Guidelines

Oversight

Pitt’s Limited Submission internal competitions are overseen by the Research Development team within the OSVCR. If a limited submission opportunity is from a Select Funder, Research Development Resources & Services coordinates the selection process with Philanthropic & Alumni Engagement’s Office of Corporate & Foundation Relations (PAE CFR).

Competition Announcements

Where one can find announcements: Most limited submission opportunities are announced through InfoReady and the Research Development’s weekly funding newsletters.

For more prominent opportunities: Notifications for prominent, recurring limited submission opportunities are ideally made 12 weeks prior to the sporing agency’s deadline. However, this timeline depends largely on when the competition is released by the sponsoring agency. [PLACEHOLDER: Maybe a note on the fact that federal grants have been shortening their application timelines?]

Unlisted opportunities: Pitt does not automatically run a competition for all existing limited submission opportunities. If an upcoming limited submission opportunity is not listed on InfoReady, potential applicants must contact Research Development at researchdev@pitt.edu or complete the form "Apply for an opportunity not listed on InfoReady” so that a selection process can be coordinated.

Contact

710 Cathedral of Learning
4200 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Email: researchdev@pitt.edu

About the Team

Researcher Resources & Requests

Request letters of support »

Subscribe to the funding newsletter »

Report winning a prestigious award »

How to Apply

Contact researchdev@pitt.edu with questions about the process or issues using InfoReady.

Apply for an Active Limited Submission opportunity:
  • Navigate to the Limited Submissions listing on InfoReady.
     
  • Click on “Apply for Limited Submission Opportunity”.
     
  • Add appropriate departmental contacts (ADRs, grants administrators, co-investigators) within your application to ensure they are included in any notices regarding your submission.
     
  • Submit all required documentation by the internal submission deadline by 5:00PM (unless otherwise noted). Applications received without all the required documentation or after the deadline will be rejected without review.
Apply for an Unlisted Limited Submission opportunity:
  • If you wish to apply for a Limited Submission opportunity but it is not listed on InfoReady, please fill out the form "Apply for an opportunity not listed on InfoReady” or contact Research Development at researchdev@pitt.edu.
     
  • If the deadline of the opportunity is 4 weeks or more away, an internal competition will be opened on InfoReady. At which point you can follow the application instructions in “Apply for an active limited submission opportunity”.
     
  • If the deadline is less than 4 weeks away, the decision about whether to create a competition or select an institutional applicant or nominee will be made by the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research on a case-by-case basis.

Review Process

Eligibility and Completeness Review

All applications must be reviewed for eligibility and completeness and confirmed by the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research before the applications move forward into the “Review Phase”. 

  • If the number of internal applicants exceeds the number of allowable submissions to the sponsoring agency:
    • an internal review process will be used to select the applicants or nominees who will be permitted to proceed with the submission. Peer reviewers are chosen by the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research specific to the focus of the sponsoring agency.
    • The reviewers rank internal applications using a defined rubric* to identify which applicants or nominees will have the best chance of being funded. Reviewers are anonymous, and their identities are never shared with applicants. The review process lasts approximately three weeks. Although this may vary depending on sponsor deadlines.
    • Once the review process is complete, Research Development Resources & Services will notify the applicants or nominees via an email from InfoReady within two business days to ensure that the selected applicant or nominee has as much time as possible to prepare their proposal for submission. 
  • If the number of applicants does not exceed the number of allowable submissions, no internal competition will be necessary.

Selected applications or nominees will be provided with relevant deadline information via an email from InfoReady. The applicants or nominees permitted to proceed should consult with their departmental grant administrators to determine appropriate next steps for submission.

If a selected applicant decides not to submit, Research Development must be notified at researchdev@pitt.edu as soon as possible.

*Rubric:

  • Alignment with the mission of the solicitation
  • Approach and Design
  • Significance of the Project and Potential Impact
  • How well the pre-application describes the intended project
  • Does the PI have the appropriate training and experience
  • Post-Nomination: [PLACEHOLDER: do we want to put in some language here stating that we will help them prepare their submissions; get letters; etc…]