Getting Started with WVU+kc Proposal Development

Owned by Jessica Steele
Jan 13, 2025
4 min read

The Proposal Development document (KC Blue Sheet) allows faculty and staff to submit a request to begin a new project with the Office of Sponsored Programs. This guide provides an introduction to beginning and saving a new proposal, as well as a basic overview of each section of the document that must be completed before you can submit the finished proposal.

A training video is also available that demonstrates how to complete and submit a Proposal Development request to the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Starting a new proposal

Log in

After you have been granted Proposal Development access in WVU+kc, log into the system at kc.wvu.edu. Click the Create Proposal link under Proposals in the menu to start a new document.

Complete the Proposal Page

To be able to save a new proposal development document in WVU+kc, you must first fill in all the required fields on the first (Proposal) page. After the first page has been saved, you can exit the application and come back later to finish the proposal. Before you start a proposal, have the following information on hand.

Required fields for Saving Document section

  • Sponsor Code: Search for the name of the sponsoring agency from which you hope to receive funding. New sponsors can be added on the Search page.

  • Proposal Type: Will this proposal be for a new project, a continuation, renewal, etc.?

  • Department / Lead Unit: What WVU unit will receive and manage the funding for this project?

  • Activity Type: Will this project be for research (basic, applied, developmental), or for clinical trials, service, or instruction?

  • Short Title: An abbreviated title for this project (to be used as an identifier)

  • Project Title: The full title of the project as it will appear on the sponsor application

  • Initial Start Date: The first date on which project activity will occur during the first year of the project activity (single or multi-year)

  • Initial End Date: The last date (within one year from the Start Date) on which project activity will occur during the first year of the project

Sponsor & Program Information section

  • Sponsor Deadline Date: When does the sponsor want to receive applications?

  • Sponsor Deadline Type: Must the application be electronically submitted, postmarked, or received by that date?

  • Field of Study Code: What field does this project fall under? (If none apply, choose Other.)

Organization / Location section

  • Applicant Organization: Keep the default WVURC, unless the sponsor requires an educational institution be the funding recipient, in which case you should pick WVU.

  • Performance Site Locations: Choose a location (physical address) where the project activity will occur.

Keywords section

  • Add Keywords: Click to search for and select at least one keyword to associate with the project.

Save the document

After you have completed all of the above fields on the Proposal page, click the save button at the bottom of the page. This will save your proposal development document in the WVU+kc system (assigning a document number) so you can log out and complete other details later.  

If the page contains any errors which prevent saving, an error message will appear at the top of the page and above any sections with incomplete fields.

Completing a Proposal Development Document

After saving the information on the first page, you can continue to the other tabs (pages) of the document:

  • Proposal: This is where you will outline the main details of the proposal: the title, type of project, proposed funding source, WVU lead unit, and other information. The first page must be completed before you can save the document in the system.

  • Key Personnel: On this page you must add at least a Principal Investigator. You may also add other members of the project, such as Co-Investigators, research staff or support staff.

  • Permissions: Set access permissions (view or edit) to this document for other project members. PIs and Co-Investigators will automatically be set up with Aggregator (edit) access.

  • Questions: The Office of Sponsored Programs needs to know a bit about the project (multiple tasks? sub-awards? cost sharing?). Complete the Policy Checklist and Regulations and Compliancequestionnaires.

  • Budget Versions: The information you will enter here is a proposed summary budget only; more detailed budget info should be included with your other paperwork. 

  • Special Review: This page is only required if you have an IRB protocol or continuation of an existing project, if animals or human subjects will be involved, or you want to include information about future work that is planned.

  • Notes and Attachments: Depending on the type of award application being submitted, some attachments may be required. For instance, if you selected that this proposal will involve a Grants.gov application, you must attach the required package on this page.

  • Proposal Summary: The proposal summary page gives you an overview of the information you have included so far, and an opportunity to verify that everything is complete. Use the Validation Tool to check for any missing data or attachments.

  • Proposal Actions: This tab also allows you to use the Validation Tool to check and to fix any errors. Once the document is complete, you can Submit the document for approvals and review by OSP. This page is also where you can view the Route Log to see any approvals that are pending or completed.