Getting Started - Cayuse

Cayuse SP Pre-Award Resources


Our team is committed to supporting 91做厙 researchers by assuring complete, timely, accurate proposal submissions. To prepare 91做厙 researchers for use of the Cayuse SP platform, our team has compiled the below resources and guidance to assist with the successful development and submission of proposals in Cayuse SP.



Check out the recording of the Q&A and Cayuse overview session from our team or available in our .



If you have any questions related to Cayuse SP, please click here to email our Submissions and Awards team.



  • What is Cayuse SP?

    Cayuse Sponsored Projects (Cayuse SP) acts as the central hub in which 91做厙 researchers and research administrators gain full transparency into the entire sponsored research lifecycle. From pre-award to post-award, Cayuse SP lets you prepare proposals and awards, track projects, route for internal approvals, and manage each step of the sponsored project lifecycle. Upon ORSP's receipt and assignment of a Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) form, the ORSP Proposal Administrator (PA) will create a Cayuse proposal record. The research team will have access this Cayuse proposal record and it is where they will work in collaboration with ORSP staff to prepare and submit the proposal. All 91做厙 personnel will have access to Cayuse SP and will be required to use the platform to complete proposal forms and certify routing documents before a proposal is submitted to the sponsor.

    Cayuse SP also serves as the main source for 91做厙 sponsored projects submission and award data. As such, it is imperative that all grant and sponsored projects are routed through the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to ensure the submissions and awards are compliant with all related policies and that the researchers involved receive credit for their efforts and successes.

  • How to Log Into Cayuse

    Step 1: Navigate to to email our Submissions and Awards team. In your email please provide your full name, 91做厙 email, your department and college affiliation, and any screenshots highlighting the access issues experienced.


  • "My Tasks"

    When you first log in to Cayuse you will land on My Tasks. This section is similar to an inbox where users create and manage tasks related to proposal and award records. Tasks can be created by all users in Cayuse. For example, ORSP personnel may create a task for a member of a project team to review changes to the proposal form. Or, members of the project team can assign tasks to one another to better manage and organize the team's efforts during the development of a proposal.

    How to create tasks:

    1. Click "New Task"
    2. Click "Assign To" and enter the name of the person you wish to assign a task
    3. Enter the due date for the task
    4. Provide a description of the task and any additional notes that assignee may need.
    5. Click "Assign and Send" and the assigned user will receive an automated email of the assigned task to the 91做厙 email with a link to the record in Cayuse. The task will also appear on the assigned users Cayuse Dashboard.


    How to manage tasks:

    • The default view on your dashboard will be the tasks you have been assigned.
    • Toggle between the "Assigned to Me" and Created by Me" views at the top right of your dashboard. You can also select the "Open" view to see just tasks that are still open and require attention or the "All" view to see all tasks that have been created regardless of their status.
    • The user assigned to a task or the user that created the task can click to open each task to manage the individual task. In this view users can change the assignee, edit the text box within the task, as well as manage the task status.
    • Once an open task is complete, click to open the task, click the drop-down under "Task Status," and select "closed." A task in a closed status will no longer show on the users dashboard unless they have the "All" task view toggled on.

  • Navigating to Cayuse SP

    When you first log in to Cayuse you will land on the Cayuse Dashboard. The dashboard serves as the central hub or the jump off point to access all the Cayuse modules available at 91做厙 including sponsored projects (used for grant submissions and awards) and human ethics (used for compliance).

    To access Cayuse SP:

    1. Click "Products" at the top-right of the screen,
    2. Click "Sponsored Projects" from the drop down menu.


    You are now looking at your Cayuse SP dashboard where you will be able to view current and past proposals you are affiliated with. Cayuse SP went live at 91做厙 in February 2023 and historical proposal records are not contained in the platform. If you need access to historical submission or award data then contact our team.

    The dashboard makes it easy to navigate the proposal and award records. At the top-left of the screen on the Cayuse SP Dashboard users can quickly navigate between their pre- and post-award activities. The 'Proposals' tab will include all current and historical proposal submissions. The 'Awards' tab will include all current and historical award records. Users can customize the variables to include in your view by selecting 'Set View' but note that the view resets each session. Users can also export their proposal and award information by clicking the 'Download to CSV' button available on both the 'Proposal' and 'Award' tab.

    Pre-Award:
    Your Cayuse SP Proposal dashboard (the 'Proposals' tab) will default to a list of all of your proposals. This complete list may include proposals that have different statuses. As proposals travel through the submission process each will be assigned a status according to its location in the process: In Development, Under Review, Approved, and Submitted to Sponsor. Once a funding decision is received from the sponsoring agency the proposal will have a status of either Funded or Closed. To filter your view by a single status you can select the status box at the top of the dashboard.

