USCeRA Submission Instructions
USCeRA is the University of South Carolina electronic research administration software system which includes electronic grants routing/approval and human subjects applications submission/routing. If you have not registered for USCeRA, complete the registration form at
https://sam.research.sc.edu/uscera/UserAction.do?performAction=preAdd.
- You must submit your completed proposal packet through USCeRA (https://sam.research.sc.edu/uscera) and get APPROVAL from your chair, dean and/or chancellor before 5:00 pm on the deadline date.
- Application receipt date: See specific grant program announcement.
- Select “Create New Proposal” in USCeRA. Begin by filling out the information on the Proposal/Award Processing Form (PAP). The top part of the form includes information such as your project title, dates of performance, and your total requested budget.
- IMPORTANT: Under “Internal Requests,” you must select “yes.” Then you must check the box next to the word “Provost,” and select the appropriate Provost’s funding opportunity from the drop-down menu. Failure to do this may cause your proposal to be misrouted or not routed at all which may result in your proposal not being reviewed and considered for funding.
- Make sure you answer all of the “Yes/No” questions on the PAP form.
- For Question #9, if you are working with a consultant or purchasing a piece of equipment over $5,000, check “yes.”
- For Question #12, “Does your project involve human subjects?,” if your project involves human subjects and you do not have IRB approval, hit the “Lookup” button, click the “select” button, and type the word “pending” in the box that says “Other.”
- Hit “Save” on the PAP form when you have entered all of the information. The system will alert you if you have failed to complete any required information.
- On the next page, select “Internal Commit Form.” The Internal Commit Form should be used to list the amount that you are requesting from the Provost’s Office. Do not enter an amount in the Start-Up box. Enter in the amount that you are requesting for each year in the corresponding box. The total will calculate automatically for you. Do NOT use this form to enter cost share. For more detailed instructions on how to complete this form, see the attached example.
- If you checked “yes” to Question #9, and you are working with a consultant or purchasing a piece of equipment, you need to fill out a certification form. Under “Forms,” select “Certification,” and fill out the form. If you have multiple pieces of equipment or consultants, under “Tools,” select “Add Certification Form.”
- Upload your proposal as ONE file using Adobe PDF format; use your surname as the file name.
- DO NOT FORGET TO HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON! You will receive e-mails from USCeRA indicating when your proposal has been approved by your department chair, dean, etc. You always can log-on to the system to check on the status of your proposal.
Questions?
For more information, please contact the Office of the Provost at 803-777-2930 or the individuals below:
