Limited Submissions and Internal Competitions

General Information

Some sponsors, federal, state, or privately funded, limit the number of proposals an institution may submit to a particular program, thereby reducing the sponsor's review burden. This type of program is known as a Limited Submission Opportunity (LSO). When necessary, ORA conducts an Internal Competition (IC) for an LSO in order to ensure a fair selection process, avoid institutional disqualification, and submit USM's best proposal(s) to the sponsor.

There are various ways to approach limited submission opportunities. ORA may announce a Notification of Interest (NOI) query to measure investigator interest in a recently announced LSO. Or, the Vice President for Research (VPR) may encourage PIs to submit a collaborative proposal as an alternative to holding an internal competition. Regardless of the path chosen, ORA will initiate a selection process in a timely and equitable manner to give PIs the best chance of submitting a winning proposal.

Many limited-submission grant programs are reissued annually. However, sponsors often add new LSOs, or change, suspend, or terminate existing ones, from year to year. Keep an eye on the ORA Calendar, The ORAcle monthly newsletter, and ORA emails, to stay informed of any upcoming competitions. Likewise, if you see a limited-submission opportunity for which you would like to submit a proposal, please contact the ORA-RDOE%20Information%20Specialist immediately to ask about an upcoming internal competition. You may send an email, a Teams message to Maurine Pace, or call 601-266-5054.

Beginning in FY26, ORA manages internal competitions via Intellistack (formerly Formstack). This forms-based program is vastly simplified from our previous system, saving you valuable time for working on your proposal!

Limited Submission Programs

What ORA does:

1. Upon learning of a grant program announcement with institutional proposal limits, ORA will review it to determine USM’s eligibility and the program’s potential usefulness to USM investigators. Based on that information, ORA may:
   1. Issue a call via email for an NOI to determine the need for an IC. When the number of NOI submitted by the deadline exceeds the number of allowed submissions, ORA may conduct an IC. When the limit is not exceeded, NOI respondent(s) will be notified to submit full proposal(s) to the sponsor.
   2. Issue a call via email for an Internal Competition. ICs typically follow NOIs, but the NOI step may be omitted for certain popular programs.
   3. Take no action, unless a potential applicant expresses interest.
2. Internal Competitions require participants to complete an application form and, typically, upload a 3-page concept paper with a summary budget.
3. IC applications / papers undergo peer review, typically by members of the Research Advisory Council, under the direction of the Vice President for Research (VPR).
4. The VPR conducts a second review and may, at his or her discretion, consult with other USM faculty or extramural experts. The VPR makes the final decision regarding who may develop a full proposal for submission to the sponsor.
5. IC participants are notified of the decision.
   1. If your proposal is selected to for submission, please contact your assigned ORA Grants and Contracts Coordinator / Administrator for assistance with budgets, procedures, and regulations, etc.
   2. If your proposal is not selected to go forward, ORA will gladly work with you to find alternative sponsors for your project. Contact ORA-RDOEFREEMississippi or 601-266-5054.

Principal Investigators (PIs) competing for limited submission programs agree to:

1. Read the guidelines completely and carefully.
   1. Confirm that you are eligible and will be allowed to apply.
   2. Evaluate program goals and guidelines to determine appropriateness for your project.
   3. If you are unsure of the program's appropriateness, contact the program officer or equivalent for guidance.
2. Discuss your intent to submit with your chair, unit director, and/or others involved in reviewing, routing, approving, and supporting the project.
3. Follow ORA instructions precisely and respond by the deadline. Direct questions about the process to USM-ORAFREEMississippi.
4. If your project budget includes matching (release time, in-kind, cash, etc.) you may be required to provide a statement of support from appropriate university officials (e.g., Director, Dean, VP, Provost) addressing cost sharing requirements.
5. If approved to apply for the program, contact your ORA administrator and follow USM submission procedures and program guidelines.