FAQs about Limited Submissions

The Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research (VPDoR) coordinates the review and selection of applicants and nominees for university-wide limited submission programs.

Investigators must obtain institutional approval before submitting a limited submission application to the external sponsor.

Please contact limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu with any questions about university-wide limited submission programs or the internal application process.

Limited submission programs with a clinical or biomedical research focus are facilitated by the Research Management Group on behalf of the School of Medicine, additional information is available here.

Please contact rmg_communications@stanford.edu if you have questions regarding clinical or biomedical programs.

Details on current and archived competitions are available on the 

Stanford Limited Submissions Opportunities Portal

What is a limited submission?

“Limited Submission” describes funding opportunities in which the sponsor (e.g., NSF, NIH, Keck Foundation) limits the number of applications that an institution may submit.

When the number of interested faculty exceeds the allowable institutional limit, an internal selection process is required.

Who manages limited submission programs at Stanford?

VPDoR manages university-wide limited submission competitions.

Programs with a clinical or biomedical focus are managed by the Research Management Group (RMG) on behalf of the School of Medicine. In both cases, investigators must receive institutional approval before submitting to the sponsor.

How do I know if an opportunity is a limited submission?

Limited submission restrictions are typically stated in the sponsor's program guidelines or solicitation. If you are unsure whether an opportunity is limited, contact limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu.

You can also subscribe to the VPDoR Limited Submissions Newsletter for weekly announcements of new internal competitions.

What happens if I submit to a sponsor without obtaining institutional approval?

Submitting to an external sponsor without institutional approval may result in the proposal being withdrawn and could jeopardize Stanford's relationship with the sponsor and future eligibility for the program.

Where can I find active limited submission competitions?

Active competitions managed by the VPDoR are listed on the Stanford Limited Submissions Opportunities portal.

Click "Apply Now" on any listing for full eligibility details and internal proposal instructions.

What is the Limited Submissions Application Portal and where can I get help using it?

Stanford uses a third-party internal proposal portal called InfoReady Review to manage the limited submissions competitions.

The InfoReady support team has some helpful videos for applicants here. While in the portal, you can also access help topics in the top right corner of the window.

If you have Stanford/program-specific questions, please email limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu.

How much lead time do I need before the sponsor's deadline?

You should plan for at least two months of lead time before the external sponsor deadline to allow for the internal competition and notification process. We recommend monitoring the Opportunities Portal and Newsletter regularly so you are not caught by a short timeline.

When is the internal application due?

In most cases, the internal application should be submitted by 11:59 pm on the deadline date. Please see the limited submission opportunity’s competition details, as the submission timeline may vary by program to accommodate the sponsor's deadline.

What if a limited submission funding opportunity is not posted?

We cannot guarantee we will find and announce every limited funding opportunity.

Investigators interested in submitting a concept or proposal to a limited submission funding opportunity not listed on the VPDoR limited submission programs page must fill out the VPDoR Limited Submission Notification Form as soon as possible. We will determine if an internal competition is necessary and contact you regarding next steps for securing institutional approval.

Who is eligible to apply to a limited submission opportunity?

Unless otherwise stated, investigators with PI eligibility (members of the University's Academic Council or UML faculty) are considered eligible by Stanford policies.

The policy on Principal Investigator Eligibility and Criteria for Exceptions is available here.

How does the internal review and selection process work?

A normal selection process begins with an announcement from VPDoR defining the timeline and internal proposal elements. Prospective PIs submit internal applications through the Stanford Limited Submissions Opportunities portal and if the number of submissions exceeds the sponsor's limit, then applications are subsequently reviewed by the Limited Submissions Faculty Review Committee. Applications are selected and approved to submit on behalf of the university based on the merit of the project and PI's potential to be successful with the sponsor. When a high proposal volume is expected, a separate selection process at the school level may precede the VPDoR-led selection process.

Only approved investigators should complete a SeRA Proposal and must submit to OSR or RMG according to the University Proposal Deadline Policy.

