APPLY

Application process

• review the general information section of this website and determine which type of funding is most appropriate for their work.
• find a faculty sponsor to work with, and discuss the project at length with the sponsor. (See Finding a Faculty Sponsor.)
• work closely with the sponsor in writing and revising drafts of a proposal, and filling out the appropriate application form.
• determine whether or not Human Research Committee (HRC) approval is necessary, and if so apply for it.
• always make copies of the complete proposal for their records before turning it in.

After a proposal is carefuly prepared, a final draft should be submitted, along with the appropriate application form.

Assistantships, team grants, and seminar grants all havfe their own application form. For individual grants there are three different application forms: one for HHMI biosciences grants, one for empirical/experimental/theoretical research, and one for creative and perfomative projects. When applying for an individual grant, make sure to use the appropirate form.

Late applications will not be accepted for any reason.

Disbursement of funds

If funding for a project is approved, how funds are disbursed will depend on the nature of the application and project, and the type of funding requested.

Assistantships during the fall and spring are paid as hourly positions. Students who receive assistantships will need to be on CU payroll, fill out time sheets, and turn them into the UROP office.

Funds for individual grants are for either 1) a stipend (pay for the student's time) or 2) expenses (materials, equipment, travel, etc.). Because each project is different, and may have different financial requirements, there are myriad ways individual grants can be paid.

Funding for stipends in the fall and spring semesters are usually disbursed in two payments, paid via the CU payroll system. Because stipends serve as partial compensation for time worked, they are subject to the relevant federal and state (and local, if applicable) taxes. Typically, the first half of the stipend is paid at the start of the project, and the second half upon completion.

For summer stipends, the award is usually divided into four payments. A payment is at the end of May, June, and July, and the final payment is made upon completion of the project.

These are by no means certainties; rather, they are guidelines. Final decisions about appropriate ways and timelines to pay a student are ultimately decided by the UROP office.

In the case of projects for which the purchase of supplies or travel expenses is necessary, a number of options are available. If awarded funding, be sure to think carefully about the best way to acquire supplies and/or pay expenses affiliated with the project, and be prepared to discuss this with UROP staff.

The same disbursement options for individual grants apply to team grants though, again, payment will depend on the specific nature of the proposal.

Faculty approved to teach a UROP seminar will have funds transferred to, and paid through, their department.

Finding a faculty sponsor

Finding a faculty sponsor is not as difficult as you might think, even for inexperienced students. While it's usually easier to find a faculty sponsor if you've spent some time in your major and gotten to know faculty, prior relationships aren't required in order to embark on an academic partnership with a faculty member. Keep in mind that faculty are wonderful people who are happy to share their expertise. Many of them are very committed to working with undergraduates; indeed, those who manage large labs rely on undergraduate assistants in order to accomplish their research goals.

Tips for meeting faculty

• Be prepared and be an active participant in classes, recitations, and labs. Make yourself visible to your teachers and in your department.
• Visit office hours for faculty teaching your courses--just to get to know them. (You can do this even if the course is a large lecture class.) Office hours aren't just for problems or questions. You can chat about the course, ask questions about how they ended up at CU, and share your disciplinary interests.
• Peruse the department website and look at what faculty are doing. You'll be surprised how much you can find out about research in the field by reading through the biographies. Choose people with interests that coincide with yours, read an article by them, and go talk to them during their office hours. If you find the article challenging that's an even better reason to make the visit.
• Tell your major advisor or the undergraduate chair of your department that you're interested in working with a faculty member. Ask for recommendations, look up the faculty profile and visit office hours
• Attend lectures, talks or symposia in your department. Ask questions and/or introduce yourself to faculty afterwards.
• Avoid writing email to or leaving phone messages for faculty you don't know. Face-to-face communication during office hours works best. Faculty are busy; if they don't recognize your name you may slip through the cracks.
• Remember that faculty are experts in their field and they enjoy sharing that expertise. They're usually happy to talk about their work!
• Don't be shy and don't be afraid. Faculty are people too.

Proposal Guidelines and Requirements

When applying be sure to review the appropriate application and then consult with everyone involved in the project (students and faculty).

