1 Introduction
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) issues many announcements each year to solicit research proposals from colleges and universities, non-profit and for-profit research organizations, DOE’s national laboratories, small businesses, and other federal research organizations.
The Office of Science issues two types of funding announcements:
- Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), which may be open to one or more institution types (please read the eligibility requirements in a given FOA for details); and
- DOE National Laboratory Announcements, which are open only to DOE laboratories
In addition to these funding opportunities a Program Manager may choose to invite an institution to submit a National Laboratory or an interagency application.
The purpose of this document is to provide step-by-step instructions for users to follow to submit an invited proposal in PAMS.
2 Prerequisites
Before a user can submit an Invited Proposal in PAMS, the following criteria must be met:
- The user has an active, external PAMS account.
- The user has received an invitation to submit a proposal.
3 Accessing and Completing an Invited Proposal
Invitations to submit proposals are sent to the invitee, an external user identified by the Program Manager inviting the user to submit, in the form of an email (Figure 1). These emails provide basic information about the invitation, including the submission office, the deadline, and an invitation-specific link to create the proposal.
Use the following steps to access and complete an Invited Proposal.
1. Upon receiving an invitation to submit a proposal, click the first here link in the email (Figure 1). You will be redirected to the PAM login page.
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2. Upon logging in to your external PAMS account via the link provided in the email, PAMS will navigate you to the My Proposals page, which displays a list of all of your active proposals. Also present in this list will be an “In Progress” proposal entitled “Invite to Submit to DOE Office of Science (change me)”. This is your invited proposal. To edit the proposal, click “Edit Proposal” in the Actions/Views menu in the Options column (Figure 2).
Figure 1. Invited Proposal Email
Figure 2. My Proposals, “Invite to Submit to DOE Office of Science (change me)”
3.1 Completing an Invited Proposal by a National Laboratory
Upon clicking Edit Proposal in the Action/Views menu for the proposal entitled “Invite to Submit to DOE Office of Science (change me)”, PAMS will load the “DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal” page. DOE National Laboratory proposals consist of four sections: Cover Page, Budget, Projects/Subawards (optional), and Attachments. To submit a proposal, you must complete all of the required fields in each section.
3.1.1 Cover Page
Use the following steps to complete the Cover Page section for an invited DOE National Laboratory proposal. You must complete all of the required fields before moving on. Refer to the table below to complete the required fields in the Cover Page section.
Figure 3. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Cover Page 1
Figure 4. Select PI
Figure 5. Select SRO/BO/AO
Required Fields
Element | Description |
Institution | PAMS will auto-populate the name of the National Laboratory identified by the Project Manager when creating the invitation. This field is not editable. (Figure 3) |
Principal Investigator Information | Select a Principal Investigator (PI) by clicking Select PI on the right side of the section header (Figure 3). PAMS will load the “Select PI” page (Figure 4). Browse the list or use the filters or advanced search above the grid to locate the PI you would like to select. Once you have chosen a PI, click Select PI in the Action menu in the Options column. PAMS will return you to the “DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal” page, and populate the remaining fields in the Principal Investigator Information section. |
Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) Information | Select a Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) by clicking Select SRO/BO/AO on the right side of the section header (Figure 3). PAMS will load the “Select SRO/BO/AO” page (Figure 5). Browse the list or use the filters or advanced search above the grid to locate the SRO you would like to select. Once you have chosen an SRO, click Select SRO/BO/AO in the Action menu in the Options column. PAMS will return you to the “DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal” page, and populate the remaining fields in the Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) section. |
Proposal Title | Enter a title for the proposal (Figure 3). The title must be changed. |
Program Manager | The Program Manager will be auto-populated based on who created the proposal invitation. This field is not editable. (Figure 3) |
Proposal Type | Click the dropdown, and select a Proposal Type (Figure 3). |
1. Are Human Subjects Involved? | Select the “Yes” or “No” radio button (Figure 3). NOTE: If you select “Yes”, you must complete the “1a. If Yes, is the project exempt from Federal regulations?” subsection. |
2. Are vertebrate animals used? | Select the “Yes” or “No” radio button (Figure 3). NOTE: If you select “Yes”, you must complete the “2a. If Yes, is the IACUC review pending?” subsection. |
1. Once you have completed all of the required fields, click the Choose Action dropdown in the bottom right corner of the page, select “Save Cover Page and Continue to Next Section”, and click Go (Figure 3).
| You can save your progress without navigating away from the page at any point by clicking the Choose Action dropdown, selecting “Save Cover Page”, and clicking Go. |
2. PAMS will save the Cover Page tab, and navigate you to the Budget tab.
3.1.2 Budget
The Budget tab consists of twelve sections: the Budget Period table, Budget Period Information, Senior/Key Person, Additional Senior Key Persons, Other Personnel, Equipment Description, Travel, Participant/Trainee Support Costs, Other Direct Costs, Direct Costs, Other Indirect Costs, and Total Direct and Indirect Costs. Use the following steps to complete the Budget tab.