    Post-Award:
    Your Cayuse SP Award dashboard (the 'Awards' tab) will default to a list of all of your awards. Similar to the 'Proposals' tab, this will include a complete list of all of your awards that may include awards that have different statuses. Awards travel through the award process and each will be assigned a status according to its location in the process: Set Up in Progress, In Review & Negotiation, Active, In Closeout, and Closed. To filter your view by a single status you can select the status box at the top of the dashboard.

  • Cayuse SP User Roles Defined

    Below are common Cayuse SP User Roles.

    General Access:

    • Cayuse Product User: Provides the user general access to navigate and use the Cayuse platform. All users should have this role automatically once a profile is created.
    • SP User: Provides the user general access to Cayuse SP. The user can author individual records.


    Pre-Award:
    • SP Proposal Reviewer: This role allows a user to view and review proposal records that have been assigned to them for review (Ex. School Approvers).
    • SP Proposal Viewer: This role allows view access to all proposal records in Cayuse SP, regardless of unit affiliation (Ex. Office of Compliance).
    • SP User: This role allows view/edit access to proposal records in which the person has been listed on the Research Team (Ex. PIs and Co-PIs).
    • SP Proposal Administrator: This role allows full edit access to all proposal records in Cayuse SP (Ex. ORSP Staff).


    Post-Award:
    • SP Award Reviewer: This role allows a user to view and review award records that have been assigned to them for review (Ex. Department Approvers).
    • SP Award Viewer: This role allows view access to all award records in Cayuse SP. The view can be set to a specific department or all units underneath a university organization such as all departments in a college.
    • SP Award Administrator: This role allows full edit access to all awards in Cayuse SP (Ex. ORSP Research Administrators).


    If your user roles and/or Cayuse SP privileges need to be edited or updated, please click here to email your request to ORSP's Submissions and Awards team.

  • Reviewing Your Cayuse SP Profile

    When you first log into Cayuse SP it is important to review your Cayuse SP profile to ensure the information within is accurate and complete. In addition to your first log in, it is best practice to review your profile once or twice a year.

    Once logged into Cayuse SP, to access your Cayuse SP Profile:

    • Click your name in the top-right hand corner of the dashboard
    • Click "My Profile" from the available options in the drop-down menu.
    • Navigate the available profile pages presented on the left hand side to review your profile details.
      • Profile: Most of this information will be pre-populated. If available, add in items such as ORCID ID, NIH Commons ID, and NSF ID.
      • Contact Info: This will be pre-populated.
      • Internal Associations: This should list your department and your title. If you have multiple internal associations and they are not reflected on this screen then notify our team via email.
      • External Associations: This page will often be blank. If you have an appointment at another institution/organization then then notify our team via email so it can be added to your profile.
      • User Account & Roles: This section provides an overview of the roles assigned to your account in Cayuse SP.
      • Training & Certifications: This section will be empty for now. Future rollouts will include the linking of required research-related trainings such as compliance modules and finance 101 for award setup.
      • Documents: This section contains an area to upload documents and associate them with your profile (Ex. Biosketches, Current and Pending Support).
    If any of the information in your profile is incorrect (and you are unable to update the information on your end), notify our team via email.


Completing a Proposal Record




  • Notifying ORSP of Intent to Submit a Proposal

      All proposals begin with the submission of Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) form. The PPN should be submitted before a proposal is submitted to the sponsor. This Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) is an internal-only document that notifies the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) that you are thinking of pursuing a funding opportunity. The PPN is not binding and does not commit you to submitting a proposal. ORSP understands that the responses you provide may change, so please do not wait until all responses are known with certainty to complete this form. PPNs are reviewed for assignment twice a week. An ORSP Proposal Administrator (PA) will contact you within 5 business days of your PPN submission.



      Responses from the PPN will be used by ORSP PA to initiate your proposal record in Cayuse SP. Once the PA has created the proposal record in Cayuse SP, the PA will provide the Principal Investigator (PI) access to the Cayuse SP record where the PI will provide additional details related to the proposal.



      ORSP requests this Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) form be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the sponsor's proposal due date. Early notification allows our team more time to assist in the development of a quality proposal and increases the chances of an award. Our team operates on a queue system, thus earlier notification ensures ample time for support and priority is given to PIs who have submitted PPNs earlier.



      If you submit a Pre-Proposal Notification (PPN) form with less than 30 days before the sponsor deadline, proposal preparation services may be limited. In extreme circumstances, when ample time is not provided, it may not be possible to submit the proposal.

  • Populating a Proposal Record in Cayuse SP

    The proposal form contains a number of pages (or sections) and each must be completed before the proposal can be routed for internal review and approvals and ultimately submitted to the sponsor. The proposal form will initially include the information submitted on the PPN and entered by the assigned ORSP Proposal Administrator. However, there are a number of additional fields that the Principal Investigator (PI) and research team are responsible for completing. The additional fields are on each of the proposal form pages and include pertinent information related to the proposal scope of work that only the research team can accurately answer.

