When you create a budget, you are automatically named the role of Budget Preparer. Approvers may contact you during the review process, and OSP and/or GCA staff following the awarding of funds.
- To select a different preparer, click the Change the Budget Preparer? link beneath the preparer information to open the personnel chooser.
- Enter the Name or UW NetID for the person you want to add, and click Search.
- Click on the desired person’s name to select her or him and return to the Access page.
When you choose to change yourself as the preparer, a warning message will appear. If the change you are making removes your last access to this item, once you confirm the change, the tasklist will display.

The information displayed for the preparer is:
- Name and Employee ID
- Selected unit: the name and Cost Center of the contact’s unit for the appointment selected. This is automatically displayed by SAGE.
- Title: the contact’s title from the directory. This field is editable.
- Phone: the contact’s title from the directory. This field is editable.
- Email: the contact’s title from the directory. This field is editable.
Use this section of the eGC1 Contacts and Assign Access page to look up an Administrative or Pre-Award Budget Contact. Approvers may contact these persons during the review process. OSP and/or GCA staff may contact them following the awarding of funds.
Review the SAGE Budget and eGC1 Shared Access Data page to learn how contact information is displayed on the shared access page of your eGC1 and its connected SAGE Budget.
Note: This page is editable regardless of the eGC1’s status.
Add Contact
Click on either the Look Up Administrative Contact or Look Up Pre-Award Budget Contact button on the Contacts & Assign Access page to open the Personnel Chooser. Search for and select the person.
The information displayed for both contacts is the same.

- Name and Employee ID
- Selected unit: the name and cost center of the contact’s unit for the appointment selected. This is automatically displayed by SAGE.
- Title: the contact’s title from the directory. This field is editable.
- Phone: the contact’s phone number from the directory. This field is editable and is required.
- Email: the contact’s email address from the directory. This field is editable and is required.
Change Contact
To select a different contact, click the appropriate Change the (Admin/Budget) Contact? link beneath the contact information to open the personnel chooser.
Remove Contact
To remove a contact, click the appropriate Remove the (Admin/Budget) Contact? link beneath the contact information to clear the selection.
When you choose to change or remove yourself as a contact, a warning message will appear. If the change you are making removes your last access to this item, once you confirm the change you will be returned to the tasklist.

SAGE – the System to Administer Grants Electronically – is the web-based system used by faculty, researchers, administrators and staff.
You can stay up-to-date on changes in SAGE (and FIDS) by subscribing to our Office of Research Information Services (ORIS) News.
The core SAGE system allows you to carry out several tasks:
- SAGE Budget helps you create an accurate budget for your grant proposal. It auto-populates data from the payroll and financial systems, helps you select proper rates, and calculates totals automatically.
- You can connect a budget to a standard or Grant Runner eGC1 to populate budget data.
- You will need to connect a budget to an Award Setup Request.
- eGC1 Forms are the electronic Grants and Contracts forms you use to route your grant proposal through the University’s internal compliance process.
- Grant Runner applications combine the eGC1 and sponsor forms for some NIH funding opportunities requiring SF424 R&R forms, including Modular, Detailed and Subaward Budgets. With the click of a button, OSP can electronically submit your application via Grants.gov to the sponsor.
- Approvals is the electronic routing engine that stages eGC1s, Advances, and Award Setup Requests for approval by associated departments, colleges, compliance offices, and the Office of Sponsored Programs.
- Advances creates an online request form for an advance budget number.
- Awards allows you to create an Award Setup Request.
- Subawards submits a request for a new subaward or a modification of an existing one.
The Approval Graph for an application is based on:
- The Cost Center Receiving Funding ID
- Any cost sharing Cost Center IDs
- Any additional Cost Center IDs listed on the “PI, Personnel & Organizations” page
- Any facilities or centers identified in the compliance section of the eGC1
- Cost Center for the PI and personnel listed on the eGC1
- Primary position unit’s Cost Center ID, if different from the selected unit, for the PI and personnel listed on the eGC1
Use the Additional Organizational Unit Reviewers section if this application requires the approval of any additional departments or units (not identified by the above three categories) for:
- Joint Appointment Units
- TBA Personnel Units
- Space and/or Resources
- Other (for example, CoMotion)
Note: Only add those units not already represented on the approval graph.
You must add at least the Cost Center Receiving Funding on the Details page and the PI before SAGE can generate a draft approval graph. When that is done, you will see a “View draft approval graph” link below and to the right of this section. The graph will update as you add additional reviewers.
Select Look Up Cost Center (or Add another Cost Center) at the bottom left of this section to add the Cost Center Number and Name. You must then select the appropriate Approval Rule Type from the drop-down menu and add Comments.
The following image shows an example of an added organization for a joint appointment.

