Limited Submission Process

Limited Submission Review – Announcements about limited submissions funding opportunities are posted on the Research Development (RD) website and major competitions are distributed by listserv notice to the Mason research community, and are also sent to the university Research Council, which is composed of Associate Deans for Research or others who serve in a similar capacity for their academic unit. These announcements identify the opportunity, give a brief description, provide a link to the funding agency’s site, and indicate all internal and external deadlines.

While RD makes every effort to identify all limited submissions opportunities and notify faculty, it is the responsibility of the faculty to contact limited@gmu.edu should a faculty member identify a limited submissions funding opportunity that she/he is interested in, but finds that it is not posted on the RD website. Faculty may not proceed with an application to a limited submission competition without notice of approval from RD

Announcing Limited Submissions

Limited submission funding opportunities and internal and external deadlines are posted below on this website. In addition, announcements about major limited submission funding opportunities are communicated Research Council, and distributed by listserv notice sent biweekly to the Mason research community. These announcements identify the opportunity, provide a brief description, include a link to the funding agency’s site, and indicate all internal and external deadlines.

Limited submission funding opportunities are listed in the listserv, and below, as either “First Come”, or with an internal application deadline date. Limited submissions with a sponsor application due date of more than 8 weeks requires a Notice of Intent (NOI), and an internal application. An NOI should be sent at least one week prior to the internal application due date. NOI’s should be sent to Sheila Davis at sdavis46@gmu.edu.

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

1-page Cover page with solicitation name, project title and list of investigators and collaborators;

Project Summary of up to 3 pages (references may be included by not required and are excluded from the 3-page limit);

2-page Biosketch (any style) for PI

The internal application should be submitted to limited@gmu.edu by the internal application deadline.

“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 a request for approval to limited@gmu.edu after the opportunity has been posted to this website, will be  approved to move forward with the application to the sponsor. Approval will be documented by receiving an approval email from limited@gmu.edu. PLEASE NOTE, this is a change effective September 1, 2022. Previously, PIs were asked to submit a request for proposal assistance to OSP or begin a proposal in the Research Administration Management Portal (RAMP). Beginning September 1, 2022, PIs will need to submit a request for approval, with the Funding Opportunity link, to limited@gmu.edu. PIs will receive an approval email from limited@gmu.edu. Once approved, the PI (or local Research Administrator) may create a proposal in RAMP and upload the approval email to the proposal attachments in RAMP.

To request approval for a limited submission, the PI should provide the following to limited@gmu.edu:

  • PI Name
  • Title of Proposal
  • Opportunity/Solicitation/Request for Proposals Name and URL
  • Funding agency/organization

In cases where the sponsor has indicated a specific number of applications from the institution (GMU) may be accepted (e.g., “An institution may submit no more than 3 applications.”), approvals will continue to be granted until the application limitation has been met.

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 limited@gmu.edu) 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 limited@gmu.edu. 

Submitting an Application for Internal Review

Internal review proposals should be submitted to limited@gmu.edu by the posted internal deadline. A copy of the proposal should also be sent to the applicant’s Associate Dean for Research.

Faculty planning to submit an internal application for a posted limited submission opportunity are asked to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to Sheila Davis at sdavis46@gmu.edu at least one week prior to the internal due date. The NOI should include the following: Opportunity Name or Number; PI, Co-PI, and collaborators’ names; and title of proposal. The NOIs allow us to begin the process of creating the ad hoc review committee should an internal review be necessary.

Standard Proposals

  • Project title and a list of investigator(s);
  • Project Summary (typically 1-3 pages; This varies by application. Please see the Grants Program Deadline Table for specific instructions);
  • For large, complex proposals, names of team members at Mason and at partnering institutions;
  • If cost sharing (mandatory or voluntary) is involved, applicant should indicate the plan for how the match will be met.

