Letters of Intent and Preliminary Proposals

Letters of intent to apply and preliminary proposals or “pre-proposals” are in a gray area with regard to routing.

Normally a letter of intent is a non-binding document which simply helps the sponsor determine how many applications can be expected as a result of the solicitation or announcement and, in some cases, how many reviewers and the specific expertise that is likely to be needed for peer review.

Pre-proposals are usually submitted for the purpose of “triage” at the funding agency. Following review of the preliminary proposals, a select number of these applicants are invited to submit full applications. In addition, some companies request a preliminary proposal for their consideration for support of a research project (see Research Agreements).

Neither the letter of intent nor the pre-proposal, as such, will result in funding. However, an institutional endorsement is often required. Should these documents be routed?

Letters of intent, as described above, do not need to be routed.

Pre-proposals or letters that include a preliminary or estimated budget should be routed. The preliminary or estimated budget should include Facilities and Administrative Costs (indirect costs) at the appropriate rate.

If turnaround time for submission of the pre-proposal is short, ORD staff will work with you to meet the deadline.

If a full proposal is submitted as a follow-up to the preliminary proposal, the full proposal must be routed. When the pre-proposal or letter has already been routed, then the full proposal should be marked as a “Revision” on the routing form.