Letters of Support  

Guidelines

Institutional Letter of Support Request

Many grant proposals require a letter of support from an institutional signing official provided by the President, Provost, or Vice President of Research & Innovation (VPRI). These guidelines are specific to letters of support from the VPRI. The VPRI serves as The University of Texas at El Paso’s Institutional Official (IO) and is pleased to provide an institutional letter of support when required by the proposal solicitation or when allowed by the sponsor and deemed to make the application more competitive.

Research and Innovation has established a standard procedure for requesting a letter of institutional support from the VPRI. This process ensures that leadership within the colleges/schools and/or institutes are aware of the request and that these relevant university officials have been involved in decisions and commitments supporting the proposed research project.

As early as possible, optimally four (4) weeks before the due date, the Principal Investigator (PI) should determine whether an institutional letter is required. Extra time may be needed if university resources and/or financial commitments are requested (please see the Office Research & Innovation's cost share/matching policies) [Coming Soon] or to answer questions about the sponsor and/or collaborators that may arise prior to receiving an official signature.

Before requesting assistance with a letter of support, the PI should first secure support from their college/school and department involved in the research project. Any specific commitments must be negotiated in advance with the college’s/school’s dean, department chair, and/or other authorized official.

Institutional Letter of Support - No financial commitment from the University

For institutional letters of support, without the need for specific financial institutional commitment, the PI must supply the following information with the request for a letter to Proposal Development at propdev@utep.edu or their assigned proposal development team member.

1. Contact information for person(s) requesting the letter of support;
2. Draft of the requested letter based on the solicitation’s requirements (Word doc);
3. Sponsor’s name, program title, RFP/Solicitation number, and link to the solicitation;
4. Name and address of the recipient;
5. Brief description of the project and any other information that will help make the proposal more competitive (approved committed cost-sharing, other resources that can be contributed to the project, history with a sponsor, PI achievements, University strengths in a specific area, the impact of research); and
6. Breakdown of institutional resources utilized and/or committed for the project (if applicable). Please provide evidence of confirmed commitments (i.e., approval letters or emails).

Once this information is received by Proposal Development, a team member will review, edit, and finalize the letter. After the letter is finalized, a proposal development team member will submit the letter to the VPRI for signature. Once signed, the letter will be sent to the PI and Research Administrator, who will submit it along with the proposal and supporting documents to the funding agency.