Limited Submissions
Limited submissions are external sponsored funding opportunities that require an internal selection process because the sponsor limits the number of proposals and/or imposes specific restrictions on applications submitted by Tufts.
Please note that not all limited submissions are announced. Announcements are made with an emphasis on those opportunities of broad interest to the Tufts community, and the list below is not exhaustive. If you are interested in a limited submission that does not appear below, please contact your local research administrator (LRA) and email the Limited Submissions team at limitedsubmissions@tufts.edu.
To members of the Tufts Research Community:
Please see the limited submission opportunities summarized below. For more information on these opportunities, please visit the links to the funding opportunities.
Unless otherwise indicated below, those interested should send an email of intent to the Limited Submissions Team at limitedsubmissions@tufts.edu informing us of an intention to apply. EOIs received after the deadline indicated below will not be considered. The email of intent must include:
- The name of the solicitation,
- The name of the Principal Investigator, and any co-PIs,
- A 2-3 sentence description of the proposed project.
Should the number of interested applicants exceed the number allowed by the funder, an internal selection process will be conducted by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, and candidates will be notified to submit internal application materials. All candidates will be notified of results. NB: Successful applications must include official notification from the Limited Submissions Team in order to submit. For more information, please see http://viceprovost.tufts.edu/resources/funding/limited-submissions/
Email of Intent Deadline: Wednesday, March 15 by noon. Please see underlined and italicized text below for any special EOI instructions.
This week’s limited submission opportunities are:
- Number allowed: 2
- Sponsor Deadlines: Application due date: April 19
- Purpose: To support research, education/teaching, and extension projects that increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas who will pursue and complete a postsecondary degree in STEM disciplines
- Requirements: Projects must focus on a target audience of K-14 students and support the creation, adaptation, and adoption of learning materials and teaching strategies to operationalize what we know about how students learn. Must highlight and emphasize the development of a competent and qualified workforce in the food and agricultural sciences.
- WAMS-funded projects should improve the economic health and viability of rural communities by developing education and extension initiatives that focus on new and emerging employment opportunities in STEM occupations for women and underrepresented minorities.
- Objectives:
- Leadership Skills Development. The development of leadership skills, knowledge, and qualities are necessary to prepare students for agricultural and related careers in the private sector, government, and academia. See link below for specific activities that may included.
- Social and Behavioral Science Disciplines. Projects that integrate social and behavioral sciences to provide experiential learning opportunities for students in applied research, and related community development programs.
- Advancement in U.S. Food, Agriculture, and Forestry. Must support the domestic objectives of WAMS. Applicants must clearly describe and demonstrate how international activities proposed in applications submitted to WAMS will contribute to advances in U.S. agriculture.
- Educational Need Areas. WAMS projects must focus on one or more of the FY 2022 Need Areas:
- Curriculum Design, Materials Development, and Library Resources. Promotes the development of alternative courses of study and degree programs, new and improved curricula, and instructional materials, delivery systems and technology that respond to differences in student learning styles; to promote the acquisition of library resources including books and journals relating to the food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences- including traditional ecological knowledge; and to stimulate the use of new approaches to the study of traditional subjects, new research on teaching and learning theory, and new applications of knowledge.
- Student Experiential Learning. Furthers the development of student scientific and professional competencies through hands-on experiential learning projects (inside or outside of the classroom) that provide students with opportunities to solve complex problems in the context of real-world situations.
- Student Recruitment, Retention, Mentoring and Educational Equity (including the provision of student financial assistance). Enhances educational equity for under-represented students and strengthens student recruitment and retention programs in order to promote the future strength of the Nation’s scientific, professional, and technical workforce in the food and agricultural sciences.
- Eligibility: No agency restrictions; please follow Tufts PI eligibility policies.
- Award Information: Up to $200,000 total for 2-3 years
- Further Information: https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/women-minorities-science-technology-engineering-mathematics-fields
- Number allowed: 1
- Sponsor Deadlines: Letter of Intent Due April 30 | Application due: May 30
- Purpose: To establish new or to enhance existing team-based design courses or programs in undergraduate biomedical engineering departments or other degree-granting programs with biomedical engineering tracks/minors.