Individual grants

There are three types of individual grant applications. Each application has several parts; be sure that each section is filled out clearly and completely. Typed applications are preferred, but neat hand-written applications are equally acceptable.

The UROP Budget Requisition page provides space for stipend requests, and expense allowance requests. Students who will receive academic credit for their projects (independent study, honors thesis or seminar credit, etc.) may only request an expense allowance. If no academic credit is involved with the project, students may request stipends, expense allowances, or any combination of the two. If academic credit is associated with the project only an expense allowance may be requested.

When filling out the budget requisition form, list all expenses and hours you anticipate working on the project, even though the total budget amount exceeds what UROP offers. This gives an idea of the true cost of the project, not just what UROP will fund. Funding begins on the date of the award letter, and UROP does not fund retroactively. Time worked, or items purchased, before the date of the award letter will not be covered in the award.

Stipends are calculated by first estimating the number of hours that will be spent on a project, and then multiplying those hours by nine dollars. However, this is only the means of calculation; UROP does not pay an hourly wage with this type of grant, but merely provides lump sums of money. Provide true anticipated working hours as closely as they can be estimated.

When requesting an expense allowance, list each item necessary for the completion of the project, and estimate each item's cost. Do not list items that have been or will be purchased prior to the anticipated date of the award letter.

You must also provide a 100-word maximum abstract describing the objectives of your project.

The narrative portion of the proposal follows a strict structure to which you must adhere.

Introduction: Provide a statement of the objective(s) of the proposed work, and the anticipated significance of the work. What problem will be investigated? What hypothesis will be tested? Describe the creative endeavor. We suggest that the introduction begin with a brief description of the project in non-expert terms before the more technical aspects of the project are discussed.
Background: Provide a brief review of the work that has already been done in the project area, together with complete references in appropriate professional style. This section should also include any personal information about the student which would indicate to the reviewers the student's qualifications to successfully complete the project.
Methods: Provide a detailed description of the research methods or creative techniques that will be used in the project. This should include a justification for the specific approach that will be used. How do the methods answer the questions that have been posed, test the hypothesis, or lead to the desired goal?
Time schedule: Provide dates for the initiation and completion of each phase of the project. Attempt to lay out a reasonable schedule taking into consideration all phases of the research and the writing of the final report.
References: Attach an alphabetical list of all the works you have consulted during your background research and cited in the body of your narrative, in appropriate professional style customary for your discipline.
Appendices: Attach any surveys or interview questions you'll use in research; permissions from HRC should also be attached here, etc. Please note: While you don't need to have been granted HRC permission to apply for UROP funding, you should have, at minimum, begun the process.

Faculty should review drafts of the narrative proposal and offer feedback before the proposal is turned in.

Completion of project

Reports

All projects require the completion of a final report, to be turned into your faculty sponsor for approval. Reports can take on different forms, based on the sort of project.

• Assistantships: 1-2 page expository essay about the experience, what was learned, what goals were accomplished, and what the assistantship might lead to in future research.
• Team Grants: Either the team turns in a joint paper, or each member turns in a paper written in a style suitable to the discipline addressing results of the team's research.
• Individual Grants: Because of the individual nature of these grants, reports may take varying forms. At minimum, an 8-page paper in a style suitable to the discipline addressing the results of the research or creative project is required. However, a final report may be as extensive as a thesis or completed manuscript, and for some creative and scholarly disciplines, may take the form of a paper completed for publication or a public perfomance or display. Questions about the form of the final report should be directed to the UROP office.

Acknowledgements

• Students should be included as co-authors on publications, conference presentations, exhibits, recitals, etc. if they participated in the project as co-researchers.
• Support from the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program should be acknowledged in writing in publications and presentations of the finished products.
• UROP should also be acknowledged in writing at BFA shows, performances or in written materials related to funded projects that have public audiences.

Application Forms

Assistantships (PDF) (MSWord)
Individual grants (academic year or summer):
—Creative/Performance Projects (PDF) (MSWord)
— Empirical/Experimental/Theoretical Research (PDF) (MSWord)
— HHMI Projects (PDF) (MSWord)
Team grants (PDF) (MSWord)
Research seminars (PDF) (MSWord)