Student Research and Creative Endeavors Grants

Important Grants Dates and Deadlines

Spring 2024

CSU is offering grants for students engaged in research, scholarly and creative activities under the direction of faculty. The purpose of these grants is to support and promote such efforts by our students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Amount

Grants are expected to be requested in amounts of up to $300. Requests for funding amounting to more than $300 may also be considered depending on the availability of funds. Departments are encouraged to provide additional support of 25% of the grant value.

Eligibility and Conditions of Award

To be eligible, students must:

• Be in good academic standing at the time of application (i.e., a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.4 for undergraduate, and 3.0 for graduate students)
• Be enrolled at CSU for at least 12 semester hours as an undergraduate or 9 hours as a graduate student during the semester in which the grant is to be awarded (except for students graduating at the end of that semester)
• provide statements of support (see below) from a CSU faculty mentor and respective department Chair
• Engage in a research, scholarly or creative activity not primarily part of a regular course (projects conducted for “individual research” courses or as clear extensions of work done as part of a normal course requirement will be considered).

Applications not meeting all of the above criteria or the specified submission deadline will not be considered.

Students may apply for grants in two different categories:

• Grants that support research and creative endeavors
• Grants that support presentations or travel for dissemination of research and creative endeavors

A student can submit more than one grant applications. However, grants will likely not be funded beyond a total of $300 per student per category in any one semester.

Guidelines for Faculty Mentor and Department Chair statements of support

The Faculty mentor should comment on

- the merit of the proposed project

- the student's ability to complete the project successfully, and within the proposed timeframe

- the mentor's role in supervising the project

- the need for the funding

The Department Chair should

- address how any equipment, software etc. that will be purchased with funding from the grant will be managed (especially, since it involves state allocated funds)

- state what departmental support his or her department can provide for the project, and give reasons if unable to do so.

Use of funds

Funds may be used to purchase equipment, books, materials or computer software, or to fund travel and other associated costs in collecting data such as mailing costs, library use fees, etc. that are required to complete the student project. Funds may also be used to support travel to professional conferences at which the student's research has been accepted (rules governing travel funds are identical to those for faculty travel). Students may apply for one grant to support the research project and a second grant for travel funds for accepted papers/presentations. Travel funds may be requested for papers submitted for presentation that have not yet been accepted; funds will not be released until proof of acceptance is provided. Funds awarded are normally expected to be spent by the end of the current fiscal year. Any equipment(s) or non-consumable materials purchased with the awarded funds will remain as property of the University.

Obligations

Students must meet the requirements as specified in their grant award letter. In the past, these have been:

• A final report on the project to the Office of the Provost, or
• A presentation of the project at a professional conference or exhibition, which may include CSU's Tower Day Undergraduate Research Symposium held April, or
• Publication of the project in a journal, including the Momentum: CSU's Journal for Undergraduate Research and Critique. (Electronic submission information for all academic disciplines).
• Submission of an abstract to CSU's Abstract Annual. (Electronic submission information for all academic disciplines).

Faculty mentors of successful applicants are expected to provide guidance and assistance, where needed, to ensure appropriate disbursement of funds, successful completion of projects, and dissemination of student project outcomes by students.

Application Submission

• Applications including the following items must be submitted online by the published deadline for the relevant semester:
• • Project title
  • Project Summary (200 words maximum)
  • Project Description (Introduction, Goal, Methodology, Dissemination plan, Timeline - 600 words maximum) including the following:
  • • Introduction
    • Goal
    • Methodology
    • Dissemination plan
    • Project timelines
    • Project budget with justification
  • An online statement of support from the faculty mentor describing the applicant's aptitude for the proposed research or creative endeavor and the merit of the project is required. The applicant's department Chair must approve the application online by the submission deadline.

Application Process (PDF)