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 and SEAS 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 and SEAS department and area 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 Seed Grants | 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 |