Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (U-RSCA) Training Grants

Projects that require oversight of compliance must be addressed as such and grant funds cannot be released until all research compliance issues are satisfied. Please keep in mind that research compliance issues may take several weeks to be resolved and must be resolved within one month of notification of selection for funding. It is recommended that the process of obtaining research compliance is initiated prior to submitting a U-RSCA training grant application. 

Funds awarded will be dispersed to the home department. 

Students awarded a U-RSCA training grant will be required to sign an acceptance letter prior to disbursement of the funds to their home department. 

Students awarded a U-RSCA training grant must submit a progress report by the deadline designated on the acceptance letter and must present their data at an OUR-sponsored on-campus symposium (U-GLIDE, SOARS, or ARISE). 

Each application includes several sections: Title, Summary, Significance, Proposal, Literature Cited, Roles of student(s) and mentor, Timeline, Budget, and the Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation. It is important to prepare the sections before beginning the application process. All sections must be uploaded as a word or pdf file. After submission, the faculty mentor will be contacted to submit the Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation. All application materials must be received by the application deadline. 

Summary – 200 word maximum - Provide a summary of the proposed project. The summary should be clear and concise and should be written in language that is understood by reviewers from other disciplines. It should “sell” your proposal to the reviewers. 

Significance – 200 word maximum - Indicate how the training to be received through the project benefits the academic development of the student(s) and/or the ability to achieve the career goals of the student(s).   

Proposal – 2000 word maximum – Provide a brief literature review, the research question or problem, the proposed methodology, and the anticipated products or outcomes. Include pertinent references or citations in the style utilized by your academic discipline (APA, MLA, Chicago). 

Literature cited - Include the references or citations used in the proposal in the style utilized by your academic discipline. 

Roles of student(s) and mentor – 500 word maximum - Provide information regarding the responsibilities of each student and the mentor. How will the mentor contribute to the RSCA training described within the proposal?  What does the student expect to gain from this experience?

Timeline – Provide details of the timeline for implementing the various steps of the project.  This can be provided as a graphic or in paragraph form. 

Budget – Provide an itemized budget for the proposed project. Consult the Budget Guidelines before submitting the budget section of the proposal. 

Faculty Mentor Letter of Recommendation – Provide comments on the feasibility of the project; the initiative, tenacity, and abilities of the student(s); your previous experience working with students on RSCA and willingness to provide oversight of the project. The letter should be signed and dated. Department letterhead is preferred. Upon submission of the student portion of the application, including the email address of the faculty mentor, the mentor will receive an email request with a link for submitting the letter.

Grant funds awarded to students can be applied to tangible research expenditures or awarded directly to the student via appropriate funding methods within the home department.  Applicants should discuss research needs with their faculty mentor before submission of their proposed budget.  

Examples of allowable expenses: 

• Costs for laboratory or artistic supplies, software and databases, and small equipment. (note that all equipment remains the property of UNF).
• Costs for training programs directly related to the project. 
• Travel to offsite locations to conduct research, such as archives, libraries, companies, museums, or collections containing materials related to the project. All travel should be documented through Concur.
• Photocopying of research-related materials of purchase of books not available at or through the University Library. 
• Program fee costs associated with a research-intensive study abroad program to include materials and supplies needed to conduct the research abroad. 
• Payment to students via financial aid or as a direct pay to compensate for time spent conducting RSCA activities. 

Examples of non-allowable expenses include, but are not limited to: 

• Costs associated with attendance or presentations at professional meetings. Please apply for a conference presentation travel award for this. 
• Activities and products not appropriate for purchase using E&G funding. 

Grant proposals are reviewed by a panel from a variety of departments. Applicants should ensure that proposals can be understood by an educated non-expert. Proposals will be evaluated using a rubric. Evaluators will discuss the proposals and make their recommendations for funding.  The Office of Undergraduate Research will then make the final selections. Feedback will be provided to students whose proposals are not selected for funding.