In-Depth/Long Term Grants:
- In-depth/Long-term Grants support substantial, in-depth projects that normally span several semesters or the summer. Priority is given to projects that culminate in an honors thesis or some other capstone product demonstrating a focused and intellectually rigorous perspective on the topic of interest.
- Reviewed by Grant Review Sub-committee
- Four deadlines oer year (2 Fall Semester, 2 Spring Semester)
- $3500 budget limit
- Budget may include a stipend
- Of the $3000 maximum amount, up to $2500 may be used as a personal stipend. With collaborative projects, the proposed budget should indicate how funds will be distributed among the group.
- Project expenses accrued before grant approval cannot be reimbursed.
Semester/Exploratory Grants:
- Semester Grants provide for smaller independent student projects including preliminary or exploratory research and follow-up expenses associated with larger projects.
- Reviewed by Grant Review Sub-committee
- Four deadlines/year (2 Fall Semester, 2 Spring Semester)
- $1000 budget limit
- Budget may not include a stipend.
- Project expenses accrued before grant approval cannot be reimbursed.
Performance/Conference Travel Grants:
- Travel Grants have no set deadline, however they must be submitted at least ONE MONTH PRIOR to the time when reservations need to be made. This allows for time to process a WSU p-card for the student.
- All university travel must be on a WSU p-card.
- You may not request money for overnight stays and per diem for conferences closer than 100 miles (round trip) of Weber State University. (In accordance with WSU PPM 5-32, travel policy).
- OUR will only fund ONE student per project to travel.
- You may not request mileage for a rental car.
- Travel expenses accrued before grant approval cannot be reimbursed.
Stipends:
- Grant budgets may include a stipend, provided that you engage in the equivalent of ten full-time weeks of research. The stipend can cover research work during the summer.
- If you are requesting a stipend, please list all significant time commitments (5+ hours per week) that you expect to maintain over the duration of your project including, for example, class and work schedules, in your grant application.
- Stipends are only awarded for long term grants. Stipends can be paid 2/3 in advance. The remaining third will be paid upon the project's completion and the submission of all final receipts and reports. The sponsor's award will be paid when the project is completed and a letter of evaluation has been submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Reports:
Student Report:
- Students must submit a final project report by the project completion date to the Office of Undergraduate Research. Students who have not completed their projects and wish to apply for an extension must submit a written request and progress report, by the project completion date. The report should detail the project's progress and commit to a completion date. The request should be accompanied by a letter of agreement from the project Mentor.
Mentor Report:
- The project's Mentor must submit a one-page summary evaluation of the project to the Office of Undergraduate Research within 30 days of the project's submission.
General Restrictions:
- Expenses for course instruction are not eligible for funding. However, equipment and research supplies are allowable for course-related research.
WSU Undergraduate Research Grants and Fellowships: General Guidelines
- All currently enrolled students are eligible to apply for a WSU undergraduate research grant or fellowship.
- Proposals must be approved and endorsed by a Mentor, who is responsible for overseeing the project to completion and evaluating the finished product. Normally, the Mentor will be a Weber State faculty or staff member.
- Projects may be individual or collaborative. If two or more students wish to collaborate, they should submit a single application for the group, indicating what role each member will play in the project. The maximum amount of the award is $1000 for travel and semester grants and $3500 for long-term grants, whether for individual or group projects.
- Proposals must indicate if the project is part of a course. If so, the Student and Mentor must indicate how the project is apart from the nature and scope of activities normally taken for the course.
- Funded research projects must be sufficiently significant and challenging so that it will enhance the student's intellectual and creative development as well as make a contribution to the chosen field of study. Service learning projects can be funded so long as there is a research component (e.g. community based research projects).
- Projects that involve human or animal subjects must adhere to university guidelines for ethical research and must be approved by the WSU Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects or the WSU Animal Care and Use Committee.
WSU Grants and Fellowships will most likely be awarded to proposals that demonstrate:
- The applicant has the ability, and the academic or creative background necessary to carry out and complete the project.
- The project is sufficiently significant and challenging that it will enhance the student's intellectual and creative development. Mentors will be asked to address the project's contribution to the student's development in their recommendation.
- The project has a definite research question.
- The project is well-conceived, well-planned, and likely to be completed within the grant period.
- The project will lead to a definable product, as in a scholarly paper, a public presentation, performance, or exhibit.
- The Mentor's role is adequately articulated, and the Mentor has the necessary time, training, and expertise to supervise the student.
Grant Application Formatting & Submission: Students should use the grant proposal application forms found at: http://www.weber.edu/OUR/grants. By downloading the word format of an application, students can type the grant information directly into the correct format.
- Students should NOT create their own budget sheet or type the body of their grant proposal in another word document, this can cause lost pages or confusion concerning the budget. Use the forms provided by OUR and your proposal will have the appropriate footer on each page to indicate that you used the appropriate form and that it is in the correct order.
- Submit your original proposal and 1 electronic copy of your proposal. Bring the paper copy to the Office of Undergraduate Research in the Library room 58 and email the electronic copy to our@weber.edu. We prefer the electronic copy as a PDF file. Each copy should include the cover sheet, budget, proposal, mentor form, etc. Travel grants only require one copy.
- Staple the proposal in the upper left-hand corner. Do not add an additional cover sheet to the proposal beyond the required coversheet.
- Mentors should not put their comments in the form of a letter of recommendation, but should use the mentor form in the proposal packet.
- Place the budget worksheet from the packet directly behind the cover sheet(s), before the proposal. It may be copied onto the back of the cover sheet.