Frequently Asked Questions
What projects qualify for an Academic
Research Grant?
How many grants can I apply for?
How are grant recipients notified?
What is a reasonable amount of money to request?
How many students apply?
What about summer projects…are they funded?
Are travel costs funded?
What are the selection criteria for research grants?
Who owns the materials funded by the Research Grants?
Are there budgetary restrictions on groups?
What do the deadlines on the timeline mean?
Are Research Grants only available to seniors?
What do I do with the Grant Acceptance Agreement
Form?
What is the progress report and when is it typically due?
What kinds of receipts should I turn in?
Who should pay for
my supplies?
How long does it take to receive my reimbursement money?
If I am having issues receiving my award money, who do
I contact?
If I have questions, who do I ask?
Do the grants cover conference attendance?
Should I send my professor’s letter of recommendation
separately?
If I apply and/or receive a grant this semester, will
it preclude me from receiving another in the future?
What projects qualify for
an Academic Research Grant?
There is no specific definition of projects that will be considered for a grant and those that will not. Historically, funded projects have ranged from engineering projects to chemistry, marine science to political science, art to psychology. The scope of the project is up to the discretion of the student. The language AS uses in its consideration is that the project must be some type of culminating work within a student’s major, minor, concentration, class, or any other curricular requirement. As long as the purpose of the project, procedures, materials used, timeline, etc. are clearly stated in the application, your project qualifies for consideration.
How many grants can I apply for?
One per semester. If you are a member of multiple groups with each needing grant monies, another member of your group must apply for the grant if you have already applied for the other group’s grant. The same criteria applies to individual applicants: if you have submitted a grant application for an individual project and are also a member of a group in need of grant monies, a group member other than yourself must apply for that grant.
How are grant recipients notified?
All grant applicants either receive an acceptance letter or rejection
letter usually within one week of the Associated Students Academic Research
Grant Screening Board meeting.
What is a reasonable amount of money
to request?
There is no cap on the amount of money any individual may request; however,
there is a limited amount of money available per semester that is allocated
amount all the grant recipients. Request should be reasonable and should
accurately reflect actual costs incurred in the project; that is, all
money requested must be accounted for in your budget and must be explained
to some degree in either your budget or in the project description.
Grant awards in the past have typically ranged from under $100 to $1000.
How many students apply?
There is not an absolute number of students that apply each semester.
The pool of applicants ranges and is never disclosed. It is safe to
say that every semester, more money is requested than what is available
for disbursement, thus making the process very competitive.
What about summer projects…are
they funded?
Typically, summer projects are not funded under the current Associated
Students Academic Research Grant program. The fundamental reason for
this is that it would be logistically impossible to accurately keep
track of deadlines, reimbursements, etc. for students who are completely
summer-only projects. Associated Students closes out its business for
budgetary reasons at the end of the spring semester and, as such, must
have all money accounted for. Exceptions include projects that begin
in the spring semester (of fall) that carry over into the summer. As
long as all “semester-specific” deadlines are met (the fall
or spring grant deadlines), a student or group of students may continue
research into the summer.
Are travel costs funded?
No. Food, lodging, and transportation costs have not been funded historically.
The grant monies fund direct research/project costs that are directly
responsible for the project’s outcome or goal.
What are the selection criteria for research
grants?
Awards are up to the discretion of the Associated Students Academic
Research Grant Screening Board (ARGSB) and ultimate selection criteria
is confidential. Fundamentally, selection is made based on the quality
of the application; the saliency (clarity) of the application, particularly
the team/individual’s goals and anticipated outcomes of the project;
if the project is consistent with the academic mission of USD; and how
well the proposed costs are justified in the application through the
budget and project description. These are some examples of criteria
used. A suggestion is to complete the application as logically, thoroughly,
and professionally as possible. The ARBSB should be able to identify
the relevancy of the project with respect to a culminating, original
work that is aimed at achieving a particular end within a particular
emphasis (i.e. major/minor, senior thesis, etc.).
Who owns the materials funded by the Research
Grants?
Technically, Associated Students owns all the materials it funds. A
general rule of thumb is that if the materials, equipment, supplies,
etc. are available for future student’s use in your respective
discipline, then there is no real need to return the property to Associated
Students. At NO time, however, may equipment or leftover supplies and
materials funded by Associated Students Academic Research Grants be
retained by an individual for personal use. Essentially, Associated
Students is most concerned with students keeping – for personal
use - equipment, books, materials, chemicals, and the like that are
costly to replace. All grant recipients must complete a Materials Tracking Agreement and approved by the project advisor and AS Vice President for Academics to state exactly where and with whom the materials will kept.
