Definition/Background

“Limited Submissions” occur when a sponsoring agency limits the number of proposals an institution may submit for a given funding opportunity.  Because of these restrictions, and because some opportunities attract broad interest within the university, the UM ORED (formerly called ORSP) follows a standardized internal competition process to select proposals to submit on behalf of the University.

When the Internal Competition Standard Procedure Applies

If ORED becomes aware of a limited submission opportunity at least eight weeks prior to the sponsor's due date, the Internal Competition Procedure below will usually be followed to select and/or develop the proposal(s) for the available slot(s). If ORED learns about the opportunity between four and eight weeks prior to the due date, then ORED will make every effort to fill the slot with a competitive proposal in the most practical and expedient way possible, which may or may not involve an internal competition. If ORED learns about the opportunity less than four weeks prior to the due date, there will definitely NOT be an internal competition; in these cases, assignment of the slot will be made at the discretion of the Director of Research Development and/or the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development (VCRED), and preferential consideration will be given to any investigator(s) who first expressed intent or interest in the opportunity. For limited submission opportunities of strategic importance to the university, the VCRED reserves the right to bypass the internal competition and select or solicit a proposal to submit; however, these exceptional cases will be rare. 

IDRUM Notes:

• IDRUM Exploration Groups and Strike Teams may be given priority consideration for limited submission opportunities.
• For some internal competitions for recurring funding opportuniites, proposals/teams/ideas may be selected for either the current competition cycle, or for the next competition cycle.

Internal Competition Procedure

Announcement

• ORED announces the opportunity on the research.olemiss.edu website and in UMToday. 
• The announcement contains the following:
  • Highlights and key points from the solicitation;
  • A link to the full solicitation;
  • Requirements for the “Letter of Intent to Propose” (LOI);
  • Due date for the LOI and the notification date;

If/Then

IF the number of interested applicants does not exceed the number of proposals allowed,

THEN all applicants may participate in the limited funding opportunity, via the normal procedure for submitting proposals.

Furthermore, if by the LOI deadline the number of interested applicants is less than the threshold permitted by the limited funding opportunity, ORED will accept rolling applications after the deadline – allowing applicants to participate on a first-come, first-served basis.

IF the number of applicants submitting an LOI before the deadline exceeds the institutional limit,

THEN ORED moves forward to the Request for Pre-Proposals.

If a Request for Pre-Proposals (RFPP) is Warranted

All investigators who have submitted an LOI shall receive from ORED a Request for Pre-Proposals (RFPP).  The RFPP shall include:

• Requirements for the internal Pre-Proposal;
• Due date for the internal pre-proposal;
• Criteria to be used by the internal reviewers (based on the solicitation and University priorities); and
• Cost share requirements. 

Among other stated requirements, the Pre-Proposal must address cost-share requirements/commitments.  Cost share commitments must be known before the Pre-Proposal can move forward.

Internal Review Process

Stage 1:

• For each school or college that has an application pending, the ORED first seeks guidance for appropriate reviewers from the Dean or ADR.
• ORED puts together a set of 3 or more reviewers (from among Dean/ADR suggestions, ORSP Research Development Fellows, other UM faculty/staff, and/or external grantsmanship experts)

Stage 2:

• ORED reviews each pre-proposal for alignment with the program requirements, and makes comments on the review form.
• If the ORED notes opportunities for collaboration among the respondents, an effort will be made to encourage internal connections and interdisciplinary cooperation.
• ORED distributes internal pre-proposals to reviewers along with a scoring sheet.  The scoring sheet contains the stated requirements of the solicitation, and appropriate scoring criteria.
• Reviewers complete scoring sheets for all applications.
• If the Reviewer believes he/she has a conflict of interest with respect to scoring a particular application, they will so indicate

Stage 3:

• ORED compiles and reviews score sheets, and based on the scores, will select which internal pre-proposals will go forward.
• ORED may also select an alternate pre-proposal.
• ORED notifies applicants about selection results and provides consolidated, anonymous feedback to all submitters based on reviewers’ comments.
• ORED sets a deadline for internal submission. As a condition of their selection, submitters must agree to comply with all internal deadlines, and to share sponsor review comments with ORED.  Proposals not received in full by the deadline are subject to being replaced with the alternate proposal.

Stage 4:

• The selected internal pre-proposals and alternate proposal are developed into full proposals by the investigators (incorporating the comments of the internal reviewers and eliminating identified weaknesses).
• ORED RD or SPA research administrator (as assigned) will assist as needed in compiling and reviewing proposal components.
• The ORED Director of Research Development will offer assistance in strengthening the language of the proposal, especially the summary or project description.

Reviewer Confidentiality: Deans may request the names of reviewers before the review process begins.  However, the names of reviewers will not be shared with applicants.