Limited Submission Process

Limited submission opportunities, including all internal and external deadlines and internal application deadlines, will be distributed bi-weekly through the Research Development listserv. The announcements identifying the opportunity will provide a brief description of the opportunity, include a link to the funding agency’s site, and indicate all internal and external deadlines.

NOTE: Beginning in October, 2025, limited submission opportunities will be posted on the WizeHive platform:  https://gmu-limited-submissions.wizehive.app/organization/programs. All applications and documentation submitted in response to those opportunities will be submitted through the platform.

Beginning in October, 2025, limited submission opportunities will be posted on the WizeHive platform:  https://gmu-limited-submissions.wizehive.app/organization/programs. All applications and documentation submitted in response to those opportunities will be submitted through the platform.

Limited submission funding opportunities will be identified as either “First Come”, or with an internal application deadline date. Limited submissions with a sponsor application due date of more than 8 weeks generally requires an internal application and review. 

An internal application typically consists of the following (though the specific requirements can vary depending on the review criteria and solicitation):

• Project title
• Names of PI, Co-PIs, and other investigators
• Project Summary (3 pages). In some cases, we will ask investigators to address specific information requested in the solicitation
• Cost sharing information (if applicable)– how the investigator plans to meet the cost-sharing match if a match is required.
• 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI

“First Come” limited submission opportunities are limited submissions with an application due date to the sponsor that is less than 8 weeks away. “First Come” means the first PI team to submit the requested information on the WizeHive platform after the opportunity has been posted will be approved to move forward with the application to the sponsor. Approval will be documented by receiving an approval email which can be uploaded into RAMP when the proposal is created in RAMP.

The specific information needed for a First Come opportunity will be noted in the WizeHive platform posting for the opportunity.

In the RAMP system, PIs will be asked to indicate whether an opportunity is a limited submission and provide proof of approval (i.e., copy of the approval email received from [email protected]) before being able to continue. It is the PI’s responsibility to read the solicitation carefully to determine if it is a limited submission opportunity. If it is not clear whether the opportunity is limited, PIs should contact [email protected]. 

Status	Agency	Title	Sponsor Due Date	Internal Review Deadline
Open Two Applications Accepted (College of Science and CEC can each submit one).	National Science Foundation	NSF 25-514: NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (S-STEM)	3/3/2026	12/15/2025 Include the following: Cover Page (1 page) to include: Solicitation Name Project title List of investigator(s) and collaborators Project Summary (up to 3 pages). Please consider the review criteria when preparing the project summary You may include references, but they are not required and are excluded from the 3-page limit. 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI
Open One Concept Application Accepted	The Conservation, Food and Health Foundation	Grants Program	12/22/2025 (Concept Application); 2/15/2026 (Proposal)	First Come
Open Three Concept Papers Accepted	The Mellon Foundation	2026 Higher Learning Program Open Call for Concepts	2/17/2026	12/5/2025 Include the following: Cover Page (1 page) to include: Solicitation Name Project title List of investigator(s) and collaborators Project Summary (up to 3 pages). Please consider the review criteria when preparing the project summary You may include references, but they are not required and are excluded from the 3-page limit. 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI
Open One Application Accepted	Department of State/US Mission to France	PDS-France-FY2025-02: Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary (APS 2025)	1/5/2026	First Come
Open Two Applications Accepted	National Science Foundation	NSF 24-608: Safety, Security, and Privacy of Open-Source Ecosystems (Safe-OSE)	1/13/2026 (prelim proposal; 4/28/2026 (full proposal)	First Come
Open One Application Accepted	SCHEV	Fund for Excellence and Innovation: Expanding Student Pathways or Communities of Practice in AI Grants	12/15/2025	First Come
Open Four Applications Accepted	Virginia Microelectronics Consortium (VMEC)	VMEC Microelectronics and Nanoelectronics Seed Grant Program 2025-26	11/17/2025	First Come
Open Two Applications Accepted (1 per category)	National Science Foundation	NSF 25-544: Integrated Data Systems & Services (IDSS)	12/4/2025	First Come
Open 8 One-Page Concepts Papers (4 concept papers per category) Accepted	The Keck Foundation	Keck Foundation Research Program	2/15/2026	10/27/2025 One-paged concepts for the Research Program MUST be in 12-point font with 1-inch margins and must include the include the following sections: I. Organization name II. Project Title III. Full Name of Principal Investigator IV. Overview (including unique aspects and pilot studies, if any). Must indicate the area of emphasis for project - Medical Research or Science and Engineering); Remember, Keck funds research that has the potential for transformative impact. V. Methodologies and key personnel VI. Brief justification for Keck support; that is, why Keck support, in particular, is essential to the project VII. Estimated budget (broken down, if possible, by major areas, e.g., personnel, equipment, consumable supplies, etc.). Budgets can be rough approximations at this stage. If there is room, the authors are free to add other details (e.g., background to put the research into perspective, description of the institution’s prominence in the field, etc.). Avoid illustrations in these single-page concept papers – the researchers will need all the room for text. If a reference is necessary, abbreviate it as (Science, 323, 45, ‘11). DO NOT USE (Jones et al., 2011). GMU Internal Deadline: Concepts may be submitted beginning on October 15, 2025, and due no later than October 27, 2025. Please submit internal application here: Keck Foundation Research Program
Open Two Applications Accepted	Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)	Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards	1/7/2026, 12:00 pm ET	10/2/2025 Include the following: Faculty Name and Discipline Project Summary (up to 2 pages) to include: Research goals and objectives and relevant background. Expected research outcomes and relevance; Research design and methodology; Competence of the applicant to perform the proposed research. Description of how the 1:1 Match will be met. 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI Submit to [email protected]
Open One Application Accepted	National Science Foundation	NSF 25-541: Test Bed: Toward a Network of Programmable Cloud Laboratories	11/20/2025	9/18/2025 Include the following: Cover Page (1 page) to include: Solicitation Name Project title List of investigator(s) and collaborators Project Summary (up to 3 pages). Please consider the review criteria when preparing the project summary You may include references, but they are not required and are excluded from the 3-page limit. 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI Submit to [email protected]
Open Twelve Applications Accepted	Commonwealth Research Board	Commonwealth Health Research Board (CHRB) Grant	9/18/2025 (Concept Paper); 2/5/2026 (Full Proposal)	First Come
Open One Application Accepted	The Greenwall Foundation	The Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars Program	9/15/2025 (LOI); 1/5/2026 (Application)	First Come
Open One Application Accepted	National Science Foundation (NSF)	NSF 25-532: Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC)	6/23/2025 (preliminary proposal); 11/24/2025 (full proposal)	4/18/2025 Include the following: Cover Page (1 page) to include: Solicitation Name Project title List of investigator(s) and collaborators Project Summary (up to 3 pages). Please consider the review criteria when preparing the project summary You may include references, but they are not required and are excluded from the 3-page limit. 2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI Submit to [email protected]
Open Twenty Five Applications Accepted	Walmart Foundation	2025 Walmart Foundation Community Grants	12/31/2025	First Come