Are there budgetary restrictions on
groups?
No. The same selection criteria that apply to individuals also apply
to groups. There is no cap on the amount of money a group may request,
though, like individual applicants, the amount requested must be fully
justified.
What do the deadlines on the timeline
mean?
The deadlines are mandatory dates by which the listed item must be completed.
If a TBD is listed, either applicants will be notified via e-mail or
notification will be posted in the Associated Students Executive Office
in UC225. If deadlines are not met, you will become disqualified from
the Academic Research Grant process and, if you have already received
a grant and overlook the deadlines, your award will become null and
void.
Are Research Grants only available to seniors?
No. Associated Students Academic Research Grants are available to all
undergraduate students in all areas of study from all classes (freshmen,
sophomores, juniors, and seniors).
What do I do with the Grant Acceptance
Agreement Form?
Sign it and return it to the Associated Students Vice President for
Academics in the AS Executive Office in UC225 by the specified deadline.
If the form is returned past the deadline, your grant award will become
null and void.
What is the progress report and when is it
typically due?
The progress report is a brief (limited to one page) summary of your
project, its status, and any results you have achieved. It is usually
due at the end of the respective semester. The deadline is either sent
to award recipients via e-mail or is mentioned in the timeline.
What kinds of receipts should I turn
in?
Submit all ORIGINAL receipts to the Associated Students Vice President for Academics. If an item was ordered online, print the online receipt which shows by what method the item was purchased (i.e. credit card) and submit it. Receipts under a different name than the student receiving the grant, should be accompanied by the individuals social security number and address; checks cut by Procurement are made out to the name on all original receipts.
How long does it take to receive my reimbursement
money?
Reimbursement forms are submitted to the Associated Students Vice President for Finance in the order in which the receipts are submitted to the Associated Students Vice President for Academics. The Vice President for Academics completes the reimbursement form and forwards it to the Vice President for Finance. Typically, USD’s Procurement Office takes up to three weeks to process check requests.
If I am having issues receiving my
award money, who do I contact?
Contact the Associated Students Vice President for Finance. You must submit original receipts to the Associated Students Vice President for Academics prior to the stated deadline in order to qualify for reimbursement money. After that point, the matter is in the hands of the Associated Students Vice President for Finance. That officer may be found in the AS Executive Office in UC225.
If I have questions, who do I ask?
Any questions regarding Associated Students Academic Research Grants may be directed to the Associated Students Vice President for Academics, located in the AS Executive Office in UC225. Specific contact information is included on the grant application.
Who should pay for my
supplies?
Students may pay for supplies out of pocket then seek reimbursement from Associated Students if they receive a grant. Often, students ask that their project advisors pay for and order the supplies on their behalf. Associated Students allows for this considering the stringent ordering requirements for many chemicals and scientific supplies, for example. Under such circumstances, the easiest form of payment is through an academic departmental purchase (i.e. having the Chemistry Department pay for chemical supplies). If so, please provide the specific department’s POET’s code (the department should know what this is) with the original receipts to perform an easy inter-departmental transfer. Please include the student’s name along with the faculty advisor who purchased the supplies in addition to the other requested items.
Do the grants cover conference
attendance?
If attendance to a particular conference is absolutely essential to the completion of your project – if it is a requirement to accomplish the objectives a student has set forth in his or her project – then the Academic Research Grant Screening Board will consider the request. The role attendance to a particular conference plays in a student’s project must be clearly articulated in the grant application.
Should I send my professor’s
letter of recommendation separately?
Preferably not. The letter is more likely to be misplaced if sent separately.
The best practice is to include the letter with the rest of your grant
application when you submit it.
If I apply and/or receive
a grant this semester, will it preclude me from receiving another in
the future?
No. You may reapply for grants in subsequent semesters as long as the
project is not identical to the one for which you received money in
the past. If you applied and did not receive a grant, the project may
be the same. If you are requesting money for a project you further developed
(one for which you received money, further developed, and are requesting
more money in a different semester), you must be very clear as to how
the developed project is different from the one previously funded and
how the grant money supports your project at a entirely new level.
