Limited Submissions

Understanding Limited Submissions

Some external sponsors restrict how many proposals an institution may submit to a given opportunity. To ensure fairness, compliance, and strong institutional representation, the Research Development Office (RDO) manages the internal review and selection process for Limited Submission (LS) opportunities.

Why Limited Submissions Matter

If a university exceeds a sponsor’s submission limit, all proposals may be disqualified.
UMD’s internal LS process ensures:

• A fair and competitive selection process for faculty
• Alignment with sponsor requirements and institutional priorities
• Clear communication and institutional coordination

Important Note:
Obtaining a limited submission nomination does not mean that all sponsor or university compliance requirements have been met. The LS process determines which faculty member(s) may represent UMD in a limited competition, but it is not a full compliance or responsiveness review. Additional review—and any required revisions—occurs during proposal development and routing.

What Limited Submissions Are — and Are Not

A Limited Submission nomination means UMD has selected you to represent the university for that opportunity. It does not guarantee sponsor eligibility, budget approval, compliance clearance, or final proposal routing approval. All nominated proposals must still pass ORA, sponsor, and institutional review.

Explore Recurring Limited Submission Opportunities

UMD maintains a list of recurring LS programs to support long-term research planning.

View the Recurring Limited Submissions Spreadsheet 

UMD Limited Submissions Practices & Procedures

UMD’s Limited Submissions process is governed by a formal set of institutional Practices & Procedures approved by the Vice President for Research. These establish how internal deadlines, reviews, late submissions, and time-sensitive nominations are handled. These procedures are the authoritative source for all LS decisions.

Download: UMD Limited Submissions Practices & Procedures (PDF)

Internal Review Process

The Vice President for Research retains final authority over all Limited Submission nominations.

Most LS opportunities follow UMD’s standard internal competition, which may include:

• Internal deadlines posted in InfoReady
• Institutional commitments (e.g., cost share, space, staffing, compliance) must be approved as part of the LS process before a nomination can be finalized.
• Faculty reviewer and/or ADR review
• RDO coordination of submissions and reviewer assignments
• Recommendations provided to the Vice President for Research (VPR)

Late Submissions

Internal deadlines are firm. However, if no applications were received by the internal deadline:

• RDO may, at its discretion, consider late, completed InfoReady submissions on a per-business-day basis, in the order received, when no internal competition occurred, no institutional commitments are required, and time permits sponsor-compliant review.
• Multiple late submissions received on the same day may require expedited consultation with ADRs or the VPR.

Faculty who miss a deadline should submit in InfoReady immediately and contact RDO with questions. More details are available in the UMD Limited Submissions Practices & Procedures (PDF).

Time-Sensitive & Tight-Turnaround LS Opportunities

Some sponsors—particularly federal agencies such as DOE—issue calls with extremely short deadlines that make a standard internal competition impossible.

UMD may use a streamlined internal process, which can include:

• A short (5–7 day) internal intake window
• Rapid (48–72 hour) internal review when time allows
• A VPR-led decision when peer review is not feasible

Even under tight timelines, all nominations require VPR approval. More detailed procedures are available in the UMD Limited Submissions Practices & Procedures (PDF).

Become a Reviewer for Limited Submissions

We welcome faculty participation in reviewing internal funding competitions and LS applications. Reviewers play a vital role in ensuring a fair and rigorous internal selection process.

👉 Fill Out the Reviewer Interest Form

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact limitedsubmission@umd.edu or reach out to Hana Kabashi (hkabashi@umd.edu).