Limited Submission Process Overview

Limited Submission Process Map

Faculty/Principal Investigators (PI) may not submit a limited-submission application directly to a funding agency or other sponsor without official confirmation from the Office of Strategic Research Development (OSRD) and institutional approval through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). Adherence to these steps is the responsibility of the PI proposing to carry out the project. All selected applications for submission must receive OSP approval prior to submission and must comply with UTMB OSP internal deadlines. Applications for limited submission opportunities that are submitted to the OSP or the sponsor without prior confirmation by OSRD may be delayed.

 

Limited Submission Process

  • Identification & Dissemination Process

    OSRD makes every effort to identify relevant limited submission opportunities and to disseminate these opportunities promptly through several mediums:

    • Announcement Emails | Notifications are sent on the limited submissions listserv. Click here to subscribe to the funding Team.  Limited submission opportunities are also sent through the UTMB Daily Announcements.
    • Limited Submissions Webpage | Visit this site regularly to stay apprised of new announcements and deadlines.
    • Forwarded/Targeted Emails | Discipline-specific opportunities are sometimes forwarded to faculty who’s research expertise align with the funding opportunity.

     

  • Notice of Intent
    • Send your NOI to Limitedsubmissions@utmb.edu and include:
      • PI name, department, and proposed project title
      • Subject Line: Program/Sponsor Name NOI
      • Letter from the Department Chair verifying eligibility as stated within the RFA.  Applicant must meet ALL eligibility requirements
  • How to submit your pre-proposal
    • Follow the link provided for each active limited submission opportunity to submit your application.
    • Once you click on the link, it will redirect you to a page which contains the information that is needed as well as instructions for how to submit your pre-proposal application.
    • While the digital submission process is the same for all pre-proposal, please pay attention to the specific requirements needed for each pre-proposal application. 
  • Internal Timelines and Deadlines
    • Sponsor deadlines determine internal competition deadlines, therefore if a sponsor deadline varies from year to year, the internal competition schedule may alter. Upcoming internal competition dates should be regarded approximate until sponsor deadlines are confirmed.
    • Competition deadlines allow for internal submissions, evaluation, and full proposal preparation. If OSRD receives notice of a restricted submission opportunity with insufficient time to conduct an internal competition, an internal competition may not be declared, and submission slots may be allocated on a “first to notify” basis.
    • OSRD will use this internal submission procedure for all situations where there is a practical amount of time between receipt of the first notice from an interested faculty member and the date of the funding agency deadline.
    • All Internal Pre-Proposals must be received by 11:59 pm on the deadline date to be considered. Deadline dates for posted funding opportunities can be found on the  Limited Submissions Funding Opportunities web page.
  • Internal Competition Process, Review, and Selection
    • Internal Pre-Proposals are collected, reviewed administratively by the OSRD, and passed on for review/scoring by the committee who are provided an evaluation matrix based on the evaluation criteria listed in the program solicitation or used for all programs administered by that sponsor.
    • The GRO committee is responsible for reviewing majority of limited submission competitions.  Each application is scored by up to three committee members.  When additional expertise is needed, ad-hoc internal reviewers are identified by members of the GRO.
    • Institutional Priority Selection is made in cases where the GRO committee selects the PI based on a prioritized institutional need.
    • Automatic Selection is made when there is only one eligible pre-proposal received by the internal deadline date. Proposal review comments and scores are not provided.
    • For all selected pre-proposals, researchers are required to provide immediate notice of any incremental changes (i.e., Lead PI change, budgetary adjustments, no longer submitting, etc.).
    • Once a decision is made, the GRO Chair emails the results to the OSRD limited submission team who is then responsible for writing the acceptance and rejection letters to the applicants and notifying the selected nominee, departmental pre-award administrator, and OSP.
  • Short Notice Opportunities
    • Sometimes a researcher will find a limited submission on their own and want to apply for it. In cases such as these, unless a second researcher comes forward and wants to apply, we allow the investigator who located the opportunity to apply without GRO review.
    • If a new limited submission opportunity is identified within 45 days of the sponsor deadline, the limited submissions team will include the opportunity in the next Limited Submission’s regularly scheduled announcement and it will undergo internal review and selection during the following review cycle. 
  • Post-Selection Responsibility
    • Candidates (i.e., proposal submitters) selected as internal competition winners must ensure they are aware of any additional requirements of the funding agency beyond the internal competition.
    • Candidates must also complete all regular internal approval processes, including submission of the final application to the sponsor via OSP.
    • If a proposal is submitted to a funding agency, but not funded, the review committee or OSRD may request feedback from the researcher (e.g., written reviews from the sponsor, ratings/rankings/scores), to help in understanding how to better select and prepare proposals for the next round of that particular internal competition.
    • If a candidate is no longer able to apply for a limited submission opportunity, he or she must notify the Limited Submission Team immediately, to allow another colleague the chance to move forward with a submission.
    • Failure to submit a final proposal to the funding agency after being selected as an internal competition winner will be a significant factor in considering future internal competition applications from a candidate