    The ORSP PA will work in collaboration with the PI and the research team throughout the development of the proposal to ensure all the fields on the proposal form are complete and accurate. The proposal form is a living form thus all edits made will be reflected across all users with access to the record. If the PI or a member of the research team has questions on how to answer a certain field please ask the ORSP PA assigned to your proposal.

  • Routing & Approvals Workflow

    Once a proposal record is finalized, all fields on the proposal form are complete, and all final proposal documents are available, the proposal undergoes internal routing to receive institutional approvals before it can be submitted to the sponsor.

    Who Initiates Routing?
    The ORSP PA is responsible for initiating the routing process. Once initiated, the proposal status will switch from "In Development" to "Under Review." At this time, the proposal record is locked down - the form fields can no longer be edited and the internal routing process begins.

    Routing Chain
    Once the proposal status is switched to "Under Review" the internal routing process follows the order outlined below. All users required to review or certify the record will receive an automated email notification alerting them to the outstanding routing that requires their attention. If anyone in the routing chain disapproves of the proposal, they will be required to provide justification when selecting their decision and the proposal record will be moved back to the "In Development" status.

    • 1. ORSP Proposal Administrator - Completes initial review
    • 2. Principal Investigator - Certifies the entirety of the proposal form is accurate
    • 3. Co-Principal Investigator(s) - Certifies the entirety of the proposal form is accurate
    • 4. Chair (or equivalent) of the PI and Co-PI(s) - Reviews the entirety of the proposal form for a decision to approve or disapprove.
    • 5. Dean (or equivalent) of the PI and Co-PI(s) - Reviews the entirety of the proposal form for a decision to approve or disapprove.
    • 6. Associate Provost of Research & Chief Research Officer (or delegate) - Reviews the entirety of the proposal form for a decision to approve or disapprove.

    Please note that the above describes the typical routing process. In some circumstances, the routing process may be adjusted to include additional reviewers, such as in situations where a proposal includes a large financial commitment of the university.

  • Certifying a Proposal (PI and Co-PIs)

    Once a proposal enters routing the PI and Co-PIs will be required to certify the information included in the proposal form and contained in the final documents attached to the form. Each PI/Co-PI in the routing chain will receive an email that contains a direct link to certify the proposal.

    When the link is clicked from the email, the proposal form will be loaded along with a button to certify the proposal record.

    The PI and Co-PIs will be required to provide certification on a number of sections. There will also be a free-text section for any comments. To certify the proposal, the PI will need to check the Confirm My Certification box and then click Certify. By Clicking Certify the PI/Co-PI is certifying they acknowledge the responsibility associated with their role and agree to comply with the sponsoring agencys terms and conditions for awards. Further the PI and CoPI are certifying the following:

    1. The information submitted within the application is true, complete, and accurate to the best of their knowledge.
    2. Any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the Organization, and the investigators, to criminal, civil or administrative penalties.
    3. The certifier has the responsibility for the scientific, fiscal, and ethical conduct of the project and to provide the required progress reports if an award is made.
    4. The certifier will comply with all relevant state and federal regulations, University policies, and contractual obligations in carrying out the resultant award.
    5. The certifier has reviewed applicable U.S. Export Control requirements and institutional policy on Export Controls and will comply with the export control requirements.
    6. The certifier will work to ensure that their relationship with the sponsor of this project is either free of conflict of interest or consistent with a previously disclosed conflict of interest management plan.

  • Approving/Disapproving a Proposal (Department Approvers)

    Proposal approvers will be notified that a proposal record requires their approval via email. The email will contain a direct link to the Cayuse SP record.

    To Approve a Proposal Record

    1. Open the link provided in the email.
    2. Click Complete Review in the My Actions section.
    3. Select Approve from the dropdown.
    4. Enter any optional comments.
    5. Click Save.

    The proposal record will now be approved by your routing level.

    To Disapprove a Proposal Record

    1. Open the link provided in the email.
    2. Click Complete Review in the My Actions section.
    3. Select Return to In Development from the dropdown.
    4. Enter the required comments (Ex. the reason for disapproval).
    5. Click Save.
    6.The proposal record will now be returned to an In Development status and open to any form corrections. Once all corrections have been made, the proposal will be re-routed from the beginning.
    7.Send the Principal Investigator and research team an email explaining your disapproval and copy orspsubmissions@shsu.edu.

  • Routing Guidance for Chairs and Deans

    Our team has put together a document for Chairs and Deans providing guidance and questions to consider when reviewing the proposal record in Cayuse and associated proposal docuemnts. The guidance document can be found .



Need Help?


You can contact us with your questions and a member of our team will be able to assist.