Limited Submission Opportunities

The Expressions of Interest Period allows RTT to reduce Principal Investigator (PI) burden by gauging interest in a solicitation prior to requiring an internal competition.

• • Expressions of Interest should be submitted by PIs in InfoReady by 5pm on the posted deadline. The only information required for an Expression of Interest is a working title, team member names, and departments.
  • If interest exceeds the number of submissions allowed, RTT will convert the opportunity to an internal competition and request more information from all applicants (See Step 2).
  • If interest does not exceed the number of submissions allowed, the team(s) that submitted an Expression of Interest is(are) assigned a proposal spot.
  • If no one expresses interest, or a spot remains available after the deadline, spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

An internal competition is required if more people are interested in applying than the sponsor allows. If an internal competition is warranted, applicants will submit the following in InfoReady.

Requirements:

• Project Summary (up to 3 pages). Project summary should address the following questions:
  • Overview: Provide a 2-3 sentence “elevator pitch” summarizing the purpose of your project for a lay audience.
  • Importance, Significance, or Technical Merit: Provide some details about your project’s objectives, technical approach, the problem or challenge being addressed, and why this project is important. A full explanation of your methodology is not needed.
  • Responsiveness to the Solicitation: How does your proposal respond to this specific solicitation? What goals or review criteria of the solicitation does it address and what are your project’s discriminators that will make it successful?
  • Broader Impacts: What are the potential broader societal impacts of the project? This may include all areas included under the NSF definition of Broader Impacts as well as considerations such as diversity, equity and inclusion; community benefits; environmental justice; and workforce development.
  • Qualifications of Team and Adequacy of Resources: What unique set of skills and expertise does your team bring to the project and what are the key resources available to you to ensure the project is set up for success?
  • References can be included on an additional page
• Budget Summary (1 page). Exact costs may not be known. Describe funding categories (personnel, consultants, participant support costs, equipment, etc.), estimates of time commitments, and cost estimates, if known. Include a target or range for the overall ask amount. If cost sharing is required, describe your plans to secure cost share or your committed sources.
• Biosketches for key team members. Any format is acceptable.
• Summary of Reviewer Comments (1 page). **If you previously submitted a full proposal to this opportunity last year** please also include a summary of your reviews from the sponsor and a brief paragraph (1/2-page max) outlining how you intend to address this feedback.

RTT will convene a panel of faculty and administrators who have prior experience with the opportunity and/or relevant expertise in the topic area. Reviewers will evaluate each proposal against the review criteria stated in the solicitation, and may also consider the relevance of the proposed research to the university’s goals. The panel will make recommendations to the Vice President of the Office of Research and Technology Transfer (VPRTT), who confirms final selections.  RTT will notify all applicants of whether their proposal was approved or declined.  

Standard Process – limited submissions where teams were selected at least six weeks prior to the sponsor deadline

If a PI is awarded a limited submission spot by any means, including through an Expression of Interest, an internal competition, or on a first-come, first-served basis, and choose not to submit, the PI must notify RTT of the decision at least four weeks prior to the sponsor deadline so that the spot can be allocated to another faculty member. Failure to notify RTT may result in a PI’s ineligibility to reapply for future limited submissions opportunities for up to two years. PIs will submit a progress report at the four-week mark to confirm they are on track to submit a proposal. If the PI is not responsive or has not made progress, RTT may inform the PI of their lost opportunity to submit and reassign the spot.

Expedited Process – limited submissions where teams were selected less than six weeks prior to the sponsor deadline

If a PI is awarded a limited submission spot by any means, including through an Expression of Interest, an internal competition, or on a first-come, first-served basis, and choose not to submit, the PI must notify RTT of the decision as soon as is feasible so that the spot can potentially be reassigned.

PIs can apply for current limited submission opportunities here: https://mines.infoready4.com/.

If you become aware of an opportunity that has a limitation but is not listed on InfoReady, please email limitedsubs@mines.edu.

To be added to the weekly Research Development Newsletter where opportunities, limited and otherwise are shared, email Alyssa Von Lehman Lopez at avonlehmanlopez@mines.edu.