• RAMP is web-based software being used by all UW campuses to process the approval of grant applications and grant budgets from faculty and staff prior to submission to external granting agencies.
• RAMP is a replacement of previous system WISPER.
• Upon award, RAMP is converted to an account set up in Workday for processing approved grant-related expenses.

Most guides are written by UW. As new guides become available they will be updated on ORSP’s RAMP Guides page linked above.

Additional guides can be found on UW Knowledge Base.

• For questions regarding proposal submission, sponsor submission systems, etc. contact the ORSP office at orsp@uwsp.edu
• For questions regarding award setup and award modifications: orsp@uwsp.edu
• For questions regarding an award that is active, you will work with Grant Accounting in Workday: gift.and.grant.accouting@uwsp.edu

When uploading Attachments, the PI and Admin contact have options in RAMP to “Upload Revision” or “Delete” while in Draft (before approvals begin). After approvals begin only the Specialist (ORSP) can make changes to Attachments, unless the PI receives a Request for Clarification from one of the reviewers.

We suggest using “Upload Revision” when a new version of a document is needed so the relevant attachments are clear for reviewers. To upload a revision of a document, select the ellipses at the end of the attachment name on the “Add Attachments” page. (See yellow highlights in screenshot below.)  Contact your Grant Specialist if there are any issues with this feature.

• Once your RAMP record (Funding Proposal) is complete with relevant attachments uploaded and RAMP budget created, you can begin the review/approval process.
  • Please see the Attachment Checklist in Submission Documents for all documents to upload prior to beginning RAMP approvals.
  • Then, click “Submit for Department Review” on the left of your Funding Proposal to begin approvals. (ORSP>Division>Grant Accounting>Authorized Official)

• The timeline for approvals varies based on the complexity of your project, the origin of the funding, and the availability of the approvers who will review the record. (ex. Depending on your college, reviews may be requested from the School/Discipline head, Dean/Division head, Grant Accounting, authorized representative Katie Jore, and UW Office of General Counsel. Contact ORSP@uwsp.edu or your Dean’s office for further clarification.)
  
• Generally, plan for the following review/approval times*:
  • Federal grant opportunities (and any funds that originate federally, even if direct sponsor is state/private): 2 –3 weeks to obtain approvals through the RAMP system and complete any revisions requested.
    • Depending on the grant opportunity, approval of UW’s Office of General Counsel may need to be obtained for certain federal terms and conditions.
  • State or Private/Foundation grant opportunities: 2 weeks to obtain approvals in RAMP and complete any revisions that are requested.  
  • *NOTE: If your timeline is very tight, please reach out to ORSP as soon as possible to discuss how to best move forward.

RAMP is a web-based software solution and the back button will work in RAMP; however, it may not have the desired effect depending on the order in which SmartForm pages are accessed. The preferred navigation method is to use the left navigator and Continue buttons to work through a SmartForm.

First, try the wildcard option of % to search more broadly–for example, for Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, type %natural resources which should narrow the search.

Otherwise, if the sponsor is not listed, contact orsp@uwsp.edu provide the sponsor information and website. ORSP will submit a New Sponsor Request to UW and update the RAMP record when the sponsor has been added.

RAMP only saves when the buttons Save or Continue are clicked, but does not actively autosave. Selecting “Continue” will save the data and move to the next page. “Save” will save the data but leave you on the same page. (It is not necessary to select Save and then select Continue.)

Add “Staff Member to Be Determined” in the Personnel section of Budget SmartForm and select Undergraduate Student as the role. Then annualize the salary (hourly x 2080) and calculate the monthly effort based on expected hours per week. You can also use the ORSP tool Hourly Salary Calculator for RAMP.

Reach out to ORSP@uwsp.edu for assistance with this detail.

RAMP sends email notifications throughout the process and emails depend on the role noted in RAMP. (ex. PI, Admin Assistants, Approver, Grant Specialist.)

Emails will come from noreply@ramp.wisconsin.edu and contain brief information such as the Funding Proposal (FP) number of the record, the action needed or completed, a link to the RAMP record, and instructions on moving forward.

