Letters of Intent and Preliminary Proposals

Research, Sponsored Projects   |   Approved October 9, 2015

Purpose

To determine actions required for letters of intent and other similar preliminary proposals (or pre-proposals).

Applicability

Investigators submitting preliminary information to a sponsor where such information will not result in funding. 

Sponsors refer to these pre-proposals in many ways. Some typical terms are: Letter of intent, preliminary proposal, white paper, letter of inquiry, concept paper. For more information, see the Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) website regarding preliminary proposals.

Instructions

1. Prepare pre-proposal. The content of a pre-proposal varies according to sponsor instructions and sponsor type.
   • It may simply contain a statement of intent to apply for a funding opportunity.
   • It may describe the project in a high level of detail to allow for sponsor evaluation.
   • It may include a estimate of project cost.
2. Pre-proposals that include an estimate of project cost are to be entered in Kuali Research and routed for approvals. Other pre-proposals do not need to be routed.
3. If sponsor requires the signature of an University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) authorized official for the pre-proposal, contact your SPA team.