Limited submission opportunities (LSOs) are those in which the sponsor has placed a restriction on the number of proposals, applications, or nominations that may be submitted from an institution. The Research Development team coordinates the university’s selection process for LSOs.

It is important to recognize that all UVA submissions may be rejected if the institution exceeds the sponsor’s stated limit. Thus, if you find a funding opportunity of interest and believe it is limited, you must contact the LSO team immediately. They will inform you of the appropriate next steps.

Dissemination

•Open LSOs are listed in the InfoReady platform, which is reviewed daily.

•You may sign up for the LSO listserv by emailing lso_announce-request@virginia.edu with the word subscribe as the only word in the subject.

•The LSO team may also email Associate Deans of Research and research development staff across Grounds to announce LSOs of special interest, high priority or high prestige.

Image of standard LSO process timeline

Standard Selection Process

The LSO team runs a two-step process for internal evaluation to ensure the sponsor’s limits are not exceeded. The internal selection process typically begins several weeks (sometimes several months) before the sponsor’s deadline, to allow thorough evaluation of the potential proposals.

• Step 1 – Required Letters of Intent (LOIs): if a faculty member intends to submit a pre-proposal to the internal competition, they must first submit an LOI. If the number of LOIs is less than the sponsor’s limit, no internal competition is conducted. All LOIs under the limit are given the “greenlight” to move forward. We typically strive for LOIs to be due 7-10 days after the opportunity has been launched in InfoReady.

• Step 2 – Preproposal Competition: If more LOIs were received than the sponsor’s limit, an internal competition must be conducted. Faculty are required to submit a pre-proposal, which is evaluated by qualified faculty reviewers. The AVPRD uses these reviews, along with other information as necessary (from the sponsor, other internal or external reviews, etc) to determine which of the pre-proposals will be given the “greenlight” to move forward. Decisions at this stage are final. We typically strive for pre-proposals to be due 10-14 days after the LOI deadline.

• Applicants are notified by email of the results at Step 1 and Step 2. Be sure to keep an eye on your email if you have submitted an LOI or a preproposal.

• If a faculty member receives the “greenlight” then decides not to move forward with a proposal, they must contact the LSO team as soon as possible. Early notification may allow another faculty member to submit their proposal to the sponsor.

• If you are selected as a UVA nominee for a limited submission opportunity, the process for acquiring appropriate approvals and submitting proposals to sponsors is generally handled through research administrators within your department or in your school; please make sure to touch base with your research administrator to confirm details.


Abbreviated Timeline

If there is insufficient time to conduct the standard internal process, the LSO team will utilize an “abbreviated timeline.” This is always indicated in the LSO announcement in InfoReady.

• If there is sufficient time to use LOIs, these will be due within 1-3 days.

• If there are more LOIs than the sponsor’s limit, the LSO team will:

  • Require preproposals be submitted within 1-7 days and 
  • Use an accelerated decision-making process. This may include reviews by domain experts, the VPR and Research Development staff, and/or Associate Deans for Research.

• In extremely rare cases where the sponsor’s deadline does not allow sufficient time to conduct an “abbreviated” selection process, the VPR’s office will allow the first submitted LOI to proceed.

Notes on LSOs

• This is a competitive process; you should not assume that your proposal will be allowed to proceed.

• The LSO team monitors over 100 recurring limited submission opportunities; most recur annually.

• We are always looking for qualified reviewers. Most LSOs are highly prestigious and performing peer review for these is an important service to the university. Reviewers receive annual letters of recognition of their service that can be included in promotion and tenure packages. If you’d like to serve as a reviewer for a future competition, please contact the LSO team.

• UVA uses the InfoReady platform to manage the LSO process. The platform requires NetBadge for access.

• If an LSO requires cost share or cost match, the pre-proposal must include a statement that “the department and Dean’s office have been consulted and have developed a plan to address cost share or cost match, per the sponsor’s guidelines.”

• Proposal development assistance may be available from the Research Development team, Corporate and Foundation Relations, or other units, as appropriate.

• Some LSOs are targeted to very specific fields or have other eligibility requirements that limit who may apply. In those cases, the LSO team may defer coordination to other units. For example:

  • “Cancer”-specific LSOs are coordinated by the Cancer Center (contact Jill Slack-Davis)
  • SOM-specific LSOs are coordinated by the SOM Dean’s Office