Limited Submissions
What are Limited Submissions?
A limited submission proposal is a type of broad agency announcement, request for proposal, or other funding opportunity, in which the sponsor restricts the number of applications or proposals that can be submitted by an institution or a unit within an institution. When multiple eligible principal investigators (PIs) or teams of PIs are interested in submitting a proposal to such a funding opportunity, institutions must consider pre-proposals or nominations to determine which application or applications will be submitted to the relevant external agency. Typically, institutions are permitted to submit one or two proposals to the sponsor of a limited submission proposal call.
How do I apply?
Faculty must complete the limited submissions online application and upload the required documentation to be considered.
What is required in a Pre-Proposal Document?
A principal investigator must complete a pre-proposal as outlined below, while adhering to the parameters of the selection criteria noted in the sponsor’s solicitation:
- Pre-Proposal Outline (approximately three pages):
- Project Summary and Intellectual Merit
- Broader Impact
- Approach and Methods
- Resources: Team Members and Facilities (please summarize)
- Total Estimated Budget (conceptual over award period)
- Total Estimated Cost Share (with breakout)
- Biographical Sketch for the principal investigator(s) / Co-PI(s) (2 pages maximum; sample NSF guideline)
- Pre-proposals are due by the Internal Due Date listed on the “Upcoming Limited Submission Opportunities” posted on the Limited Submissions webpage – or, if not on that list, eight weeks before the agency’s published proposal submission deadline. This will provide ample time for the PI to prepare a full proposal if selected.
If an opportunity is identified that is not on the "Upcoming Limited Submission Opportunities" posted on the Limited Submissions webpage and is inside of eight weeks prior to the agency's published proposal submission deadline, priority will be given to the first GCS request received for that proposal. GCS requests can be made through the following link.
Extended period for preparation of proposals selected in Limited Submissions Opportunities
In response to feedback from grant applicants, the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) is extending the period during which faculty members can prepare full proposal submissions that are selected through the ORI limited submissions opportunity process. At present, the deadline for submission of pre-proposals for internal review and selection is typically six weeks before the agency deadline. In order to provide more time for the preparation of the full proposal for the agency, as of September 1, 2017 this internal deadline will be moved typically to eight weeks before the agency deadline.
“Pre-selection” for certain Limited Submissions Opportunities
Recognizing that major limited submissions (e.g., MRI, PIRE, ADVANCE, …) require significant preparation, not only for the internal competition, but for the full submission starting even before the internal deadline (eight weeks before the agency deadline – to be implemented by September 1, 2017 – see announcement above) pre-selection can be considered in advance of the internal deadline in certain cases.
Faculty members can request pre-approval before the internal deadline. Pre-selection requests will be evaluated and decided upon by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation. A case must be made for why the extra time is required and, in cases where it is appropriate, the principal investigator agrees to engage the UNT community broadly to seek and accommodate collaborators that strengthen the proposal.
How are Limited Submission proposals selected and submitted?
Review of pre-proposals is administered by the ORI.
Notification of selections to applicants will be sent from the ORI.
Final proposal(s) will be submitted through the OGCA to the sponsor. Request a Grants and Contracts Specialist
How do I find current Limited Submission opportunities?
Upcoming Limited Submission opportunities can we viewed on the Limited Submission Opportunities webpage. This list of pertinent limited submission funding opportunities is by no means exhaustive, containing those opportunities of potential broad interest or that have been the subject of demonstrated interest in recent years. Faculty are encouraged to identify additional opportunities as early as possible. Typically this process begins six to eight weeks before the agency’s published proposal submission deadline.
To view a more comprehensive list of current Limited Submission opportunities faculty and staff are encouraged to use the search tool PIVOT. For more information on using this tool, and for in-person training sessions, please contact 940-565-3252 or email at Naomi.Wood@unt.edu.
Who do I contact for more information?
For questions related to Limited Submissions contact LimitedSubmissions@unt.edu
To request a Grants & Contracts Specialist select Request a Grants and Contracts Specialist under Pre Award on the OGCA homepage.