Limited submission opportunities (LSOs) are funding opportunities where the sponsor has placed a limit on the number of applications that may be submitted from an institution. Below is a list of annually recurring LSOs sorted by anticipated internal deadline, along with the office that administers the application process for FAS faculty. Please be aware of the following:
- This is meant to serve as a reference for faculty and administrators for planning purposes. Deadlines are general and may differ from year to year depending on when a competition is announced by the sponsor. For updated information on a particular competition, use the links below.
- All announcements of LSO competitions will be disseminated by FAS Research Development to FAS department chairs and administrators and posted in the Harvard University funding portal (HUFP).
- Faculty may not apply directly for LSOs without institutional endorsement.
- If you are interested in applying for an LSO that is not on this list, please bring it to our attention as soon as possible by contacting Erin Hale (erin_hale@fas.harvard.edu).
| Award Program | Anticipated Internal Deadline | Anticipated Sponsor Preproposal or Letter of Intent Deadline (if applicable) | Anticipated Sponsor Deadline | Administrator of Internal Selection Process for FAS faculty |
| Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships | Mid-September | Late September | Not an LSO, but those who wish to be hosted by Harvard University must include with their application an Institutional Letter of Endorsement signed by the Vice Provost for Research. | |
| Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship | Late August | Early September | Early December |
Not an LSO, but institutional endorsement is required. A Letter of Support & Acknowledgement of Application must be signed by the applicant’s Department Chair. |
| Beckman Young Investigator Program | Mid-July | Early August | Early January | Not an LSO, but institutional endorsement is required. |
| Boston Scientific Foundation STEM Education Grant | Mid-March | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | ||
| Brain Research Foundation Fay/Frank Seed Grant | Late November | Early January | Late March | Office of the Vice Provost for Research |
| Brain Research Foundation Scientific Innovations Award | Early May | Late June | Early October | Office of the Vice Provost for Research |
| Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award Program | Late November | Early February | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Graham Foundation for the Fine Arts Production and Presentation Grants | N/A | Mid-January | Late February | One nomination per department. Each department will have its own selection process. |
| Greenwall Faculty Scholars Program in Bioethics | Mid-August | Mid-September | Early January | Office of the Vice Provost for Research |
| Mallinckrodt Grants | Early June | Early August | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminars | Early March |
Office of the Vice Provost for Research Award is open to Harvard applicants every 2-3 years. Harvard was invited in 2021. |
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| Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship | Mid-July | Late September | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Moore Inventor Fellows | Mid-October | Mid-December | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects | Early December | Mid-February or Mid-July | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipends | Mid-August | Late September | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| NIH Director's Early Independence Award | Late June | Mid-August (optional LOI) | Early September | Office of the Vice Provost for Research |
| NSF Major Research Instrumentation Program (MRI) | Late September | Early January | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| NSF Physics Frontiers Centers | Late May | Early August | Late January |
Office of the Vice Provost for Research Award is only offered every 3 years. The last application cycle was held in 2020. |
| NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program | Late June | Early September | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering | Late January | Mid-March (nomination only) | Mid-April | Office of the Vice Provost for Research |
| Pew Scholars Program in the Biomedical Sciences | Early March | Mid-May (nomination only) | Early September | University Committee on Biological Sciences (UCBS) |
| Rita Allen Foundation Scholars Program | Late July | Early September | Late October | Office of the Vice Provost for Research. This was previously handled by UCBS for all faculty. Now non-HMS faculty apply through OVPR. |
| Searle Scholars Program | Late July | Late September | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Simons Investigators in Mathematics, Physics, Astrophysics and Computer Science | Early August | Late October | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| Sloan Research Fellowships | N/A | Mid-September | Three nominations per department. Each department will have its own selection process. | |
| Whiting Public Engagement Programs | Mid-March | Mid-June | Office of the Vice Provost for Research | |
| W.T. Grant Scholars Program | Mid-March | Early July | FAS Research Development |