Limited Submissions

Understanding limited submissions

Some funding agencies restrict the number of proposals an institution may submit to a particular funding program. These opportunities are referred to as limited submissions. Some programs are limited by institution (i.e., X proposals allowed for the entire university), some by campus, some by school.

If a university submits more than the allowable number of proposals to a limited submission opportunity, all of its proposals will likely be disqualified. That is why it is imperative to follow the internal application/peer review process and secure proper authorization from the university (and, in certain cases, your campus, school, or department as well).

Find limited submission opportunities

Due to the recent move of Limited Submission postings to InfoReady's web-based system, archived competitions are no longer viewable on the current page. Please follow the link below for an archived listing of expired postings.

View archived list

How you can tell if a funding opportunity is a limited submission

Carefully check the funder’s guidelines for any mention of institutional limits. Please be aware that some limitations extend to subawards. If you cannot find an opportunity listed in IU's limited submission programs or are uncertain about whether or not an opportunity is limited, contact limsub@iu.edu.

Before you apply

Before you apply for a limited submission opportunity, be aware of any additional requirements, for instance, a letter of nomination from the Dean, Provost, Chancellor, or President. If your proposal is selected, it will be your responsibility to meet all additional requirements, to work with the IU's Office of Research Administration or Corporate and Foundation Relations staff to prepare the proposal, and to submit the full application to the sponsor.

If you are no longer able to apply for a limited submission opportunity, it is imperative that you notify the appropriate contact person immediately in order to allow another colleague the opportunity to move forward with a proposal. Failure to do so may result in your disqualification from subsequent limited submission opportunities.

Applying for a limited submission opportunity at IU

IU's Limited Submissions Team maintains a summary of limited submission funding programs that includes links to full agency guidelines and instructions for submitting internal applications at IU. This list of limited submission funding opportunities is by no means exhaustive. Faculty are encouraged to identify additional opportunities as early as possible.

To apply for a particular opportunity, follow the submission requirements for that opportunity found under the "To apply for IU Internal competition" heading.

If you find an opportunity you are interested in, but the internal deadline has recently passed, please contact limsub@iu.edu to inquire if the opportunity is still available.

Most internal applications will require at a minimum:

  • 1-2 page project narrative
  • Abbreviated CV or biographical sketch of the principal investigator

Please feel free to contact limited submissions at limsub@iu.edu if you have any questions.

Review process

When a funding opportunity is limited, IU's research offices use a peer review process to identify the strongest proposals. Internal applications are reviewed based on the following criteria:

  • Responsiveness to program objectives in agency solicitation
  • Scientific/scholarly strength of proposal
  • Relevance to Indiana University's research objectives
  • Presentation of project (clear action plan, completeness, clarity of proposal, summary of project, list of collaborators, grammar)

To ensure a fair and transparent review process, the following steps are taken:

  • Focused efforts are made to include balanced representation from all campuses who have submitted to a competition
  • Campus research representatives are consulted for suggested reviewers
  • Reviewers sign a non-conflict of interest acknowledgement before engaging in review activity
  • The Vice Provost for Research and the Vice Chancellor for Research provided a final tier of committee reviewership, as needed

Reapplying for a limited submission opportunity

If you previously received authorization for a limited submission and did not secure the award, you must go through the internal review and selection process again. Be sure to address any concerns that were expressed by reviewers in your project narrative. In some cases, there may be unusual conditions that require an executive decision to be made by the Vice President for Research, Vice Chancellor for Research, and/or Vice Provost for Research.

Limited Submission

  • Sarah Mosier
  • Email: limsub@iu.edu
  • Phone: 812-855-7079

Bloomington

  • Sarah Mosier
  • Email: limsub@iu.edu
  • Phone: 812-855-7079

East

  • TJ Rivard
  • Email: trivard@iue.edu
  • Phone: 765-973-8243

Fort Wayne

IPFW faculty members submit proposals for external funding through Purdue University and should consult Purdue's website for information about limited opportunities.

Indianapolis

  • Alicia Gahimer
  • Email: algahime@iupui.edu
  • Phone: 317-278-0249

Kokomo

  • Amy Newton
  • Email: amynewto@iu.edu

Northwest

  • Sandra McMullen
  • Email: sjmcmull@iu.edu
  • Phone: 219-980-6513

South Bend

  • Erika Zynda
  • Email: ezynda@iusb.edu
  • Phone: 574-520-4181

Southeast

  • Aimee Adam
  • Email: asedison@iu.edu
  • Phone: 812-941-2163