Requesting Letters of Support/Commitment

Often proposals submitted to sponsors can be strengthened with a letter of support or a letter of commitment for cost sharing from the leadership of UMHS or the Medical School. In order to facilitate these requests, the Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs (EVPMA) will sign the letter on behalf of UMHS, and the Senior Associate Dean for Research will sign the letter on behalf of the Medical School.

LETTERS OF COMMITMENT (e.g., COST SHARING)

For cost sharing requests, please refer to:
Institutional Cost Sharing Policy

Once cost sharing has been approved, please follow the directions below.

OBTAINING SIGNATURES FOR LETTERS OF SUPPORT OR COMMITMENT

With several programs requesting letters, we have developed a standard request plan for you to follow:

• Download the letter template (Word document) and draft the entire letter, filling in those areas marked in red (do not change font style, etc.).
• If anyone beyond the Chief Scientific Officer needs to sign the letter, add the appropriate signature line(s). Do not have anyone sign prior to sending. The Office of Research will review and make any edits / comments before printing on letterhead and returning to you to have signed. PLEASE NOTE: The Office of Research evaluates and handles any signatures needed on these type of support letters from the EVPMA or UMOR.
• Do not print on letterhead.
• If the letter does not include an explanation of the science, please include a draft of the abstract as an attachment for reference.
• Please make sure the letter content is in the final form, as changes that require a reissue of the letter will not always be able to be accommodated.
• Email the Word version of the draft letter to ummsresearch@umich.edu with "Request for Letter of Support/Commitment" in the subject line.
• Be sure to include in the body of the email:
  • The investigator name and department
  • The relevant sponsor/program
  • The deadline to the sponsor/your send date
  • The name and email address of the person(s) to contact when the letter is executed
  • Special formatting requirements (e.g., length, font size)

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the email address above.

Please expect executing the letter may take up to three (3) working days, but will be done as quickly as possible.