Limited and Internal Competitions Policy

This policy establishes the procedure to be followed when a sponsor limits the number of proposals that may be submitted by any one institution in response to a solicitation.

Limited competitions are coordinated by the Office of Research Development (ORD) within the Office of the Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School (OVPRDGS). Please direct inquiries to Saul Allen, Associate Director of Research Development, at 581- 1589, or saul.allen@maine.edu

Intent to Submit

IMPORTANT: Registering a notice of intent for a limited competition is considered a firm commitment, NOT a tentative indication of interest. Once registered, the PI is expected to participate in the internal competition or apply to the solicitation, as applicable.

  • It is the PI’s responsibility to check if an award announcement is limited
  • Limited competitions will be posted on the InfoReady platform.
  • PIs signal their participation in a limited competition by filing a notice of intent in PARS.
  • For well publicized opportunities, the internal deadline to register a notice of intent is typically 60 days prior to the sponsor deadline, but may vary anywhere from 45 to 90 days. When appropriate, the internal deadline may be extended up to 150 days prior to sponsor deadline to allow sufficient time to carry out the limited competition. When the notice of intent is filed within 45 days, the administration of the limited competition will be conducted as rapidly as possible if an application is still viable
  • If more intents are received by the internal deadline than allowed by the sponsor, ORD will conduct an internal competition to determine which proposal(s) will be submitted.
  • If the number of intents received by the internal deadline is less than the limit, all applicants will receive notification that they are approved to submit, and the solicitation will remain open for others to sign up late for (see below).
  • If the number of intents received by the internal deadline is equal to the limit, they will receive notification that they are approved and no additional intents will be accepted after the deadline.
  • If an internal deadline has passed with no intents or fewer than that allowed, PIs may submit late intents and will be approved for submission on a first-come basis.
  • Special solicitations may be an exception to this policy (e.g NSF EPSCoR RII – Track 1), subject to their own procedures and administered separately

Internal Competition

In the event an internal competition is required, the ORD will coordinate the review process to determine which proposal(s) will be selected for submission to the sponsor.

  • A technical and administrative review will be performed by an internal panel comprised of university administrators and tenured (or equivalent) faculty members.
  • PIs, Co-PIs, senior personnel, and collaborators on pre-proposals under review will not be members of the internal review panel
  • Pre-proposals will be judged according to the criteria in the solicitation. Additional criteria, such as alignment with strategic initiatives and university priorities, may also be considered.
  • PIs with successful pre-proposals will be notified as soon as the review panel completes its work and will work with ORD staff for additional support on proposal development and preparation.