Office of Undergrad Research

Faculty-Student Provost Research Grants

The Faculty-Student Provost Research Grants aim to involve faculty and student in collaborative research, teaching, or creative activities during the academic year. Students get the opportunity to engage in a serious research project, participate in a scholarly enterprise, and learn more about their discipline. Faculty get the chance to build collaborative research connections, work with advanced research students, and incorporate student mentoring into their scholarly agenda.

Successful grant proposals will demonstrate gains for both students and faculty members, with a defined role for each. Faculty and students are encouraged to work closely together on the application, and students should receive mentoring on proposal writing as part of the process. Here are some more details about applicant eligibility and the application submission process:

What funds are available?

• Each award is $3000

Eligible expenses include (but not limited to):

• Research assistant stipends
• Materials and supplies
• Transportation
• Conference registration

Who may apply?

• Students: All CWU-enrolled graduate and undergraduate students who are not graduating within the grant period (Fall/Winter of current academic year) are eligible to apply
• Faculty: All NTT (with one-year contracts), TT and Tenured faculty are eligible to apply; faculty may only mentor on one Faculty-Student Provost Research Grant per academic year

Write Your Grant Proposal And Get Feedback

The main component of the application will be your grant proposal. This should be no more than 3 pages (double-spaced) in length, and should include the following:

• Project title and names of all students and mentors involved
• Abstract or creative artistic statement of the presentation (250 words max)
• Project description that addresses the following questions:
  • What is the nature of and what will the students and faculty gain from this collaboration?
  • How will the student be engaged with the project?
  • How will the work be disseminated?
  • What are your anticipated findings?
  • What modes of inquiry will you employ?
  • What is the project's central question?
  • What is the nature of your research?

Additionally, you will also be asked to submit a Curriculm Vitae (CV) for each participant (including faculty mentor).

Prepare your Budget and Budget Justification

A well-considered budget is a very important part of your proposal. Please show real, total costs in your budget. Although the amount of funding you can receive from the OUR is limited, the budget should accurately reflect all of your expenses.

Put your budget together using a spreadsheet (template and example provided below).

Your budget should include:

• An itemized list of supplies and/or analyses
• If you are traveling to conduct research, include travel as needed (described below)
• Other sources of funding received and/or requested.

Research Budget Template (xlsx)

Research Budget Example (pdf)

Your budget justification helps us interpret your budget. It describes why you need what you've asked for, and how you calculated the costs. The budget justification should be written in paragraph or bullet list form, or a combination of the two, and include: 

• The purpose of the itemized expenses should be explained and prioritized in case you are not fully funded.
• If you are purchasing equipment, describe where it will reside once your work is complete (equipment purchased with grant funds belongs to the university, not to the grant recipient).
• For all expenses, provide the basis for the cost estimates (online catalog links are fine, vendor quotes, etc.).
• ​If your expenses total more than the amount you are requesting from the OUR, describe how you plan to cover those additional expenses.
• If you have applied for other funding, describe what you've applied for and when you expect to hear about your funding status.

Human Subjects, Animal Subjects, and Dangerous Materials

If your research involves human subjects, animal subjects, or dangerous materials, you will need to provide documentation that you have received approval for your work as part of the application. For animal subjects and human subjects, this can be the letter of approval you and your faculty mentor received from the Human Subjects Review Council (HSRC) or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). If you haven't yet been approved, you can submit a copy of your application to the HSRC/IACUC with your grant proposal for the committee to review. If your proposal is accepted, it will be contingent on the approval of your HSRC/IACUC application. For dangerous materials, you will need to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) document. You can use the example template above, but we recommend connecting with your mentor on the structure of your SOP and what details it should include, as they will look different from project to project based on the materials/equipment involved.

Application Acceptance and Award Requirements

• Applications will be reviewed by the Provost and the Research Advisory Council
• Awarded grant applicants are asked to present their work in at least one venue of their choice, including but not limited to the annual CWU SOURCE event
• Awarded grant applicants are asked to prepare and submit a report at the conclusion of their project summarizing the findings of their research and accomplishments of the project overall

Deadline: 5:00pm on Monday, October 31, 2022

Notification: Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their application via email within two weeks of the first Research Advisory Council (RAC) meeting after the application deadline