Office of Research Limited Submissions - Office of Research

Limited Submissions

What is a Limited Submission?

Sometimes a funding sponsor imposes a limitation on the number of proposals an institution can submit to a funding opportunity. These “Limited Submission” programs must be internally coordinated to ensure that UC Davis only submits the allowable number of proposals. When these programs arise, the Office of Research coordinates the internal process for selecting the applicant(s) who may submit to that funding opportunity. This review process is coordinated through the campus InfoReady Review platform.

Current Open Competitions

All active Limited Submission competitions are posted to the InfoReady Review website.

Information on Important Recurring Limited Submission Programs

This is a list of important recurring Limited Submission programs, with information on their typical timelines and points of contact. Interested in volunteering as an internal reviewer for a program? Email Limited Submissions. Want to see the Limited Submissions Yearly Calendar? Click here.

  • Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award from the Henry and Camille Dreyfus Foundation
  • Brain Research Foundation Seed Grants from the Brain Research Foundation
  • Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Award from The Hartwell Foundation
  • Innovations in Graduate Education (IGE) from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Keck Foundation Research Grants – Science & Engineering and Medical Research – from the W. M. Keck Foundation
    • Internal deadline typically in early October on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Additional resources here
    • Contact Traci Galbaugh, Executive Managing Director of Foundation Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardees: Dr. Lin Tian, Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine; Dr. J. Sebastian Gomez-Diaz, Electrical & Computer Engineering
  • Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Mallinckrodt Biomedical Scholars from the Edward Mallinckrodt Foundation
  • Moore Inventor Fellows from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • NEH Summer Stipends from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
    • Internal deadline typically in June or July, *coordinated by the College of Letters & Science Dean’s Office
    • Recent Campus Awardee: Dr. Gerardo Con Diaz, Sociology
  • NSF Research Traineeships (NRT) from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research
    • Internal deadline typically in late January or early February on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Molly McCarthy, Senior Director of Foundation Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardee: Dr. Alessandro Ossola, Plant Sciences
  • Packard Fellowships for Science & Engineering from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation
    • Internal deadline typically in early February on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Molly McCarthy, Senior Director of Foundation Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardee: Dr. Rachael Bay, Evolution & Ecology
  • Pew Biomedical Scholars from the Pew Charitable Trusts
    • Internal deadline typically in March on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Traci Galbaugh, Executive Managing Director of Foundation Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardee: Dr. Bennett Penn, Infectious Diseases
  • Pew-Stewart Scholars in Cancer Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Rita Allen Scholars from the Rita Allen Foundation
  • Science & Technology Centers (STC) from the National Science Foundation (NSF)
  • Searle Scholars from the Kinship Foundation
    • Internal deadline typically in June or early July on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Traci Galbaugh, Executive Managing Director of Foundation Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardees: Dr. Sergey Stavisky, Neurological Surgery, and Dr. Christina Kim, Neurology
  • USDA Equipment Grants from the US Department of Agriculture
    • Internal deadline typically in spring (varies by month) on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Limited Submissions with questions
    • Recent Campus Awardees: Dr. Troy Magney, Plant Sciences and Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, Animal Science
  • Women in STEM2D (WiSTEM2D) from Johnson & Johnson
    • Internal deadline typically in July on the InfoReady Review platform
    • Contact Jody Dahms, Director of Corporate Engagement
    • Recent Campus Awardee: Dr. Sabbie Miller, Civil and Environmental Engineering

Looking for information on recurring Prizes and Awards? Please contact Gloria Hayes, Director of National and International Faculty Awards. Is the limited submission program only open to graduate student applicants? If so, please contact the Office of Graduate Studies.

FAQs

What is a Limited Submission?

A limited submission is a funding opportunity in which the sponsor imposes a limit on the number of applications/proposals that an institution can submit to a specific RFP/FOA/CFP. When this happens, the Limited Submission Program promotes an internal deadline for either Expressions of Interest (EOIs) or preproposals–depending on the anticipated interest–then coordinates an internal competition to determine which project(s) will move forward to the sponsor. This process ensures that our institution only submits the allowable number of proposals to the sponsor.

What is a Coordinated Submission?

A coordinated submission is a funding opportunity in which the sponsor imposes other types of specific restrictions on applications submitted by an institution. Such restrictions may include certification that multiple proposals are not duplicative or for similar equipment or projects. Coordinated submission programs are internally reviewed to ensure all applications submitted by the university are eligible, distinct, and contain required institutional materials.

How are opportunities determined to be limited submissions or coordinated submissions?

The conditions that create limited submissions and coordinated submissions are imposed by the sponsor. Each week the Limited Submissions Program Manager reads new funding opportunity calls, and identifies which opportunities contain institutional limitations or have conditions that require internal coordination. Then an announcement is created in InfoReady Review for those opportunities, where interested PIs can submit internally.

Where can I find instructions on how to submit to Limited Submissions?

Internal preproposals or Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are submitted online via the InfoReady Review system. Instructions for using the InfoReady Review system as an applicant are available on the InfoReady Review home page.

Complete the following steps to submit a preproposal or EOI for review:

  1. Log in to InfoReady Review with your campus Kerberos ID.
  2. Find the competition to which you intend to apply. You can search for the title of the program using the search box.
  3. Read the program announcement page carefully.
  4. Click the “Submit EOI” or “Apply” button, and follow the prompts. Note: You may save a draft to complete later.
  5. Select “Submit” once your EOI or preproposal is complete. You should receive a confirmation email, but it may go to your Spam folder.

What application materials are required for a Limited Submission?

Each program announcement indicates the materials that are required for that opportunity. It varies by opportunity, but generally it will ask for a description of the project and a recent CV or Biosketch from the Principal Investigator (PI). Sometimes it can ask for more information, so read the announcement carefully.

How are Limited Submission applications reviewed?

If we receive more than the allowable number of applications, limited submission applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of faculty peers from the schools and colleges represented in the applicant pool. The committee evaluates the applications based on the review criteria advertised in the program announcement. These criteria vary from program to program, but generally they focus on:

  • The relevance or match between the proposed project and the funding opportunity’s requirements and goals
  • The impact and significance of the proposed project
  • The PI’s CV/qualifications in the specific area of research
  • The quality of the research plan

Other factors relevant and appropriate to the funding program may be included such as: education plan; student and public outreach efforts; inclusion of underrepresented groups; quality of evaluation design; and (if applicable) the project’s response to reviews from previous submissions to the same program.

After the review committee evaluates the applications, they make a recommendation to the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, who makes the final determination of who will be selected or nominated to proceed.

Who is on the Limited Submission review committee?

Limited submission applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of faculty peers from the schools and colleges represented in the applicant pool.

If I am selected as the official nominee to apply to the sponsor, do I still need to submit my proposal to Sponsored Programs first?

Yes, you need to submit your proposal to the Sponsored Programs unit, as usual, before submitting to the sponsor. Limited Submissions is not part of the Sponsored Programs unit and does not have the authority to submit your proposal.

Who do I contact if I have questions about Limited Submissions?

If you have questions concerning the Limited Submissions program, please contact Meg Sparling, Research Funding Manager ([email protected]).

Contact

For questions about Limited Submissions, please contact [email protected].