A limited submission is a funding opportunity in which the funding agency limits the number of proposals that The University of Texas at Austin may submit. In such cases, an internal competition is held in advance of the proposal deadline to determine which PI(s) may submit their proposals to the funding agency.

View our limited submission calendar.

Limited Submission Process at a Glance:

1. Announcements

UT-Austin’s Vice President for Research (VPR) and Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) track the limited submission opportunities for which UT-Austin is eligible and notify all eligible UT-Austin colleges via email of these opportunities.

2. Internal Deadlines

After a sponsor deadline for a limited submission opportunity is announced, OSP sets an earlier, internal deadline to collect preliminary materials (e.g., nomination letters, concept papers or “white papers,” PIs’ biosketches) from all eligible colleges for internal competition. OSP notifies the colleges of the university-wide internal deadline and submission requirements via email. Our college then sets its own internal deadline to allow adequate time for review and ranking of the internal competition materials. Research and Facilities announces this internal deadline along with the submission requirements to all department chairs and organized research unit directors via email.

OSP aims to set their internal deadlines early enough to allow the selected PIs adequate time to prepare a competitive full proposal for the funding agency. The college, in turn, typically sets its internal deadline 3-7 days prior to the OSP internal deadline, to allow our faculty advisory committee adequate time to review and rank all submitted materials. However, there is no predetermined schedule for university-wide internal deadlines set by OSP, and thus there is no predetermined schedule for college internal deadlines. To aid PIs in planning, Strategic Research Initiatives maintains a calendar of limited submission deadlines that includes anticipated college internal deadlines based on previous years’ deadlines set by OSP.

3. Submitting Materials for Internal Competition

Internal competition materials must be emailed to Mary Mansfield at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on or before the college internal deadline. A list of required materials to be submitted to the college is provided in the email limited submission announcement. Materials to be submitted vary based on the funding opportunity but typically include a short (one- to three-page) concept paper or “white paper,” letter of nomination (drafted by the PI and addressed to the Vice President of Research, from the Dean, sent as a Word document), and the PI’s biosketch.

Importantly, if cost sharing is required by the funding agency, you must discuss cost sharing requirements for your proposed idea with the Associate Dean for Research and Facilities prior to submitting your internal competition materials. Likewise, if special space or facilities modifications are required for your proposed ideas, these issues should also be discussed with the Associate Dean prior to submission.

4. College-Level Review and Selection

Internal competition materials received by the college are reviewed by a faculty advisory committee. For faculty award nominations, the committee members rank submissions according to the criteria set forth by the awarding agency. For research proposals, the committee members rank submissions on the basis of the following criteria:

• Responsiveness to guidelines set forth by the funding agency
• Potential for far-reaching impact in the college or across multiple colleges
• Best chance of success in the external competition

The faculty advisory committee is overseen by Research and Facilities. These faculty members are selected by department chairs and serve on the committee for a period of two years. Membership of the faculty advisory committee is currently being refreshed for 2012-2013, and the advisory committee members' names will be posted here when the final committee constituency is approved by the Dean.

The Associate Dean for Research and Facilities reserves the right to consult with additional faculty members or experts on an ad hoc basis to obtain further, discipline-specific review of submitted materials as needed.

Recommendations are collected from the faculty advisory committee and the top nominee(s), with final approval from the Dean, are sent forward to the Vice President for Research for final selection.

5. Final Selection: Vice President for Research

Juan Sanchez, Vice President for Research, receives the top nominees from all participating colleges and has final authority for selecting the proposal(s) to be submitted from UT-Austin. There is no advisory committee at the VPR level, and final decisions are made by Dr. Sanchez with consideration of the following criteria:

• Responsiveness to guidelines set forth by the funding agency
• Potential for far-reaching impact on campus, specifically for cross-college collaboration
• Balanced representation of colleges with respect to the number of allowed submissions

The VPR notifies OSP of the final selections, and OSP notifies each college. The Associate Dean for Research and Facilities then notifies all college PIs who submitted materials of the final decisions via email, providing feedback from the faculty advisory committee’s and/or VPR’s review of the submitted materials.

Frequently Asked Questions about Limited Submissions

I want to apply for a limited submission opportunity, but I have not received an email announcement stating the internal deadline. What do I do?

One of two things may have happened: Either OSP is not aware of the funding opportunity, or OSP has not yet set a deadline for this year’s internal competition. First, check our calendar to determine whether an internal competition is already underway or planned. If the opportunity you’re interested in is not on the calendar, then This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Director of Strategic Research Initiatives. She will communicate with OSP to obtain permission for you to submit your proposal or to determine when the internal competition deadline will be set for this year.

I just received a limited submission announcement email, and it says I have only two weeks to prepare my internal competition materials and submit them to the college. Why are these deadlines so tight? Can I get more advanced notice?

University-wide internal deadlines for all limited submissions are controlled by OSP, and the college can only set its internal deadlines when OSP has notified us of the university-wide internal deadline. We distribute limited submission announcements to our faculty the same day that we receive notice from OSP, but we realize that many PIs would appreciate even more advanced notice of upcoming limited submission opportunities. For that reason, we maintain a calendar of limited submission deadlines that includes anticipated internal deadlines based on previous years’ deadlines set by OSP. You can view the calendar to see which limited submission competitions we expect to administer each month.

In addition, we maintain a list of active funding opportunities (including some that are not limited submission), which is updated several times each week as new funding opportunities are announced by the agencies. You may subscribe to this list as an RSS feed. Checking this list frequently will ensure that you find out about new funding opportunities as soon as they are announced.

What do I need to submit to the college for a limited submission opportunity?

Each limited submission opportunity announcement email includes a list of the materials required for submission. All materials must be submitted to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it on or before the college internal deadline, which is also stated in the email announcement. If you’ve lost your email announcement you may contact Mary Mansfield or Jennifer Lyon to receive another copy.

I know the College of Natural Sciences has an office that provides proposal preparation support for large center grants. Can they help me put together my internal competition materials?

The college’s Strategic Research Initiatives office is overseen by Research and Facilities, the same office that oversees the review of internal competition materials. Therefore, to avoid a conflict of interest due to unfair advantage, Strategic Research Initiatives cannot co-write your white papers or assemble your internal competition materials for you. However, Strategic Research Initiatives can offer advice on how to best structure your white papers and can provide examples of past successful white papers. If your white paper is selected as the UT-Austin nominee for external competition, Strategic Research Initiatives will be happy to support the development of your full proposal. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

I’m not sure what to write in my Dean’s nomination letter. Can I get a copy of a successful nomination letter from last year?

Yes, we have copies of nomination letters that we can share with you. Contact Mary Mansfield or Jennifer Lyon to obtain an example of a strong nomination letter.

I was out of the country last week when the college internal deadline came up. Can I have a pass and submit my materials late?

You may appeal directly to the Associate Dean for Research and Facilities. However, late materials will only be accepted under extenuating circumstances and if there is sufficient time for advisory committee review prior to submission to the Vice President for Research.

Can I request that a certain faculty advisory committee member not review my proposal due to a conflict of interest (perceived or real)?

You may request that a faculty advisory committee member not review your submitted materials by informing the Associate Dean for Research and Facilities of the conflict.