Limited Submissions Program

Limited submissions are funding opportunities for which the University of North Texas (UNT) can submit only a limited number of proposals, as defined by the sponsor or funding agency. For these types of awards, the Limited Submission Team, with guidance from the Associate Vice President of Research, runs an internal competition to select UNT’s sole candidate or team. The overall objective of this process is to make UNT as competitive as possible in these opportunities.

What are the Types of Limited Submissions?

Limited submissions are opportunities in which the submitting institution is only able to submit a certain number of proposals (usually only one or two). Below are examples of phrases and keywords that may be used in the RFP for a limited submission (please note this does not encompass all examples).

Limited Submission Classification Types

Research Limited Submission: It is defined when there is a restriction on the number of proposals.

Terms to Help Identify: Below are terms, phrases, or words to help identify limited submission opportunities.

Corporate Foundation Relations: Private companies and foundations also have funding opportunities that require limited submission approval for researchers at UNT. If you identify a limited submission opportunity through one of these avenues, please contact the Corporate Foundation Relation Team at CFR@unt.edu.

Current Limited Submissions

Process

The Limited Submission Team has established a process to manage internal competitions for limited submission opportunities.

Please continue reading for further information.

The Limited Submission Team oversees the limited submission identification process through various mechanisms such as web searches, curated lists from Pivot, historical research data, and list-serve notifications. Please be aware that the list is not comprehensive and is continually updated. If you identify a limited submission opportunity not listed on our website, please email the Limited Submission Team at limitedsubmissions@unt.edu.

Once a funding opportunity is identified, the PI is responsible for contacting the Limited Submission Team to receive approval. The Division of Research and Innovation has an 8-week intent-to-submit deadline. A PI should send their intent to submit to the Limited Submissions team at limitedsubmissions@unt.edu . If notifications of intent to submit exceed the sponsor limit, the Limited Submission Team will set dates for an internal competition.

The Limited Submission Team will monitor whether an internal competition is needed. If there are no other interested PIs/Teams, the Limited Submission Team will provide approval on the day that is 8 weeks before the sponsor deadline.

Request to submit is after the 8-week deadline.

Occasionally, there are scenarios when a PI/Team provides an intent to submit after the 8-week deadline has passed. A PI will still need to email their intent to submit to our email at limitedsubmissions@unt.edu. For these situations, approval is given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Internal Competition after the 8-week deadline.

On rare occasions, a federal agency may release an RFP with a pre-proposal/concept paper/letter of intent after the 8-week deadline has passed. To ensure fairness to PIs, the Limited Submission Team will share the funding opportunity, run an internal competition, and select the winner to move forward as quickly as possible.

Complete Your Intent to Submit

For limited submissions with multiple interested PIs/Teams, internal competitions are completed through InfoReady. Most internal competitions consist of the PI providing a standard set of documents, listed below.

Required Documents: Most internal competitions will consist of the following items, depending on sponsor/agency requirement.

Applicants should upload the following information in the internal application:

Name
Job Title
Department
College
Agency Submitting To
Research Topic or Area (Please indicate the track, research area, or topic if applicable to the RFP)
Deadline (Please indicate the deadline that impacts the limited submission – e.g. concept paper, pre-proposal, letter of intent, or full proposal deadline)
Link to RFP or PDF Copy
Upload a two-page to three-page pre-proposal that describes the proposed project and addresses how the team meets the agency/sponsor’s review criteria.

InfoReady competitions will be set-up to upload additional supporting documents if needed (CVs, major equipment acquisition and housing, letters of support, cost-share, list of collaborators, and other documents as requested).

The internal review will be carried out by a committee selected by the Associate Vice President of Research. Review criteria are dependent on the RFP, but generally, follow the below criteria:

Review criteria in the agency solicitation
Relevance to university’s or college’s strategic direction
Presentation of project (clear goals, plan of action, and outcomes)
Qualifications of investigators

Once the review committee has determined which PI/Team will advance with a full proposal to the sponsor, the Limited Submission Team will notify all applicants of their decision.

Faculty Responsibility

If you are approved to apply for limited submission opportunities, you have the responsibility to work with the appropriate administrative units to prepare and submit the proposal by the designated deadline. Larger proposals that include multiple personnel and/or partner organizations may require longer planning periods and include increased internal deadlines designated by GCA. The first step is to submit a Grants and Contracts Request online to begin the planning process.

Researchers and/or Teams that decline the selection must notify the limited submission office as soon as possible so that the slot may be assigned to another team or reopened. Notifications must be sent to limitedsubmissions@unt.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

If a limited submission is not captured in InfoReady, please contact the Limited Submission Team at Limitedsubmissions@unt.edu.

Any investigator with PI Eligibility. View our current PI Eligibility requirements.

The Limited Submission Team proactively identifies limited submission opportunities for the research community. PIs can find these opportunities listed in the table above by subscribing to the Research Radar or through various communication networks on campus. Please be mindful that the list is not exhaustive, and if you identify an opportunity not listed, please share it with the Limited Submission Team.

Be sure to review the sponsor program, review criteria, address how funding priorities align with the program, be clear and concise, and show additional support and planning when able.

Please contact the Limited Submission Team at Limitedsubmission@unt.edu for guidance

Feedback can be provided upon request.

Please contact the Limited Submission Team and your pre-award specialist immediately. In some instances, another PI may be able to submit a competitive application in your place.

The submissions are reviewed and ranked by a review committee composed of peer faculty and administrators. When possible, review committees are composed of faculty members from each college, school, or unit represented in the applicant pool.

InfoReady is an online platform used by the University of North Texas to manage internal competitions for limited submission funding opportunities. These are opportunities in which a sponsor restricts the number of proposals an institution can submit. The Research Development Team uses InfoReady to post available limited submission opportunities, collect internal pre-proposals, and facilitate internal review and selection processes. Researchers must apply through InfoReady to be considered for institutional nomination or approval to submit to the sponsor. You can access UNT’s InfoReady portal here: https://unt.infoready4.com

Not all limited submission opportunities require full internal competition. Opportunities are posted on InfoReady when:

The sponsor limits the number of applications an institution can submit, and
More than one UNT researcher or team is expected to be interested.

If a limited opportunity is unlikely to be competitive internally or has a quick turnaround, the Limited Submission Team may coordinate participation directly with the interested PI(s) instead of running a formal competition in InfoReady.

Faculty are still encouraged to notify limitedsubmissions@unt.edu if they are interested in applying to any opportunity that limits submissions, even if it is not listed in InfoReady.