What is Undergraduate Research?
What is Undergraduate Research: An inquiry, investigation, or endeavor conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline.
The Undergraduate Research Committee supports and facilitates student-led research at Schreiner University. We review and evaluate proposals for research funding, and travel to present at conferences.
To facilitate Research Grant Proposal preparation and submission, some resources are presented below. Proposals must be completed by a current student, under the supervision of the sponsoring faculty.
Research Grant Proposals are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
The Undergraduate Research Committee also organizes and coordinates the annual Student Achievement Showcase every spring semester.
Undergrad Research Grant Proposal – Application Forms
Research Grant Proposal (refer to the Writing the Research Grant Proposal guidelines)
Budget Spreadsheet
Frequently Asked Questions
Schreiner University encourages its undergraduates to present their research and original creative productions at regional, national, and international conferences and venues. Participation in scholarly conferences provides an important opportunity for students to share their research with other scholars in the field, to network with members of their discipline, and to expand the scope of academic research.
- To preserve the Undergraduate Research fund and to ensure its use in offsetting research expenses incurred by the students, the fund will not be used to reimburse faculty sponsors for either conference fees or travel expenses.
- Grant proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis, i.e., without set deadlines for submissions. However, because the review and funding process could take three to four weeks, proposals should be submitted as soon as the project has been approved by the faculty sponsor. For travel and conference funding, the proposal should be submitted as soon as written confirmation has been received from the conference (or venue) organizers.
- At the completion of the project, the grantee will submit a two-page summary, approved by the faculty sponsor, describing the results/outcome of the research.
- In addition to the Final Report Summary, the grantee will provide a copy of all relevant receipts. Unused funds must be returned to the Undergraduate Research fund.
- All grant recipients will be invited to share their projects at Schreiner University’s Student Achievement Showcase to be held at the close of the spring semester.
- Allowable expenses include registration fees, lodging, airfare, meals (daily allowances are $10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch, $30 for dinner) and ground transportation (including gas, if a personal car is used).
- For hotel expenses, where possible, students are expected to share costs with roommates.
- Funding may not be used to support enrollment in language study or study-abroad programs, internships, or volunteer activities. Moreover, grant money cannot be used to travel to a country subject to a U.S. Department of State Travel Warning or other areas where personal safety may be an issue. If safety issues exist in a research locale, students need to address in the application proposal the steps that will be taken to ensure personal safety.
- Grant money must only cover the actual costs of the project as itemized in the budget, such as materials and travel expenses. Funds may not be used toward tuition, program fees, expenses normally incurred during regular coursework, or major non-expendable equipment purchases.
- Appropriate projects include those that are designed and carried out collaboratively by students and their faculty mentors or by students and their instructors.
- If the project involves human subjects, including interviews, it must receive certification from Schreiner University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) that no human subject will be put “at risk.” Both the student and the faculty sponsor share the responsibility to obtain this approval prior to funding. Contact Dr. Ramzi Taha, rataha@schreiner.edu, for additional help with the IRB process.
Undergraduate Research Grants are open to all Schreiner University full-time undergraduate students in good standing.
- Grant applicants must be full-time undergraduates who will present their project at an academic conference or venue hosted by a recognized scholarly organization. The student’s name must appear on the conference program, and the student must be either the primary or the co-presenter.
- Students who will graduate prior to the conference or performance date are not eligible for grant funding.
- Grant applications must be submitted after the conference acceptance or performance notification has been received in writing and before the actual travel takes place.
