Institutional Letter of Support Request
The Vice President for Research (VPR) is pleased to provide an Institutional Letter of Commitment or Support when required by the proposal solicitation or when allowed by the sponsor, to enhance the competitiveness of the application. Letters must be carefully prepared when committing the university to any types of support or deliverable. Letters of support should not commit UH for cost share or other monetary contribution unless required by the sponsor in the solicitation.
Below is the process and timeline for requesting and receiving a request for Institutional Letter of Support.
| Steps | Responsible Office or Person | Timing |
|
Preparation of draft letter to be sent to Office of Contracts and Grants (OCG) Pre-Award Director |
Principal Investigator (PI) /Dean/Chair | |
|
A first review and revision, as needed, is done by OCG |
OCG Pre-Award Director with a cc to the Division of Research’s (DOR) VC/VP Research & Tech Transfer | 2 days |
|
A second review, approval and signature is done by the department head of all units involved |
Department Chairs and/or Dean | 2 days |
|
A final review and approval/signature is done by DOR |
VC/VP Research & Tech Transfer | 2 days |
|
An alternate or additional final review and approval/signature is done as needed or required |
Provost or Chancellor | 5 days |
| The letter is submitted to the Sponsor | PI and Pre-Award RA | |
Support Statement
General commitment and support statements, as opposed to cost share commitments, are non-monetary support that will be available to the project, without providing specific dollar amounts that could be construed as auditable cost sharing by the sponsor. This includes information on institutional resources and/or initiatives that could strengthen the reviewer’s impression of the application.
Cost Sharing
For letters requiring commitment statements of cost share that the university will provide if the proposal is funded, there must be internal documentation, aside from the letter, that establishes the source, type, and dollar amount for all cost sharing. This includes all contributions of cash or in-kind support that is being made to the award. All cost sharing must be included in the transmittal form and approved by each unit providing support.
Additional Information to provide
When submitting the draft institutional letter of support, please also provide the following information if it is not included in the letter:
- Contact information for person(s) requesting the letter of support;
- Sponsor’s name, program title or RFP/Solicitation number;
- Brief description of project and any other information that will help make the proposal more competitive;
- Any relevant, approved committed cost-sharing, or other available resources;
- PI achievements, alignment with University strengths or initiatives, impact of research.