The deadline for the internal review proposals will vary but ideally will be 1-2 months prior to the proposal deadline. In those cases where that is not possible, internal deadlines will be set that allow sufficient time for the internal review of proposal and time for the faculty to complete the full proposal, should she or he be selected. 

If the number of internal review proposals exceeds the sponsor limit, the internal proposals will be sent to selected reviewers. The reviewers will identify the proposal(s) with the best chance of success in the overall external competition by evaluating the application against the program guidelines and established review criteria and then recommend these proposal(s) to the Vice President for Research. The internal review process can take approximately three (3) weeks, not including holidays and weekends.

The Vice President for Research has the final authority for selecting a proposal(s). When reviews require additional research expertise not reflected by the composition of the review panel members, the Vice President for Research will select ad hoc reviewers based on their expertise.

Exceptions:

While every effort is made to adhere to the procedures listed above, there are instances when the time between becoming aware of a limited solicitation and the time for submission of materials to the funding agency makes it impractical to follow the process outlined above. In those cases, broad announcements may not be made, expedited reviews with limited or no feedback comments may be performed, and/or submission slots may be awarded on a first-come first served basis.  In addition, priority may be given to resubmissions of proposals that previously received favorable reviews but were not funded.

There will also be an exception to this process for programs that make awards to individuals as an acknowledgement of their academic or professional achievement. These programs frequently target early career faculty who have demonstrated significant contributions early in their careers. Internal applicants for these awards are nominated by the Associate Dean for Research in the applicant’s unit and then reviewed and selected following the process outlined above.

A final exception will be made in cases where the limited submission opportunity is for a major award with institutional significance.  In these cases, a team, comprised of faculty with appropriate expertise, may be formed by the Office of Research to pursue that opportunity.

If RDS is notified of a limited submission RFP that has not previously been announced or posted on the RDS website, and there is sufficient time until the agency deadline, an announcement will be sent through the Research Development listserv, and the standard review process will apply. If there is not sufficient time (e.g., fewer than ten working days until the agency deadline), the Vice President for Research will determine which proposal will be selected as an institutional submission. If any proposals come in after the University has reached the maximum number of submissions permitted, those proposals will not be eligible for submission

For proposals for which there is an internal competition, selected proposal PI(s),their Associate Dean for Research, and the Office of Sponsored Programs will be notified by email from [email protected] that their internal application was selected and approval to move forward with the full application to the sponsor. Selected PI(s) will be required to confirm intention to submit a full proposal within three (3) work days of receiving selection notice. If intention to submit is not received, a new candidate will be selected. Candidates who were not selected will be notified at the same time as the selected candidates. Selected PI(s) or their Research Administrator can then create a proposal in RAMP, noting that the application is a limited submission and attaching the approval email. 

If you have questions regarding the limited submission review process, please contact Sheila Davis at [email protected] or [email protected].