Some external funding opportunities limit the number of submissions allowed per institution. We refer to these types of opportunities as “Limited Submissions”.
Purpose
This policy applies to grants and contracts for federal, state, and other public funding agencies and is established to prevent any potential disqualification of submissions by Cal State LA, and, more importantly, to stimulate the most competitive proposals and applications based on the criteria defined by the sponsor/funding agency and the needs of Cal State LA.
Policy
ORSCA makes every effort to identify limited submission opportunities based on faculty expertise and past submissions. However, due to the considerable number of available programs, it is the PI’s responsibility to immediately notify ORSCA of their intent to apply to such programs. Upon notice, ORSCA will distribute the funding opportunity announcement to the campus to solicit any potential interest from faculty members. To be considered for limited submission opportunities, a PI must coordinate with ORSCA as provided in the procedures outlined below.
Procedure
1. Principal Investigator (PI) interested in submitting a proposal in response to a limited submission opportunity from a federal, state, or other public entity must provide notification to ORSCA via [email protected] with the subject “limited submission” ASAP or a minimum of 60 calendar days prior to the stated proposal submission deadline. Upon receipt of notification and review of submission guidelines, ORSCA will email the College Deans and identified Unit Administrators to alert the campus of such interest, to request the College Deans and Unit heads disseminate information, or to inquire if there are faculty or staff interested within their respective units. An internal deadline for responses will be specified in the notice.
2. Interested PIs should notify ORSCA ([email protected]; subject “Limited Submission Response”) of their interest in a limited submission within the internal deadline specified.
3. A PI interested in submitting to a limited submission opportunity must present a summary of the proposed project (no more than two (2) pages), and a list of PI and key team members’ current and pending support and biographical sketches (in an agency-specific format of no more than 5 pages) to the AVP of the ORSCA .
4. Immediately following the deadline set, ORSCA will send a follow-up notification to all who expressed interest, alerting them of the inquiry results.
(a). If the number of interested PIs is less than the limit of the number of proposals allowed, then no further action is necessary. Proposals will be submitted following the university’s standard process.
(b). If there are interested PIs more than the limited number of proposals allowed, a selection of the project(s) moving forward will be necessary.
(a) When there are thirty (30) calendar days between the identification of the funding opportunity and the sponsor deadline for submission, permission to move forward will be decided by the AVP-ORSCA.
(b) The AVP of ORSCA will discuss the projects with the ad hoc evaluation committee established by the ORSCA for the limited submission opportunity. After consulting with the review committee, the AVP of ORSCA will make the final selection decision of the project(s) to be put forth on behalf of the university. Evaluation criteria will include, but not limited to:
i. Quality of the proposal and work described therein;
ii. Probability of successful funding through alignment with the sponsor's stated objectives;
iii. Probability of the PI and proposed team (if applicable) to carry out the project as evidenced by CV(s) and current and pending support; and
iv. Support the mission of the university through alignment with the university’s strategic plan.
(c) It is expected that once a project is selected and the PI is notified, the PI has the responsibility to submit a proposal. Should the selected PI decide not to submit as planned, they must inform the AVP of ORSCA in writing within three (3) days of selection so the PI of the next ranked proposal can be notified in a timely manner to move forward with submission. Failure to submit a proposal without prior notification to the AVP of OSCA may affect the PI’s ability to participate in future internal competitions.
(d) In the event the PI of the top-ranked proposal is unable to move forward due to extenuating circumstances, the PI of the next ranked proposal will be contacted to move forward with submission.
Please note: While every effort will be made to adhere to the procedures listed above, there may be instances where an internal competition is not practical due to sponsor expectations and requirements as specified in the funding announcement (i.e. the opportunity is most appropriate for specific colleges/units). In those cases, the limited opportunity may not be announced to the entire campus and/or internal competitions may not be conducted. If a special arrangement among interested PIs, deans and the AVP of ORSCA AVP is agreed upon in the decision of which proposal to put forth during the selection process, that arrangement will be honored.
The Project(s) selected will result in proposals submitted by UAS following the standard university submission process, including timeline policy, and in accordance with sponsor guidelines.
If a proposal is submitted for a limited submission opportunity and is not funded, that proposal will have no preference over other projects in any subsequent limited submission opportunities. However, preference will be provided for a proposal receiving favorable reviews and which was invited for resubmission. Evaluation comments from sponsors must be included with all previously submitted proposals.