When to Submit an Intent to Apply (ITA) Form for a Letter of Intent (LOI)

Prior to being folded into the Principal Investigator’s Handbook, we are posting guidelines on Letters of Intent and whether/when an Intent to Apply form is required. This was agreed to by personnel in the Office of Grants & Research and Corporate & Foundation Relations on September 8, 2022:

When to submit an Intent to Apply (ITA) form for a Letter of Intent (LOI)

In the case of Letters of Intent LOI, the Principal Investigator (PI) must follow the following guidelines:

• In the case of federal granting agency LOI, no ITA is required, but a copy of the LOI must be sent to the PI’s Dean and to the Office of Grants and Research Services (OGRS).
   
• In the case of corporate/or foundation LOIs, any LOI requiring a letter from, an authorizing signature of, or any form of endorsement from a University officer higher than a department chair, an ITA is required. In this case, we recognize there will not be a fully developed budget, but a budget concept (rough proportions proposed, purposes of the monies) must be provided, and approved by the signing authorities on the ITA.
   
• Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) from time to time may, upon full review, recommend at their discretion a waiver of the ITA form to OGRS (e.g. an application for student scholarships committing no University resources).

In no case of 1-3 above may an LOI be permitted that violates University policies, guidelines, or the PI Handbook.