Scholarship, Engagement, the Arts, Research, Creativity, & Humanities

Student SEARCHGrants

Scholarship, Engagement, the Arts, Research, Creativity, & Humanities

Proposal Submission Deadline: 5:00 PM March 8, 2018

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Purpose

The Student SEARCH Grants(formerly known as the Provost Student Research Awards) are designed to provide UTC students with a special opportunity to participate in original scholarship with faculty members. The new name reflects UTC’s commitment to scholarship across all disciplines and modes of academic inquiry. Summer and academic year activities are allowable.

Eligibility

Full-time undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines are eligible to apply. Students are expected to develop the proposal with the support of a Faculty Sponsor and with the approval of the Department Head. Students may only submit 1 application per funding cycle.

Award and Duration

Awards will not exceed $1,000. The start date for all projects will be July 1, 2018. The project period is expected to be no longer than 12 months (July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019).

Use of Funds

Requested funds must be used solely to support the student in carrying out the requested research project. All costs must be reasonable and directly related to the proposed project. Allowable costs include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following: student wages and fringe benefits, supplies, minor equipment, travel, and operating expenses.

Proposal Review and Selection

All proposals will be reviewed by a selection panel composed of UTC faculty and administrators. Each proposal will be evaluated using a 100-point scale aligned with the proposal narrative. Proposals will be rank-ordered by score, and awardees will be notified of the outcome via email in late April or early May 2018.

Reporting Requirements

Awardees will be required to submit a brief final project report to the Office of Research & Sponsored Programs within 30 days of project conclusion or prior to graduation. The final report should include the following elements:

• Degree to which project achieved goals/outcomes.
• Explanation for any obstacles encountered and discussion of any goals/outcomes where progress or achievement has not been realized.
• Description of how the project has benefited the student’s educational goals.
• Publications and presentations resulting from the project.
• Financial report correlating project expenditures with proposed budget.

Award Mechanism

The award will be transferred to the student’s departmental account on a cost-reimbursement basis after the expenses have been incurred and charged to a departmental account. Departments will be reimbursed for approved PSRA expenses via budget revision or transfer voucher as appropriate. Student awardees and their faculty sponsors must work with their departmental Administrative Specialist and Department Head to ensure that funds are used for grant purposes only, in accordance with the approved project budget and are documented to ensure reimbursement.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

Preparing Your Application

Interested applicants should carefully review the application guidelines and write their proposals in close alignment with the required format. Proposals should be written BY the student with input and suggestions from faculty, but faculty should NOT be the primary authors. By signing the cover form the faculty and students are attesting that the student is the primary author of the proposal.

A complete application is limited to the following components:

• Signed Application Cover Sheet:Template below.(Scanned signatures are acceptable; typed signatures are not.)
• Proposal Narrative:Limited to 5 pages, double-spaced. Font should be 11 pt. or larger. Margins should be at least 1 inch on all sides.
• PSRA Proposal Budget Worksheet: Template below.

If you have any difficulties with the template forms, please contact Terri Bearbower ( / 423.425.1743)

Submitting Your Proposal

An electronic copy of the entire proposal, signed by the student, Faculty Sponsor, and Department Head should be submitted via email by 5:00pm on March 8, 2018. Email proposals to . Submission is considered complete when you receive confirmation via email.

PLEASE NOTE: Proposals received after 5:00pm on March 8 can NOT be accepted under any circumstances and will be returned without review.

The submitted proposal should include scanned copies of the signed cover page and all required application components. In the event that you cannot create scanned copies, we will accept an emailed copy of the proposal accompanied by hard copies of signed documents. BOTH email and hard copies must be received by 5:00pm on March 8, 2018.

Within 1 business dayof submitting your proposal, you will receive an email confirmation that we have received it. Please do not assume that we have received your application until you have received a confirmation from our office. If you have not received a confirmation within 1 business day, please follow up with or (email or phone: 423-425-1743).

If you have any questions regarding proposal preparation or submission, please contact:

Terri Bearbower: or (423) 425-1743

OR

Meredith Perry: or (423) 425-4431

Student SEARCH Awards

Application Cover Page - Application deadline: March 8, 2018

Applicant Information
Student Name:
Undergraduate: / ☐ / Graduate: / ☐ / Semester Hours Completed:
UTC ID: / Major:
UTC Email: / Phone:
Home address:
Faculty Sponsor: / Department:
Project Information
Project Title:
Project Start Date: / Project End Date: / Research Course
(if applicable):
Compliance Requirements (if applicable):
☐Human Subjects (IRB review needed) ☐Use of animals (IACUC review needed)
Total Funding Requested (up to $1000):
Signatures
Student Researcher:
Faculty Sponsor:
Department Head:
Student Research and Faculty Sponsor are attesting that the student is the primary author of the proposal. The Faculty Sponsor is responsible for assisting with and overseeing project implementation. In the event that the student researcher fails to submit the final report, it will become the responsibility of the Faculty Sponsor to do so.
The Department Head agrees to responsibility for managing the department-level account associated with the award.

Proposal Narrative(100 points total)

Please address the following criteria using 11 pt. font or larger, 1 inch margins all around. The total proposal narrative may not exceed 5 double-spaced pages. The cover form and budget worksheet are not included in the page limit. Proposals which include all elements listed AND in the order indicated below have a better chance of being funded. Including headings and page numbers helps reviewers give a fair assessment to your proposal.

Project Description/ Research Objectives (30 points)

• Clearly articulate the research topic to be addressed through this project.

• Provide an overview of your approach to the research topic.

• Identify the research objectives that you plan to achieve.

Project Significance (30 points)

• Discuss the significance of your research topic and approach. For example, discuss howyour project contributes todiscovery and understanding or the potential benefits of the proposed activity to society and/or your discipline.

• If applicable, discuss any creative or innovative concepts, approaches, tools, or techniques associated with the project.
  

Research Design and Methods (30 points)

• Describe how the proposed research will be carried out.

• Provide an overview of the proposed design and conceptual framework. Discuss how the project objectives relate to the project hypothesis. Explain why the proposed methods are the best to accomplish the study goals.

Budget Justification (5 points)

• Describe in detail the specific costs associated with your projectand support why the costs are necessary. These costs should be reflected on the budget worksheet.

Student Merit & Need (5 points)

• List any relevant experience or special skills that you possess that can speak to your ability to carry out the proposed research project.

• Discuss how the proposed project would further your educational and professional goals.

Student SEARCH Awards

Budget Request

Please complete your budget in the form provided below. If you need additional space, the budget form can be continued on the next page.

Personnel Expenses– Note: All personnel must be added to payroll in order to be paid for work completed.
Name and Role of Student Researcher(add lines if multiple students are working on project). / Time Required
(Student hours per week) / Time Period (e.g. summer, spring semester) / Funds Requested (whole dollars)
Fringe Benefits
Students Estimate @ 9% of wages requested above in Personnel Expenses
Travel
Identify purpose, location, and duration of each trip, and show calculations for specific costs (e.g. airfare, mileage, lodging, meals) per current UT travel regulations.
Minor Equipment
Identify each minor instrument/piece of equipment needed to carry out proposed project.
Operating Expenses
Identify expenses such as printing and duplication, supplies, postage and telephone, maintenance and repairs, computer services, or other expenses and show calculations used to determine their costs.
Total Project Costs Requested