If you receive an automated email message from RAMP and are not sure what is needed of you, open the RAMP record by following the link within the email and check the History tab for details.

PI & Admin contacts may also receive email updates that do not require action, for example an email is sent when ORSP marks RAMP record as Submitted to Sponsor. You will also receive an email with instructions if your Dean/Division head requests changes within RAMP during their review.

RAMP Certification is an attestation statement the primary Principal Investigator (PI) must make before the UW submits a proposal for funding or before the UW enters into a non-funded agreement. This is a requirement of UWSP.

A PI may Certify prior to approvals. Otherwise, when a RAMP Funding Proposal record moves to the Department Review state for approvals, the PI receives an automated email from RAMP providing a link and asking them to Certify the record.

Once in the RAMP record, PIs navigate to the “Certify” activity on the left-hand menu.

Clicking Certify brings up the RAMP attestation statement. PIs read the statement to understand their obligations as a PI.  PIs then click OK when ready to Certify the RAMP record.

The RAMP Funding Proposal is locked to edits after approvals begin, during the Department Review and Specialist Review states.  However, the Department reviewer (Division/College/School) and the ORSP Specialist can send the Funding Proposal back to a Dept/Unit/PI and it becomes editable again when sent back.

Alternatively, contact your Grant Specialist (ORSP contact) who can assist in any edits. Keep in mind if scope and/or budget substantially changes, RAMP approvals will need to start over.

Yes, they will have read-only access while the ancillary review is underway including the ability to view/download attachments within the RAMP record’s Attachment tab.

Yes. “Printer Version” is a printed version of the SmartForm, either the Funding Proposal or the Budget, depending which page you are on. It can be saved as a PDF by clicking Print at the top of the page, then Save as PDF as the Printer type.

• This is most commonly used when needing to share the record with those outside of UW (for example, providing a draft budget to a project partner).
• For those within the UW (any campus), they can be given access to the RAMP record in Edit Funding Proposal>Personnel tab>4b or 4c.

The PDF generated by “Generate PDF Version” is independent from what is submitted electronically to the sponsor. (This is rarely used.) The PDF is primarily for preview purposes; if something doesn’t look right on the generated PDF, that doesn’t necessarily mean it will get submitted to the sponsor as viewed. As long as it is correct in the SF424 SmartForm, it should submit as expected.

Yes, there is an “Add Comment” activity on the RAMP left side options. Comments will display on the RAMP record’s History tab. Please note comments cannot be deleted from a RAMP record once posted.

• For all users: Modification Requests you create, Agreements you create, everything you create in Draft state.
• Deans/Division users: All of the above and Funding Proposals that have been sent to you for Division review (called Department Review in RAMP).

Department Review requests that are made to Dean or Division heads, as well as Ancillary Review requests.

Yes, both the PI and the Administrative contact noted within the RAMP record are notified by email.

For New Awards

• If department/division receives an agreement, award letter, or other notice of award for a new award, please email it to orsp@uwsp.edu. Any signatures required for an agreement will be processed by ORSP, as only the authorized official for grants (Katie Jore) is permitted to sign grant agreements. ORSP will also send the agreement for UW Office of General Counsel legal review if the grant is connected to federal funding. New awards will be initiated in RAMP by ORSP, then sent to Grant Accounting for integration into Workday.

For Existing Awards 

• If department/division receives an agreement, award letter, or other notice of award for an existing/active award, please send it to orsp@uwsp.edu who will route for any signatures and assist with completing an Award Modification Request.

• Alternatively, if the ORSP office receives a notice of award (NOA) for an existing/active award, we will contact you and begin the Award Modification process in RAMP.

Yes, visit ORSP’s page RAMP Training for options. You can also email ORSP@uwsp.edu to schedule a 1-on-1 RAMP Funding Proposal setup, if you have a grant opportunity you’re ready to apply for. These meetings generally take 1 hour. (Keep in mind once all documents are uploaded to RAMP, approvals can take 1-3 weeks, depending on the originating funding of the grant opportunity.)​