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Limited Submissions

In Limited Submission 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 submission programs and posts them to this website. RD sets an internal deadline for each limited submission program. All Limited Submissions deadlines are set for 5pm Eastern Time of the posted dates.

Prior to the internal deadline, individuals interested in applying to a limited submission program notify RD of their interest in applying through this site by clicking the Notify hyperlink associated with the program.

  • If, by the internal 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 internal deadline, the number of interested applicants 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 internal deadline, interested PIs will be prompted to submit a formal ‘pre-proposal’ to the site within two weeks. Two weeks after the internal 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 internal deadline, if slots remain available, individuals interested in applying to a limited submission program still have the option of notifying RD of their interest in applying 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 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.

Notification of Interest Requirements:

  1. Complete online form notifying RD of your interest in applying for the grant program.

Internal Competition Requirements (only applicable when, by the internal deadline, the number of interested applicants exceeds program limits):

  1. A ‘pre-proposal’ formatted as a single PDF including*:
    • A description of 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
  2. Digital approval by the PI’s director/department chair and dean (due by the ‘pre-proposal’ deadline at 5pm). Once the PI submits the ‘pre-proposal,’ the appropriate director/department chair and dean will be contacted automatically via email for approval of the submission. It is the PI’s responsibility to contact their 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 ‘pre-proposal’ deadline.

*On rare occasions, RD might have reason to modify these ‘pre-proposal’ requirements. Any changes to pre-proposal requirements will be described on the Limited Submission website posting, under “Notes”; PIs will be expected to follow the modified requirements.

**If the funding opportunity does not require a budget, do not include one in your pre-proposal.

Listing of limited submission programs

Note: This list is not comprehensive. If you are interested in a limited submission notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) that is not posted on our website, contact RD immediately. RD will review the guidelines, establish an appropriate internal review date, and post the program to the site.


Agency Name Program Name Agency Deadline Internal Deadline Specific Limitation Notes Status