Grant Opportunities

Eligibility

Any student from any major is eligible to apply as Principal Investigator (PI). Applications from research teams working on the same project are welcome and may be submitted together as co-Principal Investigators (co-PIs). The Undergraduate Research, Innovative, and Creative Activities (URiCA) Program has not established research priorities; therefore, we will consider applications from all disciplines.

The URiCA Program will provide funding for projects awarded based on the criteria listed below.

• The total budget request is limited to $10,000.
  • A maximum of $3,000 can be requested per project for research supplies, materials, travel expenses, and publication fees.
    • All policies of the Universities of Wisconsin and UW-Whitewater regarding spending will be followed, and no exceptions to these rules will be permitted.
    • An additional $500 will be awarded if the project is community-based. This could include completing a CBL course, collaborating with a community organization, or providing new information to a local community. Include these funds in your budget and justify why the project is community-based.
  • A maximum of $6,000 can be requested for summer student stipends.
  • A maximum of $3,000 can be requested for summer mentor stipends.

Timeline

• Application Deadline: Submit applications electronically to URP@uww.edu by the end of the day on March 1, 2026.
• Notification: The URiCA Program will inform all students and mentors listed in the proposal of its decision by March 31, 2026.
• Award Period: The expenditure period runs from May 15, 2026, through April 30, 2027. The Universities of Wisconsin and UW-Whitewater have set fixed cutoff dates for certain purchases; these dates cannot be changed. Expenditures are only permitted for the proposed project and cannot be used to support other projects or future mentor projects.

Application Requirements

Applications must include the following and not exceed six pages, single-spaced, using 12-point font with one-inch margins (cover letter and mentor letter of recommendation do not count towards the page limit):

• Cover Letter: Include a project title, the student(s) name(s), department(s), major(s), and mentor(s) name(s) and department(s). The rest of the application should omit any names or identifying details to ensure a blind review process.
• Summary: A short paragraph providing an overview of the project and its significance. This paragraph will serve as the cover page for the application narrative, which will be submitted to reviewers.
• Project Narrative:
  • Project’s Research Question or Creative Purpose: A brief statement that clearly states the research question, creative purpose, or primary goal of the project.
  • Significance of the Project: A description of how this project aligns within the broader discipline-specific field. This may include, but is not limited to, a review of scientific literature, a summary of other creative works in the proposed discipline, etc.
  • Project Methods: A section describing the methods needed to complete the project.
  • Project Goals: A clear outline of specific objectives or steps necessary to address the research question or complete the creative project. Include a tentative schedule showing when these goals are expected to be met.
• Project Budget (with justification of expenses): A detailed outline of how funds will be allocated for this project. Each item must include a description of its purpose and explain how the expense supports achieving one of the project's goals.
• Reference List: A collection of sources used to complete the proposal.
• AI Disclosure Statement: Refer to URiCA’s AI Usage Policy below. In this part of the proposal, include the following: 1) the name of the Generative AI system; 2) the strategy used (e.g., editing grammar, translating transcripts from your non-native language to your native language, generating ideas, etc.); 3) prompts used; and 4) a list of sections containing AI-generated content.
• Mentor(s) Letter of Recommendation: All mentