications & Instructions

After you click the Apply for Grant Electronically button within the FOA, you will be prompted by an “Important Note to All Applicants”; note Stanford registration in the System for Award Management (SAM)  is active and managed on an Institutional level.

To download the application package and instructions, click the Proceed to Grants.gov to Download Application button under the notice.

This will open the Download Application Package page. After confirming you have selected the correct opportunity, click on the Download link:

1. Enter email addresses into the field provided. This is used to notify you of any changes to the package that might require you to download a new application package, not to add your email to any SPAM or unwanted distribution lists. Multiple addresses can be added, should be added for every application as the notifications are application-specific.

2. Download BOTH the application instructions and the application package

Please note the following important points.

• When you download the application package, save the file onto your computer. 

• The package is one electronic file – it cannot be broken up or merged.

• Only one person can work on the application package at a time; changes cannot be merged.

• Do not discount information contained within the program announcement, as some sponsors use generic instructions for all of their applications. The program announcements may have different instructions for each individual FOA which will override any general instructions.

• Each solicitation will have a unique Funding Opportunity Number (FON). Check the agency website for general numbers for investigator-initiated or "unsolicited" proposals.

• Resubmission: Always download a new application package as they can only be submitted once. Never reuse grant application packages to resubmit, even if you believe all the information is the same. You can reuse PDF attachments that have not changed if they are still relevant to your proposal.

​