Sponsors (including federal, state, foundation, nonprofit, and industry) sometimes limit the number of nominations or proposals (or concept papers, pre-proposals, letters of intent, etc.) that an organization may submit to a particular program/funding opportunity. This information can usually be found in the "Eligibility" section of a funding opportunity announcement.
"Limited submission" opportunities must undergo an internal selection process, which is overseen by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) and managed by the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research Development (OSP).
It is necessary to manage limited submission opportunities for several reasons, including: some sponsors will decline without review all Cornell submissions if they receive submissions in excess of the limit.
Note: Some solicitations/programs may also limit an organization's participation as a partner or subawardee in a proposal. For example, the National Science Foundation has several limited submission funding opportunities in which serving as a subawardee in another organization's proposal counts against Cornell's submission limit.
If you have questions or are considering applying to a limited submission solicitation/program not listed on this webpage, please contact Cornell Limited Submissions.
Join the CU-RES-ADMIN-L mailing list to stay up-to-date about new limited submission opportunities.
Recurring Programs List
Downloadable list of recurring limited submission programs.
Announcements
- NSF 23-558 Accelerating Research Translation (ART): Cornell's participation is being coordinated by senior leadership. There will not be an internal competition for NSF ART.
- NSF 24-532 Innovation Corps Hubs Program (I-Corps Hubs): Cornell is not eligible to participate as a partner or subawardee in another institution's I-Corps Hub proposal. There will not be an internal competition.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) CHIPS Digital Twin Manufacturing USA Institute (2024-NIST-CHIPS-MFGUSA-01): Senior leadership is coordinating Cornell's participation in this funding opportunity. The previously announced expedited internal competition is closed.
- ETH Zurich Materials Research Prize for Young Investigators: Institutions may submit one nomination per cycle. The next nomination cycle will be in May 2025. An internal competition will be announced in the future.
Last updated June 24, 2024
Current Internal Competitions
Unless otherwise noted in a competition announcement, internal Applications are due at 5:00PM on the Deadline.
These internal competitions are for investigators at Cornell Ithaca, including Geneva, and Cornell Tech. Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine: Do not apply to internal competitions listed here. Please contact Florencia Marcucci ([email protected]) in the WCM Office of the Research Dean if you are interested in a limited submission funding opportunity.
| Program Name | Notes | Internal Submission Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Schmidt Science Polymaths Program 2025 | Mid-career faculty who achieved tenure January 1, 2021 or later (w/in last 3 calendar years) | July 2 |
| Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics | July 3 | |
| Rita Allen Foundation 2025 Scholars Program | Early career faculty | July 15 |
| Procter & Gamble (P&G) Fund Higher Education Grant Program | July 16 | |
| NSF Advanced Computing Systems & Services (ACSS): Adapting to the Rapid Evolution of Science and Engineering Research - Category 1 Capacity Resources | July 23 | |
| NIH National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pathway to Independence Award for Early Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) | August 5 | |
| NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI): Instrument Acquisition or Development | Cornell may participate in up to four proposals total, as the lead and/or as a significantly funded subawardee on another institution's proposal. | August 12 |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Unless otherwise stated in an internal call, application materials must be submitted via the online competition portal (InfoReady) by 5:00 PM ET on the due date. If you experience technical issues with InfoReady, please email Limited Submissions immediately, during regular business hours. If the competition deadline has just passed, all your internal application materials should also be attached to the email. To avoid missing a submission deadline, login and submit early. We rarely accept late internal submissions.
General Process
Internal Competition
For most limited submissions, prospective applicants/nominees must first apply to an internal competition. Each internal competition call includes a submission deadline, summary of the opportunity, link and/or pdf file for the sponsor's program guidelines, and a list of materials required for the internal review process.
- Applicants typically must provide a list of all Key Personnel, a 2-3 page project description, and a biosketch/CV for the lead PI. Some competitions require additional materials, such as a letter of nomination from a Department Chair or an estimated budget outline. Internal application requirements vary depending on the program.
- Unless otherwise noted in an internal call, applications must be submitted via Cornell's web-based internal competition platform (InfoReady). First-time users will need to set-up an InfoReady account before submitting an application.
- It is the PI's responsibility to ensure they meet a sponsor's guidelines and eligibility requirements, and follow the internal submission instructions and submit by the specified due date. Requests for deadline extensions for internal competitions are rarely granted.
Internal Review and Selection
- For STEM opportunities, the Faculty Senate's Research Advisory Committee (RAC) reviews internal applications for limited submissions. The RAC selects to move forward the submission(s) that has the best opportunity for success based on its responsiveness to the sponsor's program objectives and selection criteria, and scientific and scholarly strength.
