These guidelines for submitting SURE proposals, SURE program policies, and related information, are the result of discussion with SURE faculty sponsors. We thank the faculty who gave their time and provided valuable input to improve the program. A meeting to discuss and develop policies for the SURE program is held annually in the Fall semester. All interested faculty are encouraged to attend.
Please see also the SURE FAQ
Usual Timeline - check the most current information for actual dates
| Call for proposals: | End of Fall semester |
| Submission deadline: | Second Friday of February [2008 is actually Feb. 15] |
| Funding decision: | Friday before Spring break |
| Implementation: | Summer session |
| Progress report: | Last Friday in September |
| Poster presentation: | Late in Spring Semester - USD "Creative Collaborations" Conference |
See the Proposal Submission Form and/or login to the online form to see what information is required, and how it should be formatted.
Faculty sponsor information must also be submitted by email attachment to sure at sandiego dot edu by the deadline. (Or a hard copy, also received by the deadline.)
Proposal Integrity
The SURE program acknowledges that faculty sponsors will help shape and direct student projects and will
provide editing and constructive feedback to the student in composing the proposal. It is assumed, however,
that all submitted project proposals are composed by the student and not the faculty sponsor. We are
depending on the honor and integrity of the participating faculty sponsor to abide by this guideline.
Multiple Project Submissions
Faculty may sponsor more than one SURE project. However, any individual faculty stipend cannot exceed the
maximum amount for a single approved proposal even if multiple projects are awarded.
Multiple Student Projects
A SURE project proposal may also be submitted by more than one student. Every student listed on the project
is expected to have participated significantly in the writing of the proposal. In general, for a given project
only a single stipend amount will be provided if the grant is funded, to be distributed proportionally among the
students. Multiple student projects must clearly justify the roles of each student.
Repeat Funding
Eligible students who have been awarded past SURE grants may submit proposals. Note that past performance
by the student on the previously awarded SURE grant (such as submitting completed progress reports [see below] on time and presenting at the undergraduate conference) will be considered by the review committee.
Housing Allowances
In previous years, the program has provided an on-campus housing allowance to students requesting it. This has been discontinued in favor of an increased overall stipend for students. The stipend for all students this year is $3500 for full-time, full-length projects.
Supply Budgets
Requests for supplies should include an appropriate explanation/justification. Supply requests with insufficient justification are more likely to be reduced or eliminated. Supply funds cannot generally pay for books or similar personal expenses. Travel expenses for field projects may be requested, including converting stipend to cover travel costs (this is advantageous, because the stipend is taxable, whereas reimbursed travel expenses are not). Such requests must be fully and carefully explained
by the student(s) and faculty sponsor.
Faculty Stipends
Due to limited funds, faculty stipends may be cut to help balance the budget, while still funding a good number of proposals. We maintain the $3500 amount as a desirable goal when sufficient funds are available. Note also that in 2008 there will be no additional stipend for supervising more than one SURE student.
External Funding (Faculty)
Faculty who have summer salary from external funding are not prohibited from receiving faculty stipends from awarded SURE grants. Note, however, that Faculty who receive summer salary supplements from an external funding source cannot receive a SURE faculty stipend if that amount would result in exceeding university or federal guidelines. The names of all faculty members who receive a SURE faculty stipend will be forwarded to the USD Office of Sponsored Programs to ensure compliance with such guidelines.
Faculty Sponsorship
By writing letters of support for student proposals, SURE Faculty agree to supervise students for the duration of any funded project. The student(s) and supervising faculty should consider and agree upon acceptable dates prior to submitting the proposal.
Addendum to Letters of Recommendation
Under certain circumstances faculty members are encouraged to submit a brief cover letter to the review
committee in addition to their letters of recommendation. For example, a faculty member who is sponsoring
multiple student proposals may choose to evaluate the relative merits of the proposed projects they are
sponsoring in order to aid the review committee in their deliberations.
Review Procedures
The review committee will be composed of one faculty member from each participating department.
Faculty who are not sponsoring a SURE student proposal are preferred for the review committee. Committee
members review each submitted SURE proposal prior to convening for funding decisions. Due to the
considerable work of evaluating proposals, no feedback regarding rejected proposals will be provided by
the review committee. Concerns or questions about the evaluation process should be directed to a program
director, and not to proposal review commitee members.