Use the Delete link to the right of the added department or unit to remove it from the list. The system will prompt you for a confirmation of the deletion.
Access permissions govern what a user may see and do with a specific eGC1 (and connected budget) in SAGE.
The eGC1 Preparer, Principal Investigator (PI), Administrative Contact, and Pre-Award Budget Contact are automatically Owners of the eGC1.
- When you link an eGC1 and Budget, the Budget Preparer also becomes an owner of the eGC1
- If you create an Advance Budget Request for the eGC1 (with or without a connected budget), the Advance Preparer(s) and any others assigned access to the Advance will also be listed in the Access section of the eGC1’s page
Any owner, any user with Read/Write permission, or any user with the Global Edit ASTRA role for the appropriate Cost Centers may give Read-Only or Read/Write access to other SAGE users.
Different permission types have different access rights:
|
Owner |
Read/Write |
Read-Only |
Global Editor |
Approver |
Watcher |
View Contents |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Edit Contents |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes * |
No |
No |
Assign Access |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes * |
No |
No |
Delete |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Complete |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Withdraw /
Re-Complete |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes * |
No |
No |
Return |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Add Reviewer or Watcher |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
** |
Yes |
No |
Add Comment |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
** |
Yes |
Yes |
* Note: A Global Editor can edit or withdraw an eGC1 only if the editor’s span of control matches the Cost Center of an approving unit. Global Editors access eGC1s from the My Approvals tab. Note that you cannot see eGC1s in Composing status on the My Approvals tab.
** A Global Editor cannot add reviews, watchers, or comments even if they has Read/Write assigned access to the eGC1.
To create an Advance Budget Number Request for an eGC1, you must be an owner or have been assigned access – either Read/Write or Read-Only. For Global Editors, this means you must open the eGC1 from the Approvals tab and assign yourself access (or change one of the contacts, if appropriate). Then you can create an Advance.
You can edit an eGC1, if:
- You have read/write access to it AND
- It has a status of Composing, Withdrawn, or Returned
Editing exceptions are:
- The Contacts & Assign Access page of an eGC1 is always editable
- The PI, Personnel & Organizations page is also editable for an eGC1 with a status of Approved, Awarded, or Denied by Sponsor
Changing a Routing eGC1
If you need to make changes to a routing eGC1, you must start by withdrawing it from routing. Before you withdraw your eGC1, you may want to contact approvers to let them know that you plan to do so. A routing eGC1 would have a status of Routing or In OSP.
To withdraw and then re-route the eGC1:
- Click Certify & Route on the left navigation menu.
- Click the Withdraw button in the Update Application section at the top of the page.
- Make the changes to your eGC1, and then return to the Certify & Route page.
- Scroll down to the Process Application section, and click Route to Reviewers. When you click Route to Reviewers, the eGC1 moves back into routing and becomes locked for editing.
Any approver who already approved your eGC1 is not contacted again. If you make a major change, you may add them back into the approval graph as ad hoc approvers.
Note: If you have marked your eGC1 Yes for Ready to Submit and it is at In OSP status, you must contact OSP to return your eGC1 in order to make changes.
Read/Write Access to the eGC1
The eGC1’s owners and any users specifically assigned read/write access on the Contacts & Access page can edit an eGC1.
The owners are:
- PI
- Administrative Contact
- Pre-Award Budget Contact
- eGC1 Preparer
- Budget Preparer, if a SAGE Budget is linked to the eGC1
Users with a SAGE ASTRA role of Global Edit with a Cost Center that matches any Cost Center for a reviewer in the approval flow can also edit an eGC1. Note: Global Editors access completed eGC1s from the My Approvals tab. A Global Editor cannot access an eGC1 in Composing status with just the Global Editor role.
The Details page of the eGC1 includes basic information about the proposed research, such as the proposal dates, the Cost Center Receiving Funding, and the sponsor.
The Certify & Route page includes the final compliance questions, a place to add information for the UW reviewers, and the ability to check for any remaining errors. Select Route to Reviewers to send your application to the reviewers. Once routed, you will see a Withdraw button. Use it to withdraw your application for editing. You would then re-route it with the changes.
The sections on the page vary depending on the application’s status and whether the person editing is the PI or not.