1. Refer to the table below to complete the required fields in the Budget tab.
2. Click the Edit icon for each section of the budget that needs to be updated. Click Continue in that section to save your edits (Figures 6-13).
Required Fields
Element | Description |
Budget Period Start Date | Click the Edit icon, in the Budget Period Information header, and enter a start date for the budget period (Figure 6). |
Budget Period End Date | Click the Edit icon, in the Budget Period Information header, and enter an end date for the budget period (Figure 6). |
| If the section does not apply to your budget, leave it blank. |
Figure 6. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Budget
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Figure 7. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Budget – Add Budget Period
3. Once you have completed all of the required and necessary fields, click the Choose Action dropdown in the bottom right corner of the page, select “Save Budget and Continue to Next Section”, and click Go. PAMS will save the Budget tab, and navigate you to the Subawards tab.
3.1.3 Projects/Subawards (optional)
The Projects/Subawards tab is an optional section. If your proposal includes a Project or Subaward, you will need to complete the Projects/Subawards tab. If your proposal does not include a Project or Subaward, leave the Projects/Subawards section blank, and move on to the Attachments tab.
Use the following steps to provide Project/Subaward budgets.
1. Click Add Project/Subaward at the top of the page (Figure 8). Provide budget information (refer to Section 3.2.2, Step 3) for each Project/Subaward you add.
Figure 8. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Subawards (optional), Add Subward
2. Click the Edit icon for each section of the budget that needs to be updated, and then click Continue in that section to save your edits.
Required Fields
Element | Description |
Institution Name | Click the Edit icon, in the Project/Subaward Information header, and enter the Institution Name (Figure 9). |
| Budget Type | Use the "Project" and "Subaward/Consortium" radio buttons to specify the budget type. |
Budget Period Start Date | Click the Edit icon, in the Budget Period Information header, and enter a start date for the budget period (Figure 9). |
Budget Period End Date | Click the Edit icon, in the Budget Period Information header, and enter an end date for the budget period (Figure 9). |
| If the section does not apply to your budget, leave it blank. |
Figure 9. Proposal Subawards
3. Once you have completed all of the required fields, click the Choose Action dropdown in the bottom right corner of the page, select “Save Subawards and Continue to Next Section”, and click Go (Figure 10).
Figure 10. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Budget – Save All Budget Periods
3.1.4 Attachments
The Attachments tab is used to upload required documents for the proposal. It consists of four sections: Project Summary/Abstract, Budget Justification Attachment, Proposal Attachment, and Other Attachments. Use the following steps to complete the Attachments tab.
Required Fields
Element | Description |
Proposal Summary/Abstract | Upload the Project Summary Abstract. PAMS will accept one (1) document in this field only (Figure 17). |
Budget Justification Attachment | Upload your Budget Justification. PAMS will accept one (1) document in this field only (Figure 17). |
Proposal Attachment | Upload your Project Narrative. PAMS will accept one (1) document in this field only (Figure 17). |
Collaborator Information | Upload your Collaborator Information. PAMS will accept one (1) document in this field (Figure 17). |
1. To attach a required document, click Attach File in the header. This will expand the section (Figure 11).
2. Click Choose File, and browse your computer for the file you would like to attach.
3. Once you have selected a file, click Upload to attach the file to the proposal.
Figure 11. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Attachments
| You may enter a description of the document in 500 characters or less in the Description field before clicking Upload and attaching the file. |
4. When you have finished attaching the required documents, click the Choose Action dropdown, select the appropriate Save option, and click Go (Figure 18).
Figure 12. DOE National Laboratory Announcements – Submit Proposal, Attachments – Save
3.2 Completing an Invited Proposal for an Interagency
3.2.1 Cover Page
Upon clicking Edit Proposal in the Action/Views menu for the proposal entitled “Invite to Submit to DOE Office of Science (change me)”, PAMS will load the “DOE Interagency Proposal – Submit Proposal” page. Invited proposals consist of four sections: Cover Page, Budget, Project/Subawards (optional), and Attachments.
