Proposal Evaluation + External Review


The Proposal Evaluation and External Review (PEER) program is open to all principal investigators in every field of study.

The goal of the program is to help researchers obtain quality feedback on their grant applications prior to submission to an external funding agency, strengthen the merits of the proposal and improve the likelihood of acceptance for funding.

The Office of Research will provide a payment of $500 to external reviewers to read and assess eligible grant applications prior to their submission to external funding agencies. No more than one reviewer per proposal will be approved for payment.

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All internal funding opportunities

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Share information about your proposed project and peer reviewer.

Eligibility + instructions

  • The KU applicant must be responsible for oversight of the project and have principal investigator (PI) status.
  • The project description/research plan must be in near final form.
  • The application form and proposal must be submitted to kucrpeer@ku.edu at least 30 days prior to the funding agency’s proposal submission deadline.
  • The external peer reviewer may not be a State of Kansas employee, including KU and all other Board of Regents institutions.
  • The peer reviewer must be qualified to conduct the review and be endorsed by the PI’s chair/unit director.
  • When considering potential reviewers, applicants should avoid doing anything that could be perceived to compromise an external funding agency’s review process, such as contacting members of a review panel/study section who might be involved in the review of a submission to that agency.
  • Individuals who could potentially serve as consultants, contractors or subrecipients will not be approved to serve as PEER reviewers to avoid the appearance that they have unduly influenced the direction of the project, or received a competitive advantage over other collaborators.
  • The peer reviewer must sign a written confidentiality agreement concerning the proposal and must agree to provide the KU researcher written feedback within 10 days.
  • Prior to submission of this application, the KU researcher should make preliminary contact with the reviewer to confirm that he or she is willing to conduct the review in accordance with these guidelines.
  1. Complete the online PEER application form.
  2. The Office of Research will review the application, and the PI will be notified within 3 business days of the decision to approve or deny the request.
  3. The PEER Administrator will contact the selected reviewer and request a signed confidentiality agreement, a completed contractual services form and a completed W-9. The proposal will be sent to the reviewer upon receipt of these documents.
  4. Reviewer returns review within 10 days of proposal receipt.
  5. The PEER Administrator will provide review to PI and forward contractual services form and W-9 to Financial Services for payment processing.

The PEER Administrator will provide reviewers with the following three forms:

  1. Confidentiality agreement
  2. Contractual services form
  3. W-9 form

Once we have received the completed forms, we will forward a copy of the proposal and ask that you return your review within 10 days.

Note: Individuals with H1B visa status may only be paid through their sponsoring institution. If you have an H1B visa, please contact kucrpeer@ku.edu for additional clarification.

Infographic describing the 7-step review process for KU's Peer Evaluation & External Review program. See text below image for detailed description.


  • Step 1: Applicant
    No later than 30 days before sponsor deadline: Identify reviewer, contact to confirm they are able to perform review, and submit PEER application.
     
  • Step 2: PEER Administrator
    Review and approve within 3 business days. Contact reviewer to request forms.
     
  • Step 3: Reviewer
    Submit completed forms back to PEER Administrator.
     
  • Step 4: PEER Administrator
    Share proposal with reviewer.
     
  • Step 5: Reviewer
    Submit completed review within 10 days.
     
  • Step 6: PEER Administrator
    Share review with applicant. Submit payment request to SSC and follow up to ensure payment received.
     
  • Final Step: Applicant
    Revise proposal incorporating review comments and suggestions.