Grant Information
Funding Opportunities
The URCA program offers several different competitive grants to support undergraduate research and creative activities, and to support travel to conferences to disseminate your work. During the academic year, there are two primary grants available to support undergraduate projects: AYRA (up to $300) and MAYS (up to $5000). Support for summer research can be obtained through a SURF grant (up to $6500), which must be submitted in early winter. Travel grants (up to $750) are provided through the RPG program.
The purpose of these grants is to expand the opportunities for undergraduate students and faculty to work collaboratively on scholarly projects in the academic year. As part of this program the work must be done under the direction of a CofC faculty member, and it is expected that the results of the project will be disseminated in appropriate academic or professional forums. These funds cannot be used to support graduate student research.
Each application requires at leaset two participants: an undergraduate student and a CofC faculty member. The student applicant must be a full time, degree seeking College of Charleston undergraduate student with a minimum cumulative GPA of least 2.5. A faculty member of the College of Charleston must serve as the Principal Investigator on the project.
URCA GRANTS
The AYRA (Academic Year Research Award) is
a small award (up to $300), intended to fund materials, supplies, and other
essential components of a project. To review the application guidelines,
and download the application forms, click
here. Application deadlines for
2009-2010 are: Sept
4,
Nov. 6,
Jan. 22, and March 12.
The MAYS (Major Academic Year Support) is a large award (up to $5000), intended to fund materials, supplies, computer equipment, technology, student salary, and other essential components of a project. The student applicants must be full time, degree-seeking College of Charleston undergraduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of least 2.5 overall and in the major, although GPA’s above 3.0 are normally expected. MAYS awards are not to support research efforts of recent graduates of the College of Charleston. To review the application guidelines, and download the application forms, click here. Application deadlines for 2009-2010 are: Sept 4, Nov. 6, Jan. 22, and March 12.
The RPG (Research Presentation Grant) provides financial support for students to present the results of their research or creative efforts from this program. The RPG fund provides a maximum of $750 for international or national conferences, $200 for regional conferences, and $50 for state conferences. To review the application guidelines, and download the application forms, click here. Application deadlines for 2009-2010 are: Sept 4, Nov. 6, Jan. 22, March 12*, June 30**.
*Funds awarded during this rund of review must be expended before June 30, 2010.
** For presentations that will occur between July 1, 2010 and Octover 1, 2010 (i.e., in the 2010-2011 fiscal year), proposals should be submitted for the June 30th decision cycle.
The SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research with Faculty) is a highly competitive award (up to $6500), intended to provide a student stipend (minimum $3000, max $3500), a faculty stipend ($2000), and materials, supplies, equipment, and other essential components of a project ($1000-$1,500). The student applicant must be a full time, degree-seeking College of Charleston undergraduate student with a minimum cumulative GPA of least 2.5. A faculty member of the College of Charleston must serve as the Principal Investigator on all projects. To review the application guidelines, and download the application forms, click here.
Anyone interested in applying for a SURF grant must attend a mandatory meeting regarding the SURF application process. The dates for these Mandatory Meetings are January 15 from 2:00 - 3:00pm or January 19 from 4:00 - 5:00pm. These meetings will be held in Hawkins Living-Learning Center, Buist Resience Hall. Only attendance at one meeting is required.
The deadline for 2010 SURF applications is February 5, 2009.
The proposals will be evaluated by the School in which the faculty members belongs based on the following criteria:
Other internal funding sources:
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Grant Deadlines
AYRA, MAYS, and RPG grants are reviewed several times during the academic year. Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible for funding. The deadlines for the 2009-2010 academic year are as follows:
September 4, 2009
November 6, 2009
January 22, 2010
March 12, 2010*
June 30, 2010** (RPG Only)
Mandatory Meetings for persons applying for 2010 SURF projects are January 15, 2010 or January 19, 2010
Applications for 2010 SURF projects are due February 5, 2010.
[Application Guidelines]
● All components of the application, including the cover sheet,
should be typed.
● Read the application instructions thoroughly and follow them carefully.
● Before you write your grant, read at least one successful
sample grant (see below) of the same type (e.g., MAYS, AYRA, SURF,
RPG).
● When you describe your research, write your summary so that it is accessible
to non-experts in the field. Imagine you are writing for your parents
or your roommate. Be sure to include a statement about the significance
of the research so that reviewers will understand the merit and implications.
● Always have your faculty mentor read your application before you submit
it.
● When preparing your budget, provide specific figures rather than estimates
whenever possible. Be as accurate as possible, and use college-wide
per diem rates.
● For travel grants, students attending the same conference should coordinate
travel arrangements (e.g., rent a van together) whenever possible, and should
also share rooms when appropriate.
Sample Successful Grant Applications
Sample applications are currently not available on-line.
Grant Forms
Please note that the application forms below are provided in Microsoft (MS) Word. For AYRA, MAYS, and RPG grants, please submit an electronic version of
your application (with or without signatures) to urca@cofc.edu AND
ONE hard copy (with signatures) to Trisha Folds-Bennett (6 Green Way, 2nd Floor).
For SURF grants, please submit an electronic version of your application (with or without signatures) to urca@cofc.edu AND submit the Original hard copy (with signatures) PLUS 8 additional copies to Trisha Folds-Bennett (6 Green Way, 2nd Floor).
AYRA
Application Guidelines
Application Checklist
Application - MS Word
Final Report Form: Coming soon!
Budget Report Form: Coming soon!
RPG
Application Guidelines
Application Checklist
Application form - MS Word
Final Report Form - MS Word
MAYS
Application Guidelines
Application Checklist
Application form - MS Word
Final Report form - Coming soon!
Budget Report Form: Coming soon!
SURF
Application Guidelines
Application Checklist - Available Spring 2010
Application form - Available Spring 2010
Final Report form - MS Word
External Funding Opportunities
There are often opportunities for undergraduates to do research in the summer at other institutions. It may be possible to get academic credit at the College of Charleston for undergraduate work done at another academic institution. Contact the appropriate academic department at the College of Charleston BEFORE you do any research off-campus to see if you might get credit for that work at the College. In addition to the sites listed below, many schools with graduate programs (like the MUSC link listed below) list opportunities for visiting undergraduates as part of their recruitment efforts.
South Carolina Space Grant REU Opportunities: The South Carolina Space Grant Consortium is pleased to announce the Research Experience for Undergraduates (SCSGC-REU). This program, aimed at undergraduate students attending colleges and universities in South Carolina and the Virgin Islands, encourages student participation in order to meet the growing need for skilled science and engineering workers for the nation, NASA, and South Carolina. Successful REU mentors link their research to the work conducted at NASA centers and create a SCSGC REU site. This linkage establishes a working relationship between NASA scientists and undergraduate students, and will enable students to continue their working relationships with NASA after graduation. The SCSGC-REU will enable mentors at Colleges throughout South Carolina and the Virgin Islands to immerse students in "hands on" learning experiences while working on NASA-related aerospace research. As is true of all SCSGC Programs, minority participation is encouraged.
Statewide biomedical research opportunities for undergraduates: http://www.scidea.org/
Undergraduate Research in Europe: For more information please visit www.euroscholars.eu and/or send an email to info@euroscholars.eu. Interested students will find a list of available research projects and application to the program.
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