Limited Submissions Program
The Penn State Limited Submission Program manages the response to research funding opportunities for which a limited number of submissions are permitted from Penn State. The Senior Vice President for Research (SVPR), in close communication with the college research deans and interdisciplinary consortia directors, is charged with implementing the Penn State Limited Submission Procedure.
Limited Submission Opportunities
Currently Accepting Applications
If you would like to be considered as a Penn State institutional applicant for one of these opportunities, please submit a Proposal or Notice of Intent (NOI). Depending on the level of interest, a downselect competition may be held.
Important Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Penn State internal deadlines are due by 4:00 p.m. EDT on the date listed.
| Program Name | URLs | Funding Agency | Type | Penn State NOI/Proposal Deadline | Agency Final Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blavatnik Family Foundation | Proposal | October 2, 2026 | December 2, 2026 | ||
| W.M. Keck Foundation | Proposal | October 5, 2026 | December 7, 2026 | ||
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | Proposal | October 14, 2026 | March 2, 2027 | ||
| RTX Corporation | Proposal | October 16, 2026 | December 19, 2026 | ||
| Project Apis m. (PAm) | Proposal | October 28, 2026 | February 1, 2027 | ||
| Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) | Proposal | October 28, 2026 | January 6, 2027 | ||
| Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc. | Proposal | November 4, 2026 | February 4, 2027 | ||
| Conservation, Food and Health Foundation | Proposal | November 11, 2026 | June 15, 2027 | ||
| RRF Foundation for Aging (formerly The Retirement Research Foundation) | NOI | November 25, 2026 | February 1, 2027 | ||
| Lalor Foundation | Proposal | January 27, 2027 | May 1, 2027 | ||
| David and Lucile Packard Foundation | Proposal | January 29, 2027 | March 15, 2027 | ||
| G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation | Proposal | March 17, 2027 | July 16, 2027 | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | NOI | March 24, 2027 | October 21, 2027 | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | NOI | March 31, 2027 | October 27, 2027 | ||
| Brain Research Foundation (BRF) | Proposal | April 2, 2027 | June 1, 2027 |
Open
The internal deadline on these opportunities has passed, but it is likely still possible to submit. If you are interested in applying request a ticket.
| Program Name | URLs | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | September 30, 2026 | Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | September 30, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Project Apis m. (PAm) | October 1, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| SebastianStrong Foundation | October 1, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) | October 3, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | October 5, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | October 14, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | October 14, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | October 14, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | October 20, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | October 22, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | October 28, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) | October 28, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| United States Department of Justice (DOJ) | October 30, 2026 | Open until filled. | ||
| United States Department of Justice (DOJ) | October 30, 2026 | Open until filled. | ||
| Lalor Foundation | November 1, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| RRF Foundation for Aging (formerly The Retirement Research Foundation) | November 1, 2026 | Nicole Osevala (Department of Medicine). Only one Letter of Intent (LOI) may be submitted per department for each deadline. Submission slots are still available. If your department is interested in submitting, please contact limitedsubs@psu.edu. | ||
| National Academy of Sciences (NAS) | November 1, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Warren Alpert Foundation | November 1, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| United States Department of Justice (DOJ) | November 2, 2026 | Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | November 13, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | January 27, 2027 | No applicants. Open until filled. |
In Review
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to these funding opportunities and the internal deadline has passed. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to any of these opportunities outside of downselect process.
| Program Name | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brain Research Foundation (BRF) | November 3, 2026 | ||
| Carnegie Corporation of New York | November 13, 2026 | Internal reviews are due Friday, October 2. | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | November 16, 2026 | The internal selection process is currently on hold. NSF 23-519 was archived. NSF anticipate that the new solicitation will be released in a few weeks after the start of FY2027 (October 1). |
Closed
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to these funding opportunities. No additional Penn State researchers may apply for these opportunities.
| Program Name | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinship Foundation | September 30, 2026 | Carly Schissel (Chemistry), Ipsita Mohanty (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences) | |
| United States Department of Energy (DOE) | October 5, 2026 | Barbara J. Arnold (Energy and Mineral Engineering). This opportunity is an institutionally coordinated submission. | |
| VentureWell | October 30, 2026 | Sarah Zappe (College of Engineering - Leonhard Center), Felecia Ann Davis (Department of Architecture) | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | November 4, 2026 | This opportunity is an institutionally coordinated submission. For additional information, please contact limitedsubs@psu.edu. | |
| Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) | November 13, 2026 | Jason Griffith (College of Education - Curriculum & Instruction) | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | November 18, 2026 | An organization may submit only one Planning proposal and, if awarded a Planning award, one Development proposal. | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | December 18, 2026 | This opportunity is an institutionally coordinated submission. For additional information, please contact limitedsubs@psu.edu. | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | January 7, 2027 | For more information, please contact limitedsubs@psu.edu. | |
| G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation | February 13, 2027 | Parisa Kalantari (Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences), Philip Bevilacqua (Chemistry), Denise Okafor (Biochemistry) | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | April 6, 2027 | Submission of a QSTD:Design proposal is contingent upon the existence of a QSTD:Pilot project in the same topical area, and the positive recommendation from the Conceptual Design Review of the QSTD:Pilot project. The QSTD:Design project builds on progress made in the QSTD:Pilot phase | |
| United States Department of State (DOS) | May 27, 2027 | Camelia Kantor (Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences), Michael Jacobson (Ecosystem Science and Management) | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | January 25, 2028 | This opportunity is an institutionally coordinated submission. For additional information, please contact limitedsubs@psu.edu. |
Archives
View past limited submission competitions.
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