What are the different ways a PI can receive approval to submit to a limited submission opportunity?

There are four pathways through which a PI may receive institutional approval:

• Topical Committee Review — For opportunities with a specific disciplinary or thematic focus, an ad-hoc topical committee of faculty with relevant subject-matter expertise reviews internal applications and makes the selection.
• Strategic Committee Review — For opportunities of broad institutional interest, the Strategic Committee reviews all internal applications and makes the selection.
• School Pre-screening + Strategic Committee Review — When a high volume of interest is anticipated, a two-stage process is used.
  • First, schools review applications from their faculty and nominate up to three to advance.
  • The Strategic Committee then evaluates those school-nominated applications and makes the final institutional selection.
• Notification of Interest — When the number of interested applicants is unlikely to exceed the sponsor's institutional limit, or when there is insufficient time to coordinate a formal competition, approval is automatically granted on a first-come, first-served basis to investigators who notify the VPDoR of their intent to apply, provided the institutional limit has not yet been reached.

Who reviews internal proposals for limited submission opportunities?

The VPDoR Limited Submissions Faculty Review Committee is responsible for the selection of proposals submitted to a limited submissions program, and for fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive intellectual community through a fair, competent and objective assessment of the application.

To keep committee members’ workload manageable and to provide for the most suitable review, the Committee is split into two Sub-committees, characterized by the program classification:

• Strategic opportunities generally necessitate institutional involvement or attract national and/or international attention.
• Topical opportunities include all other research grants and awards from externally funded sponsors.

David Kingsley, Rudy J. and Daphne Donohue Munzer Professor in the School of Medicine, chairs the Strategic Committee. Internal proposals are reviewed by principal committee members, who are typically Senior Associate Deans (SAD), or their proxies, from the STEM Schools. The committee might invite reviews by additional faculty or SADs when a specific disciplinary expertise is required. Current committee members are as follows.

• Engineering: Andrew Spakowitz, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs
• Humanities and Sciences: Mary Beth Mudgett, Senior Associate Dean for The Natural Sciences
• Medicine: James Ferrell, Professor, Chemical and Systems Biology
• Sustainability: Christopher Francis, Professor of Earth System Science 

Greg Beroza, Wayne Loel Professor of Earth Science, chairs the Topical Committee. Internal proposals are reviewed by a pool of standing committee members elected by their school deans who participate on multiple, but not all, review sessions of topic specific opportunities, depending on the technical domains of relevance to the program.

How are proposals evaluated and selected?

The standing selection committee is experienced at evaluating proposals and candidates based on the sponsor eligibility and selection criteria. In addition to the proposed project, this may include the quality of the applicant’s academic record and research, evidence of exceptional creativity and productivity, and the candidate’s potential. They may also take into account past university nominations as well as other prestigious programs they select for. In terms of diversity, the committee aims for a portfolio of nominations that over time is balanced based on gender, background and discipline.

What does a competitive campus application look like?

The campus announcement will only provide basic instructions, so we strongly advise applicants to carefully review the funding opportunity solicitation and program criteria. In general, a competitive campus application will:

• be accessible to a general scientific audience (unless the sponsor’s program as a whole has a very narrow disciplinary focus);
• address the funding priorities of the sponsor (i.e., align the proposal with the program);
• explain the significance and impact of the research;
• provide clear research goals and objectives;
• and propose realistic and feasible methods.

May I submit late if I miss an internal deadline?

If the internal deadline has passed and interest did not exceed the program limit, then the VPDoR Limited Submissions Program Team may grant additional approvals to apply to the sponsor on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please contact limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu if you are interested in submitting after the internal deadline has passed and we will follow up regarding the process and next steps.

What if my internal proposal is selected, but I no longer intend to submit to the sponsor?

An approved applicant who needs to decline the selection must contact limitedsubmissions@stanford.edu as soon as possible. VPDoR may permit another investigator to submit if there is still time to prepare a competitive application.