To submit a proposal, you must complete all of the required fields in each section. Refer to the table below to complete the required fields in the Cover Page section.
Required Fields
Element | Description |
Agency Information | PAMS will auto-populate the agency identified by the Project Manager when creating the invitation. This field is not editable. (Figure 13) |
Proposal Title | Enter a title for the proposal (Figure 13). This title must be changed. |
Proposal Type | Click the dropdown, and select a Proposal Type (Figure 13). |
Award Number | Enter an associated Award Number (Figure 13). |
Principal Investigator Information | Select a Principal Investigator (PI) by clicking Select PI on the right side of the section header (Figure 13). PAMS will load the “Select PI” page (Figure 14). Browse the list or use the filters or advanced search above the grid to locate the PI you would like to select. Once you have chosen a PI, click Select PI in the Action menu in the Options column. PAMS will return you to the “DOE Interagency Proposals – Submit Proposal” page, and populate the remaining fields in the Principal Investigator Information section. |
Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) Information | Select a Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) by clicking Select SRO/BO/AO on the right side of the section header (Figure 13). PAMS will load the “Select SRO/BO/AO” page (Figure 15). Browse the list or use the filters or advanced search above the grid to locate the SRO you would like to select. Once you have chosen an SRO, click Select SRO/BO/AO in the Action menu in the Options column. PAMS will return you to the “DOE Interagency Proposals – Submit Proposal” page, and populate the remaining fields in the Sponsored Research Official/Business Official/Administrative Official (SRO/BO/AO) section. |
DOE Agency Contact | Enter the First Name, Last Name, Email Address, and Phone Number of the DOE Agency Contact (Figure 13). NOTE: The DOE Agency Contact will generally be the Program Manager who created the proposal invitation. |
Agency Business Contact Information | Enter the First Name, Last, Email Address, and Phone Number of the Agency Business Contact (Figure 13). |
Figure 13. DOE Interagency Proposals – Submit Proposal, Cover Page 1
Figure 14. Select PI
Figure 15. Select SRO/BO/AO
1. Once you have completed all of the required fields, click the Choose Action dropdown in the bottom right corner of the page, select “Save Cover Page and Continue to Next Section”, and click Go (Figure 13).
| You can save your progress without navigating away from the page at any point by clicking the “Choose Action” dropdown, selecting “Save Cover Page”, and clicking Go. |
2. PAMS will save the Cover Page tab, and navigate you to the Budget tab.
3.2.2 Budget
The Budget tab consists of twelve sections: the Budget Period table, Budget Period Information, Senior/Key Person, Additional Senior Key Persons, Other Personnel, Equipment Description, Travel, Participant/Trainee Support Costs, Other Direct Costs, Direct Costs, Other Indirect Costs, and Total Direct and Indirect Costs. Use the following steps to complete the Budget tab.
Refer to Section 3.1.2 Budget, steps 1-3 for guidance on completing your Budget.
3.2.3 Subawards (optional)
The Projects/Subawards tab is an optional section. If your proposal includes a Project or Subaward, you will need to complete the Projects/Subawards tab. If your proposal does not include a Project or Subaward, leave the Projects/Subawards section blank, and move on to the Attachments tab.
Refer to Section 3.1.3 Projects/Subawards (optional), steps 1-3 for guidance on completing the Project/Subaward (optional section) if necessary.
3.2.4 Attachments
The Attachments tab is used to upload required documents for the proposal. It consists of four sections: Project Summary/Abstract, Budget Justification Attachment, Proposal Attachment, and Other Attachments.
Refer to Section 3.1.4 Attachments, steps 1-4 for guidance on uploading any necessary attachments.
3.3 Submitting your Invited National Laboratory or Interagency Proposal
Once all of the proposal tabs are complete (marked by a green checkmark next to each tab name), you can submit your proposal to the DOE National Laboratory Announcement. Use the following steps to complete and submit your proposal.
1. Click the Choose Action dropdown in the bottom right corner of the page, select “Submit to DOE”, and click Go (Figure 16).
Figure 16. PAMS – Submit to DOE
2. PAMS will redirect you to the “My Proposals” page, and display a Success message confirming that your proposal has been submitted successfully (Figure 17).
Figure 17. PAMS – Success Message
