• Staff essentials
• HR
• Learning and teaching
• Research
  • About Research Innovation and Knowledge Exchange
  • Research Staff induction
  • Working with business and industry
  • External funding - Grants
    • Is this project research?
    • Develop a research idea
    • Applying for funding
      • Finding funding
      • When to apply
      • Costing
      • Project personnel
      • Research Activity Approval Framework
      • Authorisations
      • Tips for success
      • Submitting applications
      • Support for funding applications
      • Internal Process for Research Funding Applications
    • Match funding (Internal only)
    • Find an external partner
    • EU Research Funding
    • US Funding (Federal Wide Assurance)
    • Intellectual property
    • Contracts
    • Post-award
    • Support for Grants
    • International engagement
  • Institutional Funding and Programmes (Staff access only)
  • Research impact
  • Publicising your research
  • Commercialising research
  • Knowledge exchange
  • Research governance
  • Research Excellence Framework (REF)
  • PURE
  • Training and forums
  • Research Equipment
  • Internal Webpage for Professional Education and Skills
  • Open research at York
  • Responsible research and innovation
  • Research Culture & Researcher Development
  • Public Engagement with Research at York
  • HE-BCI
  • White Rose University Press
• Policies and strategies
• Community
• What's happening

Authorisations

Authorisation for Research (and Research related) Grant applications will be required from your Head of Department or School, though some departments may also require additional authorisations.

The Internal Approval Process for Research and Research Related grant applications establishes clear, consistent timelines that allow both Pre-Award teams and approvers sufficient time to perform necessary checks before your application is submitted to the funder.

All external research and research related grant applications must follow this process. There are two main deadlines that must be followed:

• Deadline 1 ‘Intention to submit’ notification: (4 weeks prior to the funder submission deadline): PIs must notify Pre-Award via faculty-specific channels with key project parameters (e.g. funding call, role, estimated budget, external partners).
  
  
• Deadline 2 Worktribe deadline:  (6 full working days prior to the funder submission deadline): PIs must provide a complete Worktribe record, including a finalised budget, an advanced draft copy, and completed split/risk assessment tabs.

Applications failing to meet these deadlines are classified as late internal submissions. In these instances, Pre-Award teams are responsible for conducting a risk assessment to determine whether to continue standard support, proceed with minimal checks subject to departmental risk acceptance, or stop the application due to significant risk.

Any application submitted for approval after 4PM on the last working day before the deadline will not be approved without prior agreement.

Scheme of Delegation

There is a Scheme of Delegation which sets out who can take decisions and who can sign documents on behalf of the University. This is in place to ensure that the University meets the required financial regulations, ensuring that the University properly looks after the money it is paid by students, funders, donors, organisations and governments. It must be followed in all scenarios.

Research Activity Approval Framework

The Research Activity Approval Framework provides clarification on the approval stages of Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange activities, including research and research related grant applications, and responsibilities for stakeholders. It sets out the six principles for approvals: academic and strategic fit; resource availability; quality assurance; ethical compliance; financial consideration; and risk.

Enhanced Institutional & PVC-R Approval

Whilst the majority of bid approvals will be standard, there will be some exceptions that need Enhanced and/or PVC-R Institutional approval where applications have a higher financial risk profile to the University; consideration is given to the cost of undertaking research, the investment the University makes in research and the overall financial sustainability of research activities.

Documents Requiring Institutional Signatures

If your application requires institutional signatures, please reach out to your Faculty Pre-Award Team, who will coordinate with the necessary approvers to secure the signature using Google eSignature.