Limited Submission Opportunities

The RD LS team announces LS funding opportunities via the biweekly RGS Newsletter. Each announcement includes the program title, sponsor, and first external sponsor deadline, along with links to the program solicitation and PSU’s internal LSO Competitions Spreadsheet. 

All active limited-submission competitions are listed in the LSO Competitions Spreadsheet. This spreadsheet lists all open and closed limited submission competitions, including information on the sponsor, program title and links, keywords, the number of applications allowed by the institution, key submission dates (internal and sponsor), and links to the LSO Application form.

The RD LS team uses a single-step limited submission process that begins with the submission of a Limited Submission Opportunity Application Form by 5 p.m. on the internal deadline, which includes:

• A one-page concept paper (overview of the proposed project)
• A curriculum vitae for the lead Principal Investigator (PI),
• A statement of support from the PI’s Dean or Associate Dean of Research.

The university conducts an internal review of submitted limited submission applications when RGS deems this step necessary, including when the number of LSO applications exceeds the number of submissions allowed by the sponsor, or to enhance the proposal's competitiveness for strategic funding opportunities.

• If the number of internal submissions does not exceed the sponsor limit, no internal review is necessary. Any eligible applicants who submitted before the deadline are approved to submit to the sponsor. Any remaining spots become open-until-filled.
• If the number of internal submissions exceeds the sponsor limit, applications are reviewed by an internal review committee composed of the AVPR, members of the RD LS, and PSUF administrators familiar with the sponsor or the LS program.  The committee evaluates applications based on review criteria that mirror the sponsor’s criteria and priorities.
• After the review committee evaluates the applications, the AVPR makes a recommendation to the VPRGS, who approves the final selection.

All LSO submission requests are reviewed by RGS’s Research Development (RD) and PSUF Corporate and Foundation Relations teams, taking the following questions into consideration: 

• Does the team include sufficient expertise to generate a competitive proposal?
• Will the proposed activities produce a competitive proposal that meets the research and broader impact criteria of the proposal call?
• Do the appropriate College/Center/Programmatic leaders agree that this is an area of growing excellence, i.e., are they excited about this work and eager to see it proceed?
• Does the team include sufficient expertise to generate a competitive proposal?
• Does the proposal involve personnel (faculty and/or staff) from multiple academic units, if appropriate?
• Does the proposal involve significant consideration of student training opportunities, if appropriate?

All applicants are notified of the outcome within seven working days of the internal LSO application deadline. Comments on applications, if available, will also be provided to applicants.

Once an application is approved, Sponsored Projects and Administration (SPA) will contact the PI listed in the LS application and prompt them to submit a Notification of Intent to Submit (NOI) form if they have not already done so. Please note: SPA staff are the only employees authorized to submit proposals on behalf of PSU.

Determining the process to award an institutional applicant for an LS opportunity will depend on the number of days between the internal LSO application deadline and the first external sponsor deadline, as outlined here:

• When there are ≥ 90 days from the internal LSO application deadline to the first external sponsor deadline, a full LS competition will take place as described above.
• When there are ≤ 90 days between the internal LSO application deadline listed in the LSO spreadsheet and the first external sponsor deadline, there is insufficient time for a full competition and review.  Instead, institutional applicants will be awarded on either a first-come, first-served basis for LSO application submissions or following an accelerated review of LSO application materials by RGS and PSUF.
• When an internal LSO application is submitted within 30 days of the proposal submission deadline, the internal LSO application will be automatically declined unless specifically approved by the RGS Vice President of Research (VPRGS). 

• Identifying Limited Submission Opportunities: While every attempt is made to maintain a complete listing of active LSO programs, it is impossible to catch all available limited-submission opportunities. Faculty members are responsible for notifying the RD LS team of any active limited-submission opportunities not listed in the LSO Competition Spreadsheet. A faculty member looking to apply to an LSO program not announced by the RD Team or listed in the LSO Competition Spreadsheet should immediately reach out to researchdevelopment@pdx.edu to determine the appropriate process and timeline.
• Meeting Proposal Eligibility and Internal Deadlines: Faculty members must meet all PI Eligibility requirements and Proposal Submission Internal Deadlines outlined on the PSU Research Administration Proposal Development webpage.
• Stewardship of Claimed Spots: If a faculty member is selected through the limited submission process to submit to a sponsor but later determines they are no longer able to apply, they must contact the RD LS team immediately to give other interested investigators a chance to submit.
• Limited Submissions Requiring Institutional Nomination or Letters of Institutional Support: Faculty members must review the processes for requesting Institutional Letters of Support. Please note that these letter requests require a minimum of 10 business days to process, so please plan accordingly.
• Limited Submissions requiring Institutional Match: Faculty members must review the Cost Share Policy and work with their college-level leadership early in proposal preparation to ensure compliance. 

Please contact the Research Development team with any additional questions about limited submission opportunities.

Funding opportunities that limit the number of submissions from a single university require more planning and organization to ensure compliance. Our goals are twofold: first, to ensure faculty are not spending time and energy submitting applications that may be returned without review, and second, to identify the most competitive proposal to move forward.

If your submission requires a pre-application, letter of intent, or other “pre-proposal” documentation, your abstract can include an overview of the proposed work and potential partners. However, if you are requesting authorization to submit a full proposal, we expect your project description to be more fully fleshed out with additional Co-Investigators and external partners identified, taking the evaluation criteria into consideration.

Yes, an email is sufficient, but must be included with your Limited Submission Opportunity Application Form. Please save the email as a PDF and upload it with your other documents.

While RGS makes every effort to post limited-submission opportunities that may be of interest to PSU faculty, there may be some opportunities not on our list. If you become aware of a limited submission opportunity that you would like to apply for that is not on the list, please notify us immediately.

Limited submission opportunities are often more complex proposals, often including multiple faculty, external partners, and sub awards. This process allows us to identify and notify applicants of decisions as quickly as possible, allowing for maximum time to prepare a competitive proposal.

When an internal listed deadline has passed and no applications have been received by our office, opportunities will remain listed as “open” until four weeks prior to the external submission deadline. If the internal deadline has passed and the opportunity has been “closed” (e.g. the number of submission slots have been filled), late applications will not be accepted.

While we work to forecast deadlines for existing funding opportunities, funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation require a 90-day window once a new request for proposal (RFP) is announced. We realize that this means in some cases, a new opportunity may arise within the 12-week deadline. If you identify a new opportunity and are interested in applying for it but are unsure of the timing, please reach out to the Research Development team.

Slots for many limited-submission opportunities may be in high demand. Selected PIs should plan to move ahead quickly in developing their full proposal. Applicants who have been approved internally to submit but are unable to do so should notify their SPA Proposal Management team immediately.