The question occasionally arises as to whether or not a request sent to a funding agency is the type of a "preliminary proposal" that requires the authorizing approval of the institution prior to submission. If the proposal meets any one of the following criteria it should be routed just the same as a proposal for signatures of the Department Head(s), Dean(s) or Vice President(s), and Director of Sponsored Programs before it leaves the campus:

• The proposal includes a budget by categories, even if it is only such categories as salaries and wages, supplies and expenses, travel, and indirect;
• The proposal commits certain resources or obligates the University to certain responsibilities, such as contractual obligations or matching costs;
• The sponsor requires the proposal be signed by an institutional official before being forwarded.

If none of these is present, then the preliminary proposal may be sent to the sponsor with an information copy forwarded to the Office of Sponsored Programs.