Academic Policy  1535.10 

When funding agencies solicit proposals but limit the number to be submitted by an institution, the University of Arkansas will determine which proposals are submitted from the campus with a competitive selection process that is open, fair, and unbiased.

The Office of Research Strategy & Advancement (ORSA) in the Division of Research and Innovation (DRI) will monitor program announcements.  The Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Strategy & Advancement (AVC-RSA) will disseminate solicitation information to associate research deans and research institute directors, including a deadline for an expression of interest.

The AVC-RSA will minimize unnecessary faculty effort while gathering sufficient information for an open, air, and unbiased review.  In the event that an individual faculty member learns of a limited submission solicitation, the faculty member is responsible for informing ORSA of the desire to submit a proposal in a timely manner so the campus selection process can be initiated.

If there are more expressions of interest communicated to ORSA, the AVC-RSA may appoint an appropriate committee to review materials and recommend those to be submitted.  The AVCR will set an internal deadline for submission and specify the length and content of pre-proposals.

If competitive evaluation is not feasible given the tight timeline, the first faculty member to submit an expression of interest may be selected to proceed with the application process.  However, the University reserves the ability to select a faculty submission based on the best interests of the institution.

The content of a campus pre-proposal is the intellectual property of the principal investigator and the University, and must be provided only to those involved in the evaluation process who will be formally instructed not to divulge such information to anyone outside the evaluation process before, during, or after the process.  The institution will be free to encourage collaboration among investigators to create proposals that may be more competitive.

Unless otherwise indicated by the funding agency, the Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation or designee shall be the final authority for determining which proposal will be submitted on behalf of the campus.

5/21/26