- For Humanities and Social Sciences opportunities, ad hoc review panels are convened.
- For opportunities where the submission limit is on the number of applicants per individual department (e.g., Sloan Research Fellowships), the internal selection is coordinated by departments or colleges rather than OSP. This information is included in the announcements that are disseminated to campus.
After Internal Review and Selection
- Applicants are promptly notified of the internal review outcome, which typically includes a summary of reviewers' feedback.
- The applicant selected to advance is also given detailed information for next steps in submitting to the sponsor, and works with their unit research administrator and assigned Grant & Contract Officer (GCO) to submit a full proposal packet, according to each sponsor's specific instructions and guidelines. Note: Materials submitted for the internal review/selection process are usually not the same as what a funder requires.
"Shortfuse" Limited Submissions and Expedited Review PROCESS
While we strive to provide ample preparation time to applicants for internal competitions, sometimes a sponsor’s proposal submission timeline necessitates a short internal timeline. For these "short fuse" opportunities there is expedited internal review and selection process wherein prospective applicants have a short time (usually 3 to 7 days) to submit an internal Letter of Interest or similar. The internal call for a "short fuse" limited submission will provide specific instructions. In some rare circumstances, a sponsor's timeline may be so short that it precludes an internal review altogether, and an applicant may be approved to submit to the sponsor on a "first come, first serve" basis.
Institutionally Coordinated Submissions: For limited submissions that are high-priority funding opportunities for the University, senior leadership may coordinate Cornell's application submission. In these cases, there may not be internal competition.
Limited submissions are regularly announced via our listserv (in the weekly Limited Submissions email digest and in stand-alone internal competition calls), and on this website. Most open internal competitions are also listed Cornell's web-based internal competition platform (InfoReady). Due to the expedited review process, "short fuse" limited submissions are not listed on InfoReady but are shared in the other ways mentioned above.
To receive timely communications about limited submission opportunities, subscribe to the CU-RES-ADMIN-L listserv here.
- Read the solicitation and research the sponsor. What is the sponsor's mission? What and who does it aim to fund? Make sure you are eligible to be considered. Align your proposal with the program goals and priorities. Don't simply recycle internal proposals from different competitions - be thoughtful and specific to the funding opportunity.
- The internal proposal should be accessible to a broad scientific audience. Members of the internal review panel will have differing levels of familiarity with your specific area of research. Define significant technical terms and avoid using "jargon." Clearly state the problem/need that your proposed project will address. Clearly describe the project objectives, methods, innovation, and impact. Clearly describe the "big picture." If you succeed, what difference will it make? What will be the impact?
- Read and adhere to all the internal submission requirements, including content and page limits. Proofread and check for typos.
- If a letter of nomination is required for the internal submission, it should be specific to the funding opportunity/program.
The Cornell Research Advisory Committee (RAC) has developed recommendations for Chairs writing nomination letters for internal competitions for external funding. These can be downloaded as a pdf file: Tips for writing letters of nominations (a Cornell netID login is required for access).
If you submitted to a sponsor's previous cycle for a limited submission program but were declined funding and would like to resubmit, you must contact OVPRI Limited Submissions before reapplying.
Resubmissions almost always count against Cornell's submission limit. Even if a funder's program officer encourages you to resubmit, you must get approval from Cornell before doing so. If there is an active internal competition for the funder's current submission cycle, you will need to participate in the internal competition.
If you missed an internal submission deadline, you are welcome to contact Limited Submissions to learn if the opportunity is still "open" (i.e., if there are application slots available). If the submission slot(s) was not already filled, you may still be able to apply to the funding opportunity. In these situations, approvals to submit to the funder are typically granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
If a selected candidate decides not to submit to the sponsor, they must notify OVPRI Limited Submissions as soon as possible. Internal competitions are highly competitive and, where possible, we want to allow another applicant to be selected to submit.
If faculty, students, or staff become aware of a limited submission opportunity that is not currently listed on this webpage or the Cornell InfoReady website, they should notify Limited Submissions before anything is submitted to the sponsor.
We do our best to identify and announce limited submission opportunities, but cannot guarantee that we find them all. If there is any question about submission limits for a solicitation, please contact us.
Email Cornell Limited Submissions if you need help or experience technical issues with the InfoReady application platform.
We strongly recommend logging into the system early so any potential technical issues can be addressed before the submission deadline. If you have technical issues when submitting your application, reach out to us immediately and during regular business hours with your application materials attached.
Weill Cornell Medicine has its own internal competitions for limited submission funding opportunities. If you are an investigator from WCM, contact Florencia Marcucci in the Office of the Research Dean. Do not apply to competitions listed on this website or InfoReady.