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Undergraduate Research

OUR Student-Led Research Projects Grant Program

Proposals requesting support for undergraduate scholarship, creative, and research activities conducted with faculty mentors will be accepted: Wednesday November 6, 2024 (11:59 pm, CST). Awardees notified on or before December 2, 2024.

Proposals must be submitted via the OUR website. Please do not email proposal applications.

Eligibility

Who can apply?

All full-time undergraduate students can apply. Students must have a University of Alabama employee as a faculty mentor that will collaborate with the student or will serve as an advisor.

What kinds of activities are eligible for support and what are funding priorities?

Funding will be considered up to $2500 per proposal for any project-related need, except for Salary. Proposal budgets which include requests for salary, including faculty or student salary will not be considered.

The committee will accept and consider funding requests for the following:

  1. Student-led research in any academic field or discipline.
    • The student (group of students) plays the primary role in the development of the research question or creative objective and the development of the methodological/form/technique/medium design.
  2. Faculty-led research projects (student conducts an aspect of research instigated and designed by a faculty member). However, the student should be the primary author of the Student Lead Research Projects Grant Program proposal
  3. Funds for research related travel.
    • Presenting established research or creative projects that are not eligible for OUR Travel Grant Funding.
      • Specifically travel costs for large group presentations that require multiple presenters (choreography, music, theatre, etc.)
    • Research related travel for student to participate in research that happens off-campus.

How are funds allocated by the Office for Undergraduate Research to awardees and how long are funds available?

Awardees should anticipate expending funds immediately upon award and should aim to spend the awarded funds before the conclusion of the fiscal year on September 30.

Funds for research projects that are yet to be conducted will be deposited in the faculty mentor’s primary department by the Office for Undergraduate Research within 2–3 weeks of the award decisions.

Funds related to student or group travel will either be deposited in the faculty mentor’s primary department by the Office for Undergraduate Research within 2–3 weeks of the award decisions or will be distributed directly to the students based on the payment to student policy outlined by Student Account Services.

Fund allocation preference will be given in the application process but will be determined by the selection committee based on information provided in the proposal.

Awardees are allowed up to 12 months to meet the expectations of awardees and mentors.

Minimum Expectations of Awardees

What are the minimum expectations of awardees and their mentors?

Student Awardee Expectations

  • Expected to present the findings of their research, within 12 months of the award being made at The Office for Undergraduate Research Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference (URCA). Please visit the URCA conference website for more details.
  • Encouraged to present their research at a conference, workshop, symposium, off campus, as well.
  • Encouraged to publish their research. Any publication venue deemed appropriate by the faculty mentor is acceptable, including and undergraduate research journals at the University of Alabama. For more information about presenting or publishing, visit the OUR website.

Faculty Mentors

  • Expected to answer an online questionnaire reporting the outcomes of the project, including the professional mentoring received by the student participant 12 months after the date of award. Examples of desired outcomes include, but are not limited to, student participation in presentations, publications, training, and portfolio development.
  • Expected to use the funds deposited before the end of the fiscal year. Fiscal year runs from October 1-September 30.
  • Encouraged to include this mentorship in your faculty success profile.

What is the review process?

The selection committee will begin reviewing submitted proposals at the closing of the submission deadline. Awardees will be announced before the conclusion of the semester of application.

Criteria used to review and prioritize funding includes the following:

  • The project description is understandable by someone outside of your discipline, contains all required proposal components, and is largely free of grammatical errors and typos.
  • The project description should be primarily authored by the student, though editing and advising by the faculty mentor is encouraged.
  • The research plans or objective for the requested funds are stated in the project description, are clearly explained, and are achievable.
  • Expenses (budget requests) are well justified, and it is apparent that the research could not be done without funding from the OUR Student-Led Research Projects Grant Program
  • Plans for student-led presentations, publications, or other professional mentoring that will result from the project are clearly specified in the proposal.
  • The faculty letter of support demonstrates the student’s ability to successfully conduct the research, and that the faculty member is willing and able to oversee the research;
  • If the student received OUR Student Led Research Projects Grant Program funding in the past, they will need to submit a 1-page report on the results of their prior funding that explicitly states how the funding resulted in mentoring outcomes for the student (presentations, publications, performances, new skills or abilities, etc.) along with the new funding request. The final project reports will need to explain how the current proposal submission is or is not related to the project that received funding in the past.
  • If a mentor has multiple mentees submit proposals to the same call, the mentor should email lmcarroll@ua.edu a list of student funding priority order to avoid an individual mentor receiving disproportional amounts of funding. Failure to submit this priority list may result rejection of all proposals from that mentor.

Application Process and Required Proposal Components

Proposals for funding should be prepared and submitted via Qualtrics form. The following components will be required for the application.

Submit an Application

  • RESUME from student applicant(s) – The resume should include:
    • Name and departmental affiliation
    • College level (i.e. freshmen, sophomore, etc.)
    • Experience related to the research or activity, and (iv) honors/awards.
  • PROJECT TITLE, AUTHOR(S), AND MENTOR (S) INFORMATION – Required information includes:
    • Name(s)
    • Academic rank(s)
    • Affiliation(s) of the applicant(s)
    • College/department affiliation of each person involved
  • ABSTRACT – Provide your research project abstract (max of 1250 Characters) This abstract should be suitable for general publication or dissemination to the general public.
  • FACULTY LETTER OF SUPPORT [1-page maximum] – Letter written by the faculty member who will serve as the student(s)’ mentor for the research or creative activity. The faculty member’s letter of support should explain
    • Whether the project is student- or faculty-led.
    • How the project will contribute to the professional mentoring of the student.
    • The need for funding (would the research happen without this funding, explain whether requested funds are related to existing and/or future funding);
    • The student’s ability to accomplish the project (related coursework, experience, etc.) and why the proposed project is worthy of support.
    • Certify that the student largely wrote the Project Description (some editing and reviewing by faculty is expected).
  • PROJECT DESCRIPTION [3-page maximum] – Should be written entirely by the student(s) and include the following sections within the 3-page limit.
    • Objectives, Goals, or Questions
    • Contributions to the Field of Study
    • Research Plan: detail how objectives, goals, or questions will be or have been addressed; if students are submitting a joint proposal, specify the role/activities done by each student
    • Project Outcomes: significance to the professional mentoring of the student, when, and where presentations will be given; plans for publication submission
    • Project Timeline: including when presentations will occur and any plans for publication submission
  • BUDGET and BUDGET JUSTIFICATION
    • Total funds request
    • Funds justification

The committee will consider funding requests up to $2500. If the budget exceeds $2500, please submit the entire budget and indicate if you have any additional funds available. Provide a budget detailing expected and known costs associated with the creative activity or research project. Provide a brief justification for the budgeted items. All travel and purchases must abide by the terms and conditions consistent with UA Purchasing guidelines and protocols.