An organization can only submit a total of two proposals for this solicitation. If more than two proposals are submitted by a single organization, the additional proposals will be returned without review.

Collaborative Proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations are NOT allowed for this competition.

An organization may not submit more than two (2) proposals. If more than two (2) proposals are submitted, the additional proposals will be returned without review.

Proposer organizations may submit only one Institutional Transformation proposal or one IT-Catalyst proposal.  There is no limit on the number of PAID proposals that can be submitted.

Lead academic institutions are limited to participation on one proposal as a lead institution.　 A lead academic institution may NOT participate as a subawardee on any other proposal submitted under this solicitation. A lead academic institution, however, may be a partner (not receiving funding) on another proposal or may provide consultants to another proposal submitted under this solicitation.

Only one TCN proposal may be submitted by any one organization as the lead organization. Organizations may be involved in more than one collaborative effort as a non-lead proposal.

Alliances (including B2B) and BD: 1 

Broadening Participation Research in STEM Education:  No limit.

Only one Research Infrastructure Improvement Track-1: (RII Track-1) proposal may be submitted in response to this solicitation by the designated fiscal agent/proposing organization, acting on behalf of a jurisdiction's EPSCoR steering committee.

AGEP:

• AGEP-Transformation - An institution or organization may serve as the lead on one AGEP-Transformation collaborative proposal. An institution or organization may be a partner in multiple AGEP-Transformation projects.  Each AGEP-Transformation alliance partner must simultaneously submit proposals as part of one collaborative proposal. (See Chapter II, Section D.4.b for guidance in the preparation of collaborative proposals submitted as separate submissions from multiple organizations.) Institutions and organizations involved in AGEP-Transformation projects may also participate in AGEP-KAT and AGEP-BPR projects.
• AGEP-KAT and AGEP-BPR - There are no limits on the number of proposals that can be submitted.

BPS-RN:

• BPS-RN - There are no limits on the number of proposals that can be submitted.

Only one CREST Center proposal may be submitted per eligible institution. An institution may have only one active CREST award, irrespective of focus area. Centers that have completed two prior, consecutive 5-year CREST awards may not recompete. However, new research teams from former awardee institutions may submit proposals in disciplinary areas that are significantly different from those of the previous award(s).

Only one HBCU-RISE proposal may be submitted per eligible institution. An institution may have only one active HBCU-RISE award.

Any institution may submit multiple-university center proposals provided that the proposed research topics involve different disciplines and support different industries.

Grantee institutions that have an active single university I/UCRC award are not eligible to apply for another single university center; however, they may apply for a multi-university center.

A center site may apply for a Phase II (years 6 through 10) proposal if it meets the Phase II minimum requirements specified in the solicitation as well as having satisfactorily completed the Phase I (years 1 through 5). 

A center site may apply for a Phase III (years 11 through 15)  proposal if it meets the minimum Phase III requirements specified in the solicitation as well as having satisfactorily completed the Phase II (years 6 through 10).

Graduated centers who have successfully completed a Phase II award within the last 10 years may apply for a Phase III award. 

One proposal per center. All sites must submit a collaborative proposal that is part of the same integrated research experimental plan of the center. The total budget for all site submissions from a center cannot exceed the maximum award.

None.

Multiple programs or individuals from the same institution may be nominated.  However each program or individual may be nominated only one time per competition.

Former Organizational award recipients of the PAESMEM award are not eligible.

An institution that awards baccalaureate degrees is allowed to submit only one Type 1 proposal, or to be part of only one consortium submitting a Type 1 proposal.  An institution that awards associate degrees, and does not award baccalaureate degrees, is allowed to be the lead institution on only one Type 1 proposal, and, in addition, may be a partner on one or more Type 1 proposals.  There are no restrictions on the number of Type 2 proposals that an individual or organization may submit.

Exception: If an institution is submitting a proposal under the "Special Funding Focus on Retention in Engineering and Computer Science" (see Program Description for details), it may also submit a second proposal under Type 1, either individually or as part of a consortium.

Three (3) as described below.

If three proposals are submitted, at least one of the proposals must be for instrument development (i.e., no more than two proposals may be for instrument acquisition). 

To ensure a balanced instrumentation award portfolio at diverse organizations, across varied research topics, and in support of a broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce across the entire Nation, the MRI program requires that an MRI-eligible organization may, as a performing organization, submit or be included as a significantly funded¹ subawardee in no more than three MRI proposals.  To promote instrumentation development, the program requires that if an organization submits or is included as a significantly funded¹ subawardee in three MRI proposals, at least one of the three proposals must be for instrument development. 

NSF reserves the right to carefully examine development proposals to ensure that they meet the requirements for this proposal type (see Section II).  If a proposal submitted as development is deemed to be an acquisition proposal, the proposal will be returned without review if any of the organizations involved have already submitted two acquisition proposals.

¹An unfunded collaboration does not count against the submission limit.  Inclusion as a funded subawardee on a development proposal at a level in excess of 20% of the total budget request from NSF, or on any acquisition proposal, will be counted against an organization's proposal submission limit.  However, if a subaward to an organization in a development proposal is 20% or less of the proposal's total budget request from NSF, the subawardee's submission limit will not be affected.    For subawards within a linked collaborative proposal, the 20% threshold applies to the budget request from NSF in the proposal containing the subaward(s), not to the combined budget request from NSF for the collaborative project.

Note: The 30% cost-sharing requirement applies to only the portion of the total project cost budgeted to non-exempt organization(s), including those participating through subawards. Cost-sharing is required for Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education and for non-degree-granting organizations.  Non-Ph.D.-granting institutions of higher education are exempt from the cost-sharing requirement.  See section V.B. for specific information on cost-sharing calculations and the solicitation text for definitions of organizational types used for the MRI program.