- Requirements: Health equity and universal design topics must be integrated throughout the educational activities. While current best practices such as multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary education, introduction to the regulatory pathway and other issues related to the commercialization of medical devices, and clinical immersion remain encouraged components of a strong BME program, this FOA also challenges institutions to propose other novel, innovative and/or ground-breaking activities that can form the basis of the next generation of biomedical engineering design education.
- Courses for Skills Development: For example, courses and programs that use a team-based design approach which incorporates health equity, universal design (the purposeful design of products and environments to be useable by people of varying abilities and characteristics), design concepts early in educational activities, interaction between design students at different career/education levels, and state-of-the-art best practices (such as multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary education, the regulatory pathway and other issues related to the commercialization of medical devices), and further enhances these with novel creative and/or ground-breaking approaches and activities which will be implemented and evaluated with the goal of disseminating the outcomes for the benefit of the larger biomedical engineering education community. Programs may also include a clinical immersion experience that enhances skills and experiences in needs finding, communication across disciplines (including with healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, and/or communities), ideation coupled with frequent clinical/user feedback, and/or small projects to address minor, immediately solvable needs.
- NIBIB Statement of Interest: NIBIB interests include the development and integration of advanced bioengineering, sensing, imaging, and computational technologies for the improvement of human health and medical care. With this FOA, in addition to the goals described above NIBIB especially encourages courses and programs that incorporate the following topics: 1) Expanding the design perspective by designing for low resource settings; 2) Expanding the clinical immersion perspective by incorporating community-based engagement or emphasizing problem driven solutions; and, 3) Expanding the team perspective by including students from disciplines such as nursing, computer engineering, data science, and/or public health, as well as different education levels.
- Eligibility: No agency restrictions; please follow Tufts PI eligibility policies.
- Award Information: $20,000 per year
- Further Information: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-22-000.html
About Limited Submissions
Limited submissions are external sponsored funding opportunities that require an internal selection process because the sponsor limits the number of proposals and/or imposes specific restrictions on applications submitted by Tufts. This information is often located in the “Eligibility” sections of funding opportunity announcements (FOAs).
The Limited Submissions Team in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) identifies limited submission opportunities and coordinates the university-wide review and nomination of applications for these opportunities to ensure such submission restrictions are met. For those limited submission opportunities from foundations, the OVPR collaborates closely with the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) to facilitate the process. Proposals cannot be submitted outside of the limited submissions process described below.
The process is designed to provide principal investigators and their teams with as much time as possible to prepare submissions to the sponsor while allowing for a fair management of internal competitions.
Tufts Process
Identification
OVPR and CFR identify limited submission funding opportunities through Internet searches, PIVOT alerts, mailings, newsletters, invitations, and previous opportunities.
If a faculty or staff member identifies a limited submission prior to or instead of an OVPR announcement, that individual will notify the Limited Submissions Team immediately to ensure that the team is aware of the opportunity and that no more than the specified numbers of applications are submitted.
Announcement
When a limited opportunity for a broad number of investigators is identified, the OVPR will notify the research community by posting to the limited submissions webpage.
Some limited opportunities are focused on a specific scientific area or are open only to a specific group. In these cases, the Limited Submissions Team may target the opportunity to those who match the sponsor’s eligibility requirements. However, if an investigator is interested in a particular opportunity with a limitation, they should email Limited Submissions immediately to expedite the process.
Email of Intent
For Limited Submissions that have been announced and for those identified by interested investigators, anyone wishing to send a proposal in response should send an e-mail of intent to the Limited Submission Team at limitedsubmissions@tufts.edu and to their LRA with the subject line: Limited Submission (PROGRAM NAME FROM ANNOUNCEMENT) by noon on the Wednesday after the announcement, unless otherwise noted.
The email of intent should include only the following:
- Indication of desire to submit to the limited FOA
- Name and title of principal investigator and any identified team members
- A brief (1-3 sentences) description of the proposed project
- Any other requested information (e.g., confirmation of eligibility, acknowledgement of cost share or reduced indirect cost requirements)
If no more than the maximum number of emails of intent are submitted, the Limited Submissions Team will notify the applicant(s) within 24 hours that their submissions may move forward.