Distribution of Awards
The philosophy of the SURE program review committee will be to fund as many viable student projects as
possible. The number of proposals and total funds requested has risen steadily each year that the SURE
program has been in existence, while available funds for awards has remained at the same level. [For example,
the funding rate in 2003 was 65% (of 40 proposals submitted, 26 received some funding).] Hence,
the number of proposals that are rejected or reduced is anticipated to rise proportionally.
Policy Statement on Eligibility and Funding Allocations
The USD SURE program is designed to support student-based scientific research projects under supervision of a USD faculty sponsor. Eligible students are USD undergraduates in good standing who are not graduating seniors. Eligible faculty sponsors must be employed at USD or hold formal affiliated status with USD (e.g., Research Associate). Faculty sponsors are allowed to sponsor students who are not majors in the same department or program as the faculty sponsor.
The SURE program has been funded on an annual basis, and in varying amounts, through the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (A&S); and the Office of the Provost. We wish to thank both offices for their continued support of the program. On a varying annual basis, SURE may also partly be funded by external grants.
It is the policy of SURE to allocate awards in proportion to the funds received from A&S and the Provost. Thus, for any given year of funding, we will award grants to projects emerging only from Arts and Sciences up to the amount funded by A&S. Because funds from the Provost are ostensibly university-wide, we will consider and award grants to Arts and Sciences project proposals and project proposals emerging from departments outside of Arts and Sciences up to the amount funded by the Provost office. Projects considered outside of Arts and Sciences include any project proposal in which either the faculty sponsor or the student major is from a department outside of Arts and Sciences.
It should be noted that if funds are received from the Provost's office, the call for proposals is open to all USD undergraduates in good standing who are not graduating seniors. If funds are received only from A&S (and none from the Provost), the call is restricted to projects emerging from departments in Arts & Sciences.
It is important for students and faculty to realize that since its inception the SURE program was designed to support research projects based on the scientific method. Such projects typically include studies involving hypothesis testing and quantitative measurement of outcomes. Thus, while the call may be open to all departments, the priority for funding considerations is to support science-based research proposals.
In keeping with this priority, the review committee for SURE proposals will continue to consist of one faculty member from each of the six founding departments of the SURE program (Biology, Chemistry, Marine Sciences, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physics, and Psychology). Historically, the large majority of SURE proposals have come from students and faculty from these six departments.
Policy on Substituting Student Researchers
Only the student who submitted an approved proposal is allowed to receive SURE grant funds. Substitution of a different student or students onto an already-awarded grant project is not allowed. If the student is unable to carry out the project, the award is to be declined.
Policy on IRB and IACUC Project Approvals
Any awarded SURE project that involves human (IRB) or animal (IACUC) subjects must receive formal approval
from the appropriate USD research ethics committee before the project begins. A copy of the ethics approval
form (showing all necessary signatures) must be received by the SURE program directors before any awarded
project funds will be approved for distribution.
Taxes
Faculty and student stipends are taxable and subject to withholding. The USD Payroll office can provide students information about possible exemption from withholding. The contact person for payroll is Vanessa Fraser at vfraser_at_sandiego_dot_edu [spam-blocked address].
Progress Reports
Each SURE awardee is required to submit a progress report on their project. Progress reports are due no later than 5:00 PM on the last Friday in September. They are to be submitted by email attachment only to sure at sandiego dot edu. The progress report should be brief and can take one of several forms, including: a) a one-page typed narrative of the progress made on the project; b) a submitted or presented conference abstract; or c) other form of brief report summarizing the project. Both students and faculty sponsors are considered awardees of SURE grants and are jointly responsible for submitting progress reports on time. Failure to submit a progress report may result in: a) withholding of any remaining stipend payments; and/or b) disqualification of eligibility to participate in the SURE program. Information about late or delinquent progress reports (identifying both the student and faculty sponsor) are kept on file and provided to the SURE review committee.
Questions about the SURE website or online submission should be directed to Dr. Curtis Loer, Biology, SCST 437, x4129, cloer at SanDiego dot edu