Limited Submissions
Understanding Limited Submissions
Some 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 UMD’s internal review and selection process for Limited Submission (LS) opportunities.
Why it matters: If UMD exceeds a sponsor’s limit, all proposals may be disqualified.
- A fair and competitive selection process for faculty
- Alignment with sponsor requirements and institutional priorities
- Clear communication and institutional coordination
Important: A nomination confirms who may represent UMD in a limited competition. It does not replace sponsor eligibility checks, budget approvals, compliance clearance, or proposal routing.
Recurring Limited Submission Opportunities
Planning ahead? UMD maintains a list of recurring LS programs to support long-term research planning.
View the Recurring Limited Submissions Spreadsheet
How to Find and Apply
UMD uses InfoReady to post LS opportunities and manage internal applications. Visit InfoReady.
If you identify an opportunity that appears limited but is not posted in InfoReady, contact limitedsubmissions@umd.edu.
New to InfoReady? Review the Applicant Experience video .
Limited Submissions Resources
Start here for the most-used LS resources.
What a Nomination Means (and Does Not Mean)
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.
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 Practices & Procedures document.
Time-Sensitive & Tight-Turnaround 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 Practices & Procedures document.
Questions?
Contact limitedsubmissions@umd.edu or reach out to Hana Kabashi (hkabashi@umd.edu).