Internal Competition
If the number of emails of intent exceed the maximum number allowed by the sponsor, potential applicants will be notified and asked to prepare an internal application that includes all material explicitly requested in the internal announcement, due by noon on the Wednesday after the email of intent is due unless otherwise noted. These materials will include:
- The name of the program to which you intend to apply
- The name of the Principal Investigator and any additional team members
- The subject or title of the proposed project
- A short NSF, NIH or equivalent style biosketch of the PI
- A description of approximately 500 words outlining the PI’s qualifications and a description of the proposed project, tailored to the requirements of the funding opportunity
- For large equipment grants, include a statement in the project description demonstrating adherence to the Tufts Policy on Purchase or Development of Equipment with Additional Infrastructure Needs
- If cost share, matching, or similar is required by the sponsor, a statement acknowledging responsibility for securing appropriate approvals by the sponsor deadline.
Review, Selection, and Notification
If the number of internal proposals exceeds the institutional limit, OVPR uses the internal selection process described below. Exceptions to this process are made in certain situations. For example, the nominee may be selected by the Vice Provost for Research and/or the Provost when an opportunity reflects a strategic priority or requires significant institutional commitment.
For the standard internal selection process, a review committee composed of at least three individuals with expertise in the topic and/or the sponsor/program will be selected by the Limited Submissions Committee. The Committee will ensure that the reviewers do not have conflicts of interest with any of the applicants. These individuals will review all internal proposals according to the review criteria listed below and the sponsor’s requirements and/or funding priorities.
The OVPR will select the candidate(s) based on the committee’s recommendations. De-identified reviewer feedback will be provided upon request. Information about the faculty review committee and selected candidate(s) is confidential.
All candidates will be notified of the final decisions of the committee via email. The department/school’s Lead Research Administrator and the Director of Pre-Award Research Administration will be cc’d on the official nomination letter, and Corporate & Foundation Relations will be included when relevant.
If a proposal cannot be completed, please contact the Limited Submission Team immediately so another PI may have the opportunity to apply.
Submission to the Sponsor
All proposals indicating a limit on the number of submissions from Tufts must be accompanied by an official letter of nomination from the Limited Submissions Team to be processed, regardless of whether they were announced by the OVPR.
All nominees should work with their assigned research administrator in their department or school to prepare submission to the sponsor.
In addition, for foundation proposals the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) will work with the nominee(s) to review the foundation's latest requirements, goals, previously funded proposals, and the university’s history and internal connections with the foundation. The appropriate CFR representative will be cc’d on the official nomination letter.
Review Criteria
Review criteria are determined based on the criteria employed by the sponsor for each funding program. In general, limited submission internal proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Intellectual Merit: How important is the proposed research to advancing knowledge within its field or across fields? How well qualified is the proposer? To what extent does the project suggest and explore original concepts? How well conceived is the proposed project? What is the likelihood of success?
- Match to Sponsor’s Program and Tufts Goals: How well does the proposed project address the sponsor’s programmatic requirements and goals? Given Tufts’ research goals and strengths, what are the benefits to the relevant campus(es)?
- Other Relevant Factors: Includes such factors relevant to the specific FOA as cultural competency; public outreach efforts; quality of the evaluation design; if applicable, comments from previous submissions to the same program and the current proposal’s responsiveness to those comments.
We encourage researchers to collaborate with other groups at Tufts when possible. This team-based approach adds breadth to the proposal, while supporting the interdisciplinary focus that is increasingly promoted by federal and nonfederal agencies.
Timeline
The Limited Submissions process is designed to offer applicants as much time as possible to develop their submissions to external sponsors. Limited Submission Opportunities will be announced a minimum of one month prior to sponsor deadline. The typical timeline for limited submissions is as follows, with some flexibility provided for the needs of specific sponsors.
Please contact the Limited Submissions Team at limitedsubmissions@tufts.edu for any questions about the limited submissions process.