Equipment/Instrumentation Proposals

  • Description of the equipment and need justification (1-2 pages);
  • A table listing faculty who will be involved in the submission and the estimated number of researchers who will benefit from the use of the equipment;
  • Description of project and management plans, including plans for the maintenance, operation, and technical support of instrumentation, and for attracting new users (one page);
  • Total budget estimate and total project cost share estimate, if applicable.
Limited Submission Grants Programs Deadlines
StatusAgencyTitleSponsor Due DateInternal Review Deadline
Open
One Application Accepted (PFI-RP Track); No limits for PFI-TT Track
Directorate for Engineering/NSFNSF 23-538: Partnerships for Innovation (PFI)9/5/20237/13/2023
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: limited@gmu.edu
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics-Law EnforcementINL23GR0040-EAMOLDOVA-DRIMJUS-050223: Mobilizing Civil Society to Monitor, Analyze and Report on Selective Justice in the Republic of Moldova, and Promote Civil Society Engagement in Vetting Processes7/3/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to NATODOS-USNATO-PAA-2023-001: US Mission to NATO Public Affairs Annual Program Statement7/3/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to the European UnionDOS-USEU-2023-01: US Mission to the EU PAS Annual Program Statement7/7/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Human Rights and LaborSFOP0009665 DRL Nothing About Us Without Us: Building Evidence for an Integrated Human Rights Framework and Justice in Evaluation Practice7/18/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
US Agency for International Development Kazakhstan - Almaty72011523RFA00001 USAID Central Asia Information Integrity Activity (CAIIA)7/10/2023 (10:00 am GMT+6)First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/ US Mission to IndiaK-NOFO-23-101: Be Cybersmart7/20/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental ScientificSFOP0009811: Leveraging Local Community Partnerships to Combat Nature Crimes7/14/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
National Science FoundationNSF 23-585: BioFoundries to Enable Access to Infrastructure and Resources for Advancing Modern Biology and Biotechnology (BioFoundries)8/1/2023 (LOI); 10/2/2023 (Application)6/5/2023
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: limited@gmu.edu
Open
One Application Accepted
The Conservation, Food and Health FoundationGrants Program7/1/2023 (Concept) 9/2/2023 (Proposal)First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IraqDOS-BAGHDAD-PD-2023-010: NGO Boot Camp in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region7/10/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IraqDOS-BAGHDAD-PD-2023-06: Reducing Gender-Based Discrimination in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region7/10/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental - ScientificSFOP0009701: Host of the End Plastic Pollution International Collaborative (EPPIC) Public-Private Partnership7/8/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and LaborSFOP0009705 DRL Support for Recently Exiled Cuban Human Rights Defenders6/26/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to South KoreaPD-SEOUL-FY23-02-ADH Women’s Youth Leadership Program6/12/2023; 11:59 PM GMT+9First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IndiaND-NOFO-23-102 A Climate Action Podcast7/16/2023First Come
Open
Two Applications Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Oceans - Int. Environmental - ScientificSFOP0009801 Combating Wildlife Trafficking through Civil Society Outreach and Awareness on Traditional Medicine7/1/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
National Endowment for the ArtsNEA Grants for the Arts Project, FY 20247/6/20236/1/2023
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: limited@gmu.edu
Open
One Application Accepted
US Agency for International Development - India USAID-New Delhi72038623RFA0004: NOFO for Strengthening Preservation of Tibetan Culture6/7/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics-Law EnforcementINL23CA0031-WHPPERU-ENVIRODEF-042123: Monitoring Justice Processes in Environmental Defender Cases in Peru6/20/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IndiaM-NOFO-23-102: Promote Diversity in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME)6/22/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IndiaC-NOFO-23-004: The Partner of Choice: Explaining the Significance of US-India Strategic Partnership6/24/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Robert Wood Johnson FoundationData Visualization of Structural Racism and Place6/2/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to Bosnia and HerzegovinaGH005FY2023: BOLD Academic Fellowships Program6/16/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
US Agency for International Development/USAID-Vietnam72044023RFA0003: USAID Climate Resilient Agriculture in the Mekong Delta6/6/2023. 9:00 am Hanoi TimeFirst Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics-Law EnforcementINL23CA0025-EA-BIH-CRIMJUS-04242023 Criminal Justice Task Force Initiative6/30/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and LaborSFOP0009692: DRL Strengthening Migrant Workers' Rights in Southeast Asia6/14/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and LaborSFOP0009739: DRL Media Literacy in Europe6/19/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
National Science FoundationNSF 23-574: CyberCorps(R) Scholarship for Service (SFS) Defending America's Cyberspace7/17/20235/8/2023
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: limited@gmu.edu
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to HaitiDOS-PD-PAP-GG-22: US Embassy Haiti's 2023 Grants6/30/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of CounterterrorismSFOP0009508: Building Capacity for Investigations of Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE) in Brazil6/9/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and LaborSFOP0009648: DRL Investigative Journalism in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia6/30/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IndiaC-NOFO-23-002 Reconciling the Past: The Power of Art to Heal6/9/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/US Mission to IndiaC-NOFO-23-003: Strengthening Institutions Combatting Gender Based Violence6/15/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of International Narcotics-Law EnforcementSFOP0009700: Countering the Trafficking of Protected Marine Species in South Asia6/20/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
National Science FoundationNSF 23-571: Building the Prototype Open Knowledge Network (Proto-OKN)6/20/20234/14/2023
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: limited@gmu.edu
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of State/Bureau of Educational and Cultural AffairsSFOP0009621: FY2023 American Spaces Digital Literacy and Training Program6/7/2023First Come
Open
One Application Accepted
Department of Justice/National Institute of Corrections23CS16: Community Supervision Leadership Learning Lab Training6/6/2023First Come
Open
25 Applications Accepted
Walmart FoundationWalmart Foundation Community Grants12/31/2023First Come
Review Process

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 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.

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 junior faculty who have demonstrated significant contributions early in their careers. An example of this program is the ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Achievement Award. Internal applicants for these awards shall be nominated by the Associate Dean for Research in the applicant’s unit. The nominees identified in this manner shall then be reviewed and selected as described above.

If RD is notified of a limited submission RFP that has not previously been announced or posted on the RD site and, if there are at least two months until the agency deadline, an announcement will be sent out and the standard review process will apply. If there are fewer than two months until the agency deadline, the Vice President for Research shall determine which proposal will be selected as an institutional submission (if more than one team wishes to submit a proposal) or the opportunity will be considered a “first come” opportunity. If any proposals come in after the University has reached the maximum number of submissions permitted, those proposals will not be eligible for submission

Selection Notification and Full Proposal 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 limited@gmu.edu 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. 

Contact Information
If you have questions regarding the limited submission review process, please contact Sheila Davis at sdavis46@gmu.edu or limited@gmu.edu.