Some requests for proposals (RFPs) from federal and private funding agencies place limits on the number of proposals an institution can submit. Because of these limitations there is a need for the University to review all potential submissions responding to such RFPs. The overall objective of this process is to make Northeastern as competitive as possible in these external competitions.

Research Development administers the review and nomination process for Limited Submissions Programs for the Senior Vice Provost for Research (SVPR).

There may be special circumstances where the SVPR, in consultation with the Deans, will reach out to faculty groups to work together in responding to a limited submission opportunity that advances broad University priorities.

The overall process has four steps:

1. Announcement of limited submission program and communication of interest

Such programs will be announced by Research Development via posting on the Limited Submissions Website (resdev.northeastern.edu/funding/limited-submissions/) and/or via email to faculty, as appropriate to the program. Information will include:

• Name of sponsor and title of program
• Internal deadline for submission of limited submission pre-proposals
• Sponsor deadline(s)
• Description of submission limitation
• Program Eligibility
• Link to program guidelines

PIs are encouraged to contact Research Development to discuss their interest in a program.

2. Preparation of pre-proposal and review by limited submissions committee

For each competition, principal investigators are required to submit an internal pre-proposal by the posted internal deadline in the announcement. The pre-proposal should address the sponsoring agency’s priorities as outlined in the RFP, along with the program or RFP’s goals, objectives, and any special review criteria.

Typically, unless special instructions are included in the Eligibility & Submission Requirements section of the internal announcement, the pre-proposal will include the following:

• Pre-Proposal (limit two pages in 11-point font with .5” margins) that contains the following information:
  • Proposal title
  • Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator(s), Department(s), and College(s)
  • Proposed start date and duration of the project
  • Estimated total budget for the entire performance period
  • Summary of the project (main body of the document)
  • If the sponsor requires mandatory cost share or matching, please provide a statement acknowledging the cost share requirement and identify how you will work to meet those obligations.
  • An additional page may be used for references and does not count toward the page limit
• Biosketch or CV or the PI and Co-PI(s)
• If the application is a resubmission to the funding agency, include the agency reviews in the pre-application. The reviews do not count towards page limits.

The pre-proposal should be sent as a single PDF attachment to limitedsubmissions@northeastern.edu by the end of day of the internal deadline (11:59PM) and the submitting PI should copy their college pre-award and research administration staff on the email. The subject line of the email should include the sponsor name and program title.

If the number of internal pre-proposals exceeds the sponsor’s limitations, Research Development may convene a limited submissions committee, typically made up of faculty subject matter experts and/or Associate Deans for Research to review the pre-proposals. The appropriate Deans may be asked to provide a ranking of the pre-proposals from their College. The limited submissions committee will provide a recommendation to the SVPR or the Vice Provost for Research Development who makes the final decision regarding the internal competition.

3. Notification of decision to internal competitors

Once the nominee(s) have been approved, the PI, their College Associate Dean for Research, College Research Development and Administration  staff, and NU-RES will be notified via email by Research Development. PIs whose projects were not selected will be notified as well.

4. Submission of final proposal

Once a faculty member is selected to apply for a limited submissions opportunity, she/he has the responsibility to submit a timely application.

Should a candidate(s) wish to decline a nomination, they need to do so in writing as soon as possible to limitedsubmissions@northeastern.edu.

Faculty may not submit an application in response to a limited funding opportunity to a sponsor without approval from Research Development.