Some extramural funding programs limit the number of applications that the University of Oregon may submit. Research Development Services facilitates the announcement of these limited submission opportunities and coordinates the internal review process to select the most competitive candidates.
The Regular Process
Confirm Eligibility
Read the funder's guidelines carefully to determine eligibility and if the funding opportunity is a fit for the proposed project.
Submit a Notice of Intent (in most cases)
Anyone interested in being considered for most limited submission opportunities must complete the internal Notice of Intent to Submit (NOI) form by 5 pm on the date of the UO internal deadline. Individuals who submit an NOI will be notified within 2 business days of the internal deadline if they are approved for submission or if a competitive review is required.
- Nearly all limited submission internal deadlines are posted in the RDS Funding Opportunities Newsletter, and/or in Pivot. For opportunities not listed in these places, interested parties should submit the Notice of Intent to Submit (NOI) as soon as possible to alert RDS to the opportunity. Depending on the time to funder deadline, RDS will then publish an internal deadline in Pivot and post it in the Funding Opportunities Newsletter to initiate the limited submission process.
- Some annual opportunities have significant faculty interest and so forgo the NOI, starting with a pre-proposal instead (e.g., NSF's Major Research Instrumentation, Pew Scholars, NEH's Summer Stipends). These special opportunities will be clearly defined in Pivot and the Funding Opportunities Newsletter.
Competitive Review
A competitive review is required if more people are interested in applying than the funder allows or if the submission is institutionally coordinated (i.e., any application to a sponsor that must be pre-approved by OVPRI and/or Foundation Relations). In this instance, RDS will request pre-proposals from the people who submitted an NOI.
- The pre-proposal is a brief concept paper about your proposed project that will be reviewed by a faculty panel. The pre-proposal is limited to 1 page, single-spaced, 1” margins, and minimum 11pt font (citations, if applicable, are not included in the page limit). At a minimum, this should describe the project aims, significance, the relevance between the proposed project and the program requirements, and PI and investigator team qualifications. Applicants must also upload biosketches/CVs for the PI and other key personnel that meet the requirements in the funding opportunity application guidelines.
- A faculty panel will review proposals and make recommendations to the Vice President for Research and Innovation, who selects the final institutional nominees.
- RDS will notify all applicants of their proposal status as soon as possible.
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 funder’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 NOI submissions, or 2) the opportunity was not originally announced through the Funding Opportunities Newsletter, the following process applies:
- More than 6 weeks before the funder deadline: RDS will run an expedited announcement and review process, (re)announcing the opportunity in the next Funding Opportunities Newsletter and updating Pivot with an accelerated deadline. In these instances where a competition is required, the final institutional nominee selection will be determined by the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
- 6 weeks or less to funder deadline:
- If the opportunity was listed in the Funding Opportunities Newsletter and no NOIs were received by the posted deadline: Interested applicants will be allowed to apply on a first-come, first-served basis, with final nomination decision at the discretion of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
- If the opportunity was not listed in a newsletter: Based on the time remaining to the funder deadline, RDS will make best efforts at outreach to college and school leadership to determine if there are any other interested parties. If there are competing interested parties, institutional nominee selection will be determined by the Vice President for Research and Innovation.
Resources
Sign up for RDS Funding Opportunities Newsletter, which will announce limited submission opportunities.
Look for your limited submission opportunity in Pivot funding database: