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Limited Submission

Limited Submission Opportunities

How to Submit

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Some extramural funding programs and solicitations limit the number of proposals an institution may submit. In these cases, Mines must determine the best proposal(s) that will be allowed to go forward. The Office of Research facilitates the announcement of these limited submission opportunities and coordinates the internal review process to select the most competitive proposals.

The Office of Research follows a two-step process utilizing InfoReady to identify the level of interest in a particular funding opportunity and to provide a fair and robust review process when a limited submission competition is needed. The Research Office strives to share limited submission opportunities at least 12 weeks in advance of the sponsor deadline, and to select teams at least six weeks ahead of the deadline. There are times when the sponsor’s timeline (e.g., one month or less from announcement to submission) does not allow use of the standard approach. In these cases, a truncated competition occurs to gauge interest in the opportunity, or spots may be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis if the opportunity will likely generate little interest.

If you see an opportunity that has a limitation, please email limitedsubs@mines.edu.

Steps for Funding Submission

STEP 1: EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST PERIOD

The Expressions of Interest Period allows the Office of Research to reduce Principal Investigator (PI) burden by gauging interest in a solicitation prior to requiring an internal competition.

  • Expressions of Interest should be submitted by PIs in InfoReady by 5pm on the posted deadline. The only information required for an Expression of Interest is a working title, team member names, and departments.
  • If interest exceeds the number of submissions allowed, the Research Office will convert the opportunity to an internal competition and request more information from all applicants (See Step 2).
  • If interest does not exceed the number of submissions allowed, the team(s) that submitted an Expression of Interest is(are) assigned a proposal spot.
  • If no one expresses interest, or a spot remains available after the deadline, spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
STEP 3: REVIEW & NOTIFICATION PROCESS

The Office of Research will convene a panel of faculty and administrators who have prior experience with the opportunity and/or relevant expertise in the topic area. Reviewers will evaluate each proposal against the review criteria stated in the solicitation, and may also consider the relevance of the proposed research to the university’s goals. The panel will make recommendations to the Vice President of the Office of Research (VPR), who confirms final selections.  The Office of Research will notify all applicants of whether their proposal was approved or declined.

THE FINE PRINT

Standard Process – limited submissions where teams were selected at least six weeks prior to the sponsor deadline

If a PI is awarded a limited submission spot by any means, including through an Expression of Interest, an internal competition, or on a first-come, first-served basis, and choose not to submit, the PI must notify the Office of Research of the decision at least four weeks prior to the sponsor deadline so that the spot can be allocated to another faculty member. Failure to notify the Office of Research may result in a PI’s ineligibility to reapply for future limited submissions opportunities for up to two years. PIs will submit a progress report at the four-week mark to confirm they are on track to submit a proposal. If the PI is not responsive or has not made progress, the Office of Research may inform the PI of their lost opportunity to submit and reassign the spot.

 

Expedited Process – limited submissions where teams were selected less than six weeks prior to the sponsor deadline

If a PI is awarded a limited submission spot by any means, including through an Expression of Interest, an internal competition, or on a first-come, first-served basis, and choose not to submit, the PI must notify the Office of Research of the decision as soon as is feasible so that the spot can potentially be reassigned.

CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES

PIs can apply for current limited submission opportunities here: https://mines.infoready4.com/.

If you become aware of an opportunity that has a limitation but is not listed on InfoReady, please email limitedsubs@mines.edu.

To be added to the weekly Research Development Newsletter where opportunities, limited and otherwise are shared, email Alyssa Von Lehman Lopez at avonlehmanlopez@mines.edu.

Exceptions to Regular Process

Every effort is made to identify limited submission funding opportunities and to coordinate an internal review process well in advance of the sponsor’s deadline. However, in situations where a researcher seeks to apply to a limited submission opportunity 1) after a posted internal deadline has passed with no Expression of Interest submissions, or 2) the opportunity was not originally posted on InfoReady, the following process applies:

  • More than 6 weeks before the funder deadline: the Office of Research will run an expedited announcement and review process, (re)announcing the opportunity in the next Research Development Newsletter and updating InfoReady with an accelerated deadline. In these instances where a competition is required, the final institutional nominee selection will be determined by the VPR.
  • 6 weeks or less to funder deadline:

    • If the opportunity was posted on InfoReady and no Expressions of Interest or Internal Competition applications were received by the posted deadline: Interested applicants will be allowed to apply on a first-come, first-served basis

    • If the opportunity was not posted on InfoReady: Based on the time remaining to the funder deadline, the Office of Research will make best efforts at outreach to Deans and Department Heads to determine if there are interested parties. If there is multiple interest by PIs, VPR may request additional information from the PIs and will determine which concept goes forward.

The below timeline will be used for limited submission competitions. If a sponsor posts a limited submission less than 12 weeks before the submission deadline, the Office of Research will shorten the timeline. When there are less than six weeks to the external deadline, opportunities may be posted as first come, first served

Funding Submission Process Infographic