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Application Due Dates
- Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. There are no due dates. As soon
as you need funding, apply. We will stop accepting applications on Wednesday, March
26, 2025 at 11:59pm due to to fiscal year deadlines, but you can apply up until that
point. Due to fiscal year deadlines for state funding, all funds must be spent by
the end of April 2025.
- If you are applying for an URCA to support travel to present at a conference, please wait to apply until you have been accepted to present. Attach a copy of your conference acceptance to your application before submitting.
Funding Amount
- Limited to a maximum of $1,000 per student per academic year in order to provide as
many opportunities for undergraduate researchers as possible.
- Limited to a maximum of five students (equivalent of $5,000) per Primary Investigator
(PI) per academic year in order to provide as many opportunities for projects as possible.
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The Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research will review applications with
input from faculty experts. URCA submissions are evaluated according to the following
criteria:
- Quality of writing
- Scholarly merit
- Impact on undergraduate researcher
- Primary Investigator (PI) track record (or potential track record for new PIs)
- Consideration will be given to feedback from end-of-year reports received by the Office
of Undergraduate Research
- Consideration will be given to use of prior awarded funds and their deliverables from
the Office of Undergraduate Research
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Primary Investigator (PI) and Student Eligibility
Primary Investigators (PIs)
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- PIs must be under contract at Kennesaw State University.
- PIs can be full-time faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers
Students
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- Students must be current undergraduates at Kennesaw State University.
- Students who have graduated one semester prior are eligible for conference registration, travel to present at a conference, and publication costs only (in other words, the project is finished, and the only part left is presenting or publishing). The following criteria must be met by students who have recently graduated and are applying for URCA funds:
- They are KSU students at the time they have done the work, submitted to the conference
or journal, and applied for the URCA
- They list KSU in their affiliation on posters/powerpoints/conference registration/badges,
etc.
- They are covered by KSU insurance, or they sign a waiver releasing KSU from responsibility
- It is no later than one term after graduation (summer if they graduate in spring; fall if they graduate in the summer; spring if they graduate in fall)
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- All KSU-supported research projects are administered in accordance with established
University fiscal procedures and research policies. These include all travel regulations,
policies relating to the protection of human subjects, and policies related to intellectual
property rights. All publications and presentations must acknowledge the assistance
of Kennesaw State University.
- PIs and students are expected to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval prior to collecting any data if the project includes research involving human or animal subjects.
- Students who are not funded the first time they submit are strongly urged to apply
again if they can address the reviewers' concerns.
- One application per student for one project. Each student is required to write his/her own application. Copying from another student applicant will be considered as plagiarism and will be penalized accordingly.
- Sections written by the PI (Primary Investigator) can be identical among applications
from different students.
- Applications that exceed the stated word count maximums may be disqualified and not considered for funding.
- Applications that include additional documents that were not requested may be disqualified and not considered for funding.
- Requests for materials that could be obtained in another manner (e.g. a book available
at the library, software available for free at KSU) will not be funded.
- Students who wish travel support must show they have been accepted to make a formal
presentation as an individual (team or group presentations are not supported).
- Primary Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs can be funded for a maximum of $5,000 per year
based on the availability of funding and at the discretion of the Office of Undergraduate
Research.
- Violation of safety protocols or misuse of funds will result in ineligibility for future funding from the Office of Undergraduate for at least one year. The appropriate penalty will be determined by the Director of Undergraduate Research. Students found to misuse resources, including funding, from the Office of Undergraduate Research will be considered as violators of the KSU Code of Conduct and will be reported to the Department Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.
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Post-Award Instructions for Recipients
- After being notified of the award, recipients will have eight weeks to submit requests
for purchasing. Recipients must contact the Office of Undergraduate Research (our@kennesaw.edu) within eight weeks after the initial notification, otherwise the funding will be
considered forfeited.
- An extension can potentially be granted at the discretion of the Director for Undergraduate
Research on a case-by-case basis, and only for travel costs or delays from third-party
vendors that are out of the University's control.
