Undergraduate Application for Funding Form
Available in the Spring of 2010
(vu username and password
required -- Please be prepared to attach your
resume and research proposal along with the application as outlined in the
Check Sheet. Guidelines for the research proposal are listed below.)
A. Research Proposal Guidelines. Your proposal must be typed, double-spaced,
up to a maximum of five pages. Observe the following format:
I.Project Description. Describe the purpose of your project, providing
appropriate background information. Be as succinct as possible. Include
hypotheses/arguments, references to relevant literature (be sure to include
“Literature Cited” or a bibliography at the end), and the significance of your
research.
II. Methods. Describe as specifically as possible the methods you will employ to
accomplish your project’s goals. In addition to specifying the manner in which
you will collect your data, include the approach you will take to analyze data.
III. Final Product. Describe the intended results of your project, and the venue
within which your scholarship will be disseminated.
IV. Schedule. Provide a specific timetable for implementing the various steps of
your research project.
V. Short Personal Statement. Provide evidence through your coursework,
extracurricular activities, or other experiences that you have the background
necessary to accomplish this project. Any inconsistencies or gaps in your
academic record should be explained here. You should also describe here how this
research is important to you – academically, personally, and/or professionally.
VI. Budget. Provide a budget outline for expected costs. Include any additional
funding sources and amounts associated with your proposed research project. See
Budget Guidelines (below).
B. Budget Guidelines for Undergraduate Research Proposal.
The stipend amount will be $3500 for summer grants (typically 10
weeks, 40 hours per week) and $1000 for fall and spring grants
(typically 14 weeks, 10 hours per week). The Faculty Research Council
reserves the right to set limits on supplementary project costs.
The budget document
will consist of both a spreadsheet/tabular display of the budget information and
a brief budget justification. Typical divisions of the tabular budget are
personnel, equipment, supplies, travel, and other. Other categories, of course,
can be added as needed. The budget should make clear how the totals for each
category of expenses are reached. The categories below are to be used for both
the spreadsheet and the justification. A budget justification must accompany the
budget request. Under each budget category is a breakdown of the information
that is required for the justification.
I.The following categories are the most commonly used in budget requests (note
that not all categories may be pertinent to your proposal-see example below):
i. Personnel - Briefly specify the duties to be compensated under this project,
and the approximate amount of time, such as hours or percentage of time
ii. Travel - Foreign travel should be specifically detailed and justified, not
combined with domestic travel, and the need to travel to professional meetings
should be tied specifically to the proposed project.
iii. Equipment - Indicate the estimated unit cost for each item to be purchased,
and briefly justify the need for items of equipment to be purchased.
iv. Materials and Supplies - Itemize materials and supplies by nature of expense.
Provide the basis for cost estimates or computations (e.g., vendor quotes, prior
purchase of similar or like items, etc.)
v. Other
Sample Budget & Justification
Budget
BET analyzer sample chambers (3), $150 each: $450
replacement heating element for BET analyzer: $800
liquid nitrogen, $10 per sample: $1,500
Subtotal Equipment and Supplies: $2,750
Travel to ASCE National Conference: $750
Budget Justification. The present BET sample chambers are too small for my samples and
three larger ones need to be made by a glass blower. The quoted price is
$150 each. Each run requires 2 liters of liquid nitrogen. Cost of
replacing one heating element is anticipated The results of this
research will be presented at the student poster competition at the
national conference of the ASCE.
