Please note: This policy is currently under review and subject to change. Please contact the Eric_Asetta [at] emerson.edu (Executive Director for the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship) with any questions.

Funding agencies (sponsors) are increasingly restricting the number of applications an institution can submit in response to many funding opportunities. Emerson College designates these “Limited Application Programs.” Because all applications from the institution will be returned without review if more than the specified number of applications is submitted, complying with the guidelines is critical. Emerson College has established the following process for selecting the proposal (or proposals) that will be submitted in response to a limited application program.

Internal Selection Process:

  1. Emerson will make every effort to identify all limited application opportunities and announce them, providing guidance about the internal selection process. However, this is not always possible. Therefore, faculty members who wish to apply to a program for which submission is limited, and where an internal selection process has not been announced, should contact the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship (ORCS), as soon as possible to determine whether an internal selection process is necessary. If there are less than 15 working days to the agency deadline, proposals will be approved for submission on a first come, first serve basis. Proposals received by the Office of Research and Creative Scholarship after Emerson has reached its maximum number of submissions will be rejected and cannot be submitted.
  2. When the number of internal applications does not exceed the sponsor’s limit, the Executive Director for ORCS will notify the internal applicants whether they have received institutional approval to submit their proposals to the sponsor.
  3. When the number of internal applications exceeds the sponsor’s limit, the Executive Director for ORCS will facilitate having applications reviewed by the Faculty Assembly’s “Faculty Development and Research Council” to evaluate the pre-proposals and select Emerson’s applicant(s).
  4. The criteria used for evaluating the pre-proposals will reflect the criteria stated in the program announcement.
  5. The Vice President of Academic Affairs will review the recommendations of the review committee for a final decision.
  6. The Executive Director for ORCS will notify all candidates of the results by email and provide the name(s) of the approved candidate(s) to the Proposal.
  7. If there is a conflict with an Emerson unit outside of Academic Affairs, the competing proposals will be reviewed and one selected to forward by the Vice Presidents.

Limited Application Internal Pre-Proposal Format

Unless otherwise noted in the announcement, internal pre-proposals should include:

  • Name of Sponsor and Program
  • Title of Proposed Project
  • Names, titles, affiliations of PI and co-PIs
  • Brief project description. Pay close attention to the program announcement and clearly address the sponsor’s objectives and funding criteria.
  • Simple budget that reflects the entire total project period (requests for matching funds or additional requirements from the campus such as space, course releases, etc. must be identified and included in the budget page).
  • CVs of all PIs and Co-PIs (2 page maximum for each CV).

Once a faculty member is selected to apply for a limited submissions opportunity, s/he has the responsibility to submit a timely application. Should a candidate decide to not submit an application, s/he needs to inform the Executive Director for ORCS within five (5) business days of selection notification. If the selected applicant withdraws her/his proposal, the applicant who received the next highest ranking will be notified that s/he may submit a proposal.