- Any awarded funding must be spent by the end of March of the current fiscal year in order to comply with fiscal year deadlines.
- PIs must complete surveys or other reporting requirements as requested by the Office of Undergraduate Research. PIs who fail to complete reporting requirements will not be eligible for funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for one (1) year.
- This can potentially include abstract(s) of the project results and a list of the
presentations/ publications/exhibitions from the work completed.
- Student recipients will be required to present at the Symposium of Student Scholars during Fall or Spring semester.
- Upon the project's completion, recipients must complete an assessment survey for the Office of Undergraduate Research that includes presentations/publications/exhibitions from the work completed. You will be emailed this survey at the end of the academic year.
- PIs who receive any funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research will be requested
to serve as a judge for the Symposium of Student Scholars and potentially as a reviewer
for any future funding opportunities for undergraduate research. If these activities
are not completed after requests from the Director, PIs will become ineligible for
funding from OUR for at least one year.
- Student and PI recipients of Office of Undergraduate Research funding also agree to
be featured in any future news stories as deemed appropriate by OUR
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Student Application Section Questions:
- Title of Project
- Student Name
- Student Email Address
- Student Major
- Anticipated Student Graduation Date
- Primary Investigator (PI) Name
- Primary Investigator (PI) Email Address
- Primary Investigator (PI) Department
- Co-Investigator(s) Names(s), Department(s), and Email Address(es)
- Has the student completed all relevant safety and/or ethics training to conduct the
specified research activity? (yes, no, not applicable)
- The PI and students are expected to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval
prior to collecting any data if the project includes research involving human or animal
subjects. Has this project been granted approval by the IRB? (yes, no, not applicable)
- Is the student currently enrolled in directed studies/directed methods/or other relevant
research course designation with the listed PIs? (yes, no, not applicable)
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Project Narrative (Must be written by student. The combined word count from the following
five sub-sections cannot be more than a total of 750 words.)
BACKGROUND. Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context, including citations,
that demonstrate how the research makes a unique contribution to the area of inquiry KEY RESEARCH QUESTION AND/OR CREATIVE PROJECT GOAL METHODS RESULTS (OR ANTICIPATED RESULTS) CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION
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References Please upload a document list of references used in this application in the citation style used in your discipline (for example, MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
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Budget Table and/or Quotes The current budget table can be downloaded from the application main page, under "Supplemental
Documents"
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Conference Acceptance If you are applying for an URCA to support travel to present at a conference, please
attach a copy of your conference acceptance to your application.
Primary Investigator Section Questions:
- Primary Investigator (PI) Statement (Written by PI; 300 words max)
Describe your research portfolio (manuscripts, grants, presentations, awards, etc.)
as well as your experience incorporating undergraduates into your research activities.
- How does this project meet the definition of undergraduate research as defined by
the Council on Undergraduate Research: "A mentored investigation or creative inquiry
conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution
to knowledge." (Written by PI; 300 words max)
Briefly describe how this project meets this definition (application may be denied
if criteria are not met).
- Institutional Impact Statement (Written by PI; 200 words max)
Describe the benefit to the institution related to this research activity (preliminary
data for pursuing external funding, plans to publish/present, development of intellectual
property, collaboration with reputable institutions, etc.).
- Student Impact Statement (Written by PI; 400 words max)
Describe how this work will positively impact participating undergraduates immediately
and in their future endeavors.
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Previous Office of Undergraduate Research Funding (Written by PI) List and describe all sources of funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research
for the past three years (name of funding, total amount, deliverables).
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If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to write your proposal, abstract, or presentation, it’s important to first seek approval from your Primary Investigator (PI). Even with approval, you must include a disclaimer in your submission that clearly indicates the role AI played in your work. Keep in mind that while AI can be a helpful resource, it’s not infallible – AI-generated content can contain inaccuracies or biased information. As the author, you are fully responsible for the accuracy, ethics, and quality of the content, even if AI-generated. Failure to acknowledge the use of AI tools not only misrepresents your work but also constitutes a breach of academic integrity. |
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