LIFT Request Guidelines

Current guidance for LIFT requests is below. We anticipate that LIFT will receive a high volume of requests over the first few months of its operation. LIFT leadership will initially utilize the guidelines below to determine whether a request is a relevant fit to the mission of LIFT. We will continue to develop a refined set of criteria over the next several months.

• LIFT’s primary function is grant construction support through proposal development, editing, revision, structure, organization, narration, timeline & task management, etc. for grants. LIFT can also support requests for graphic design, response strategy, and social impact/community engagement plans.
• LIFT is designed to be complementary to existing research development infrastructure on campus with the aim to enhance the bandwidth of existing embedded units and to support investigators who do not have access to this type of service in their college/branch/unit.
• LIFT does not provide budget preparation or review services directly. However, if budget assistance is desired, then LIFT will work with the research team to seek budget support from the Pre-Award Office.
  Note: while LIFT does not provide budget creation or review services, LIFT team members will still need access to the budget, the budget justification, and the person preparing them. LIFT should be involved in budget discussions that directly relate to any application components LIFT is working on.
• Requests for LIFT support should be submitted as early as possible in the grant planning process. Ideally, with grants of this scale, teams should be developing the application well in advance of the deadline. For that reason, requests typically should be submitted at least 12 weeks in advance of the sponsor’s first required deadline. The first required deadline is defined as the first submission type that is required by the sponsor. The amount of time LIFT will have between request date and first required deadline will be part of the request review. LIFT support requests that are submitted less than 12 weeks before the first available deadline may only be eligible for partial services. There is no guarantee that a request will be accepted by LIFT.
• LIFT provides service for large, often interdisciplinary program and center grant opportunities. Large is a relative term and varies depending on the college’s/branch’s/unit’s research portfolio. Generally, LIFT-involved grants are $2.5 million or higher. However, applicants should make a case for why the target opportunity aligns with the mission/portfolio of LIFT for their respective college/branch/unit. LIFT does not charge for its services. Instead, LIFT is evaluated based on its ability to support large-scale grant applications that grow or enhance the university research portfolio.
• There is no guarantee that a request for services will be accepted by LIFT.
• LIFT adheres to university limited submission opportunity (LSO) processes and guidelines.