2019-20 URCA Application Instructions

Application Deadlines

  • Fall Application Deadline: 5 p.m., Sept. 27, 2019
  • Spring Application Deadline: 5 p.m., Jan. 31, 2020

Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Awards applications are submitted via an online form.

Before you begin work on the application, you must gather all the parts (see below). Awards will be announced several weeks later and will be disbursed immediately thereafter.  PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY as some of our procedures have changed. Failure to include all of the items requested is what commonly results in proposals not being reviewed, or not scoring high enough to warrant funding.

Online URCA Award Application

Application Requirements

To be considered for an award, an individual must:

  • Be a full-time degree-seeking undergraduate student at ECU;
  • Have completed a minimum of 12 credits at ECU by time of application;
  • Have an acceptable record of academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 2.5;
  • Agree that by completing this application, you are allowing us to gather information about you through the Banner system.

A complete application has these parts:

  • Preliminary information
    • Demographic information (this is optional and won’t affect your ability to be funded)
    • Banner ID, name, email address, current GPA and credits completed
    • Name and email address of your co-investigator(s) if applicable. There can be up to three students on one project, but one must serve as the primary applicant and contact
    • Mentor’s complete name, email address and department/school where you will perform the work.  If you have a co-mentor, add that person’s name and email address
    • Name and email of the person (departmental/school staff member) who is responsible for state funds.  Ask your mentor for this information.
    • Whether IRB approval for human participant research or IACUC for animal research is required.  If affirmative, the date of submission or approval. No awards will be made without a pending or approved human participant or animal protocol
  • Project category:
    • Humanities/Arts;
    • Social Science;
    • Biomedical Science; or
    • STEM.
    • If you are unsure, please ask your mentor or the Office of Undergraduate Research
  • Project Title
    • 50 characters with spaces
  • Budget Amount
    • $2,000 max.
    • Honors College students may apply for a maximum budget of $2,500.
    • Assistantships remain at $1,500 max.
  • Time Period
    • Applicants can request funding for Spring 2020, Summer Term 1 or Fall 2020.  Because of our funding sources, no funds will be awarded for Summer Term 2. Please see the Spending Deadlines sections of these instructions for more information on when funds will be transferred and the deadline to spend these funds.
  • A single PDF attachment containing the two elements listed below.  The document should be named lastname.firstname.URCA.SP20 (i.e. Farwell.Mary.URCA.SP20) and saved as a single PDF prior to uploading.
    • A paragraph that describes your proposed research/creative activity, thesis or project. (Approximately 300 words. There is an absolute limit of 3000 characters with spaces.)
      • For beginning research: purpose, hypothesis, significance, your role in a larger project (if applicable), methodology and any preliminary results;
      • For ongoing research: purpose, hypothesis, significance, your role in a larger project (if applicable) methodology, previous results;
      • For creative activity: purpose, significance, medium, anticipated venues for presentation/performance.
    • Budget justification (Approximately 200 words or 2000 characters with spaces max.) What are the costs of your project? Do you have other sources of funding? Justify Undergraduate Assistantship requests. Undergraduate Assistantships are set at a specific amount. Asking for an Undergraduate Assistantship will not impact whether or not you receive an award.  Please see the Budget and Spending Guidelines section below.

 

Budget and Spending Guidelines

  • Undergraduate Assistantships are set at a minimum of $500 and a maximum of $1500 per semester or summer term. Undergraduate Assistantships are intended to allow students to work on a project in lieu of working at job for pay. Undergraduate Assistantships are NOT normally awarded if student is earning course credit for work performed on a project.  However, if it is anticipated that the student will work on the project for time and effort over and above what is required to receive the course credits, an Undergraduate Assistantship is appropriate.
  • Any equipment that is required to carry out the project and is purchased with these funds remain the property of the department where your project will take place.
  • Student travel cannot be paid for with these funds.  If your research requires you to travel it is suggested that you request the maximum Undergraduate Assistantship and use those funds to pay for your travel expenses. Funding for students to travel to present their research can be requested by applying for a Travel Award through the Office of Undergraduate Research website.
  • Food cannot be purchased with these funds.
  • If you are requesting funds for participant incentives in the form of cash, each participant incentive is set at a minimum of $10. However, incentives in lieu of cash are allowed. Please speak with your mentor and funds administrator regarding the current participant incentive procedures and requirements.

Spending Deadlines

  • For projects being carried out in Fall 2019 or Spring 2020 all funds must be spent by May 5, 2020.  If the funds are not spent by this deadline remaining funds may be pulled back.
  • For projects being carried out in Summer Term 1 all funds must be spent by June 30, 2020.  If the funds are not spent by this deadline all remaining funds will be pulled back.
  • For projects being carried out in Fall 2020 funds will not be disbursed until the first day of classes for that term.  All funds must be spent by December 16, 2020.  Any remaining funds may be pulled back if not spent by the deadline.
  • For all terms, funds cannot be rolled over into the next fiscal year which begins July 1.

After submission, the application will be emailed to your mentor for approval within 5 business days. No recommendation letters are required nor will be accepted.

Please note:

  • A committee made up of university faculty will review applications. All applicants will receive notification by ECU email regarding the status of their applications as soon as possible after the review.  Some applications may be awarded at a reduced level. Budgets should be adjusted with your mentor and the administrative assistant in your unit who will administer the funds after transfer.
  • Recipients of these grants will incur an obligation to submit a final report due either May 30, 2020 (for students graduating in May) or Sept. 30, 2020 (for those graduating later).  If you receive funding for Fall 2020 your final report is due May 30, 2021. These should be submitted at the Final Report Link.
  • Recipients of these grants will also incur an obligation to present their results at ECU’s Research and Creative Achievement Week, SNCURCS, the statewide undergraduate research symposium, or ECU’s Undergraduate Research Summer Symposium
  • Undergraduate Assistantships should replace the wages that you receive for an on-campus or off-campus job, rather than supplement them.
  • Applications can be submitted by one (1) primary investigator and a maximum of two (2) co-investigators. All must be undergraduate students.  The primary investigator will be the correspondent.
  • Only one application per investigator, and one application per project, is allowed

Questions and/or concerns: Please contact ugresearch@ecu.edu or call 252-328-9476.

Submit completed application to the Smartsheet Application by 5 p.m. on the due date.