Limited Submissions
In Limited Submissions Programs, the sponsor restricts the number of applications or proposals an organization such as FSU can submit. The guidelines for these programs require organizations to screen pre-proposals or nominations to determine which applications will be submitted for competition.
How does the process work at FSU?
The Research Development (RD) team tracks the limited submissions programs and posts them to this website. RD sets a Notice of Interest Deadline for each limited submissions program. All Limited Submissions deadlines are set for 5pm Eastern Time of the posted dates.
Prior to the Notice of Interest Deadline, individuals interested in applying to a limited submissions program submit a Notice of Interest to the RD team through this site by clicking the Notify hyperlink associated with the program.
- If, by the Notice of Interest Deadline, the number of interested Principal Investigators (PIs) is equal to or lower than program limits, an automatic email will be sent to faculty to approve these PIs to represent FSU and to submit an application to the agency.
- If, by the Notice of Interest Deadline, the number of interested PIs exceeds program limits, FSU will host an internal competition to determine which PIs will be permitted to advance applications to the external funding agency. Upon the Notice of Interest Deadline, interested PIs will be prompted to submit a formal ‘pre-proposal’ to the site within two weeks. Two weeks after the Notice of Interest Deadline, all ‘pre-proposals’ will be due. A review panel approved by the Vice President of Research will then read over the ‘pre-proposals’ and select the most promising projects.
After the Notice of Interest Deadline, PIs interested in a limited submissions program might still be eligible.
- If an internal competition was not required and slots remain available, PIs may submit a Notice of Interest through this site in the same way by clicking the Notify hyperlink associated with the program. These projects will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis.
- If an internal competition was initiated, PIs may still participate in the internal competition if the original pre-applicants are still preparing their pre-proposals. Please alert the Limited Submissions Coordinator, Dr. Carolyn Bradley via email (cbradley@fsu.edu) that you would like to participate in the internal competition. Carolyn will let you know if there is still time for you to join the internal competition, and if so, provide you with next steps.
If your project is selected from the internal competition, you will need to work with the appropriate office (Sponsored Research Administration [SRA] for publicly-funded grants, or the FSU Research Foundation for privately-funded grants) to prepare, route and submit your proposal to the agency.
Notice of Interest Requirements:
- To submit a Notice of Interest, complete the Limited Submissions Pre-Application Form, and click Save. Do not submit a pre-proposal at this time.
Internal Competition Requirements (only applicable when, by the Notice of Interest Deadline, the number of interested PIs exceeds program limits):
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Upload to the Limited Submissions Pre-Application Form a ‘pre-proposal’ formatted as a single PDF comprising*:
- A project narrative, conveying the scope of the project, expected/intended outcomes, the personnel involved, and existing resources, no more than 2 pages in length (Note: references are not included in the 2-page limit.)
- A description, if applicable, of any conversations with the program officer, words of encouragement from prior reviewers, or other occurrences which indicate that the project is apt to be funded, no more than 1 paragraph in length
- Detailed budget (i.e., salary, fringe, travel, tuition, equipment, subcontracts, indirect costs, as applicable), if applicable, no more than 1 page in length**
- 2-page curriculum vitae (Note: if multiple faculty members are part of the proposal, provide a 2-page CV only for the Principal Investigator, and then list the names of the other collaborators on the pre-proposal.)
- Cost-sharing commitment letters, if applicable, each no more than 1 page in length
- Obtain digital approval from your Director/Department Chair and Dean (due by the Internal Competitions Requirement Deadline at 5pm ET). Once you submit the ‘pre-proposal,’ your Director/Department Chair will be contacted automatically via email for approval of the submission. It is your responsibility to contact your Director/Department Chair and Dean beforehand to alert them to this upcoming email and to ensure that they have sufficient time to review the ‘pre-proposal’ and approve it by the Internal Competition Requirements Deadline.
*Frequently, RD has reason to modify these ‘pre-proposal’ requirements. After the Notice of Interest Deadline passes, the Limited Submissions Coordinator will contact all pre-applicants by email with ‘pre-proposal’ instructions specific to the internal competition in question. PIs should not attempt to submit a ‘pre-proposal’ before receiving this email.
**If the funding opportunity does not require a budget, do not include one in your pre-proposal.
Listing of limited submissions programs
Note: This list is not comprehensive. If you are interested in a limited submissions notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) that is not posted on our website, contact RD immediately. RD will review the guidelines, establish an appropriate Notice of Interest Deadline, and post the program to the site.