What This Does
Working backward from the official deadline of a research grant call, organize internal tasks such as internal deadlines, departmental deadlines, recommendation/approval, e-Rad entry, application review, budget confirmation, and sealing/institutional approval. Beyond simply finding calls, create an execution plan that allows researchers and administrative staff to meet deadlines.
- Target users: URA, research support staff, departmental administrative staff, PIs, laboratory secretaries
- Issues to solve: Starting to act based only on the external deadline and failing to make it in time for internal approval or e-Rad approval
- Expected effects: Reduce missed applications, returns, internal approval delays, and incomplete documents
Required Inputs
- Call information: Call name, FA, official URL, external deadline, submission method
- Applicant information: PI, affiliation, co-researchers, number of research institutions
- Submissions: Application form, budget statement, letter of consent, letter of recommendation, ethics/COI-related documents, etc.
- Institutional rules(Optional): Internal deadline, departmental deadline, approvers, administrative staff, recommendation quotas
- Review requests(Optional): Application review, budget confirmation, mock interview, etc.
- Current date: Base date for the backward calculation
What It Produces
- Backward schedule table: External deadline, internal deadline, departmental deadline, work deadlines
- ToDo by assignee: Work by PI, URA, departmental administrative staff, and partner institutions
- Missing information list: Missing official guidelines, institutional notices, approvers, forms, etc.
- Reminder text: Request emails to send to the PI or co-researchers
- Risk assessment: Plenty of time / Needs attention / High risk / Application difficult
Procedure
1. Check official information
Always check primary information and record the date checked.
Priority:
- FA official call guidelines, forms, Q&A
- Call information on e-Rad or the application system
- Internal notices and departmental notices from the affiliated institution
- Secondary information and aggregator sites
確認した根拠:
- FA公式URL:
- 公募要領版/公開日:
- 学内通知URL/ファイル:
- 確認日:
2. Separate the types of deadlines
List not only external deadlines but also the internal deadlines that researchers must actually meet.
| Deadline type | Example | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| External deadline | Submission deadline to the FA | Call guidelines, e-Rad |
| Institutional approval deadline | Approval deadline by the research institution | Research Promotion Division, URA |
| Internal submission deadline | Submission deadline from the PI to the administrative office | Internal notice |
| Departmental deadline | Departmental review/recommendation deadline | Departmental administrative office |
| Partner institution deadline | Co-investigator consent, budget confirmation | Joint institution handling |
| Review deadline | Proposal review request deadline | URA, external review |
3. Create a back-calculation schedule
Work backward from the deadline and include the buffer needed for the work. Because buffers vary by institutional operations, if there is no basis, explicitly state that it is a "tentative placeholder."
| 日付 | 締切/作業 | 担当 | 根拠 | 状態 | 備考 |
|------|-----------|------|------|------|------|
Typical tasks to include in back-calculation:
- Confirmation of eligibility and duplicate restrictions
- Confirmation of PI's intention to apply
- Finalization of co-investigators and joint institutions
- Drafting the budget plan and confirming institutional rules
- First draft of the proposal
- URA review
- Department review and recommendation
- e-Rad entry
- Institutional approval
- Final PDF check
4. Determine the risk level
| Assessment | Guideline | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Sufficient time | There is time for review and revisions | Normal schedule |
| Needs attention | The first draft deadline for key documents is near | Narrow the scope of review |
| High risk | May not be in time for internal deadline/approval | Confirm immediately with administrative office, reduce application scope |
| Difficult to apply | The official/internal deadline has passed | Consider the next call or another funding source |
If you cannot make a definitive judgment, issue a "request for confirmation" rather than a decision.
5. Create ToDos by person in charge
## 担当者別ToDo
### PI
- {タスク}（期限: {日付}、確認先: {担当}）
### URA
- {タスク}（期限: {日付}）
### 部局事務
- {タスク}（期限: {日付}）
### 共同研究者/共同機関
- {タスク}（期限: {日付}）
6. Create reminders
件名: [依頼] {公募名} 申請準備の締切確認
{公募名} について、外部締切は {外部締切} ですが、
学内手続きのため {学内締切} までに下記をご準備ください。
お願いしたいこと:
- {依頼1}
- {依頼2}
未確認事項:
- {確認事項}: {確認先} に確認中
Judgment criteria
| Judgment item | Points to check | Response |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Have you checked the official guidelines and internal notices? | Keep the confirmation date and URL |
| Internal deadline | Is there an approval deadline before the external deadline? | Confirm with the internal contact |
| Recommendation quota | Are there internal recommendations or numerical limits? | Confirm with the department/head office |
| Joint institution | Is consent from co-investigators and budget confirmation required? | Set a deadline for joint institutions |
| e-Rad | Is researcher information and institutional approval required? | Confirm with the administrative office early |
Common mistakes and countermeasures
| Mistake | Countermeasure |
|---|---|
| Planning only based on the FA deadline | Check the internal deadline and institutional approval deadline first |
| Using an old version of the call guidelines | Record the version, publication date, and confirmation date |
| Overlooking recommendation quotas and duplicate restrictions | Check eligibility and numerical limits on the first day |
| Leaving e-Rad entry until the end | Check researcher information, co-investigators, and institutional approval first |
| Consent from joint institutions is delayed | Set a separate internal deadline for joint institutions |
Quality standards
- External deadlines, internal deadlines, departmental deadlines, and institutional approval deadlines are separated
- The URL, version, and confirmation date of official information are recorded
- Each assignee's ToDo has a deadline and a point of contact for confirmation
- It includes confirmation of recommendation quotas, duplicate application restrictions, eligibility, and e-Rad approval
- There is a risk-level assessment, and the next action in case of risk is clear
Available Tools
- Read: Reading the call for proposals, internal notices, forms, and past schedules
- Write: Creating the backward schedule, ToDo, and reminder text
- WebSearch / WebFetch: Confirming the FA official website, call for proposals, e-Rad information, and internal public notices
- Bash: Date calculation, formatting the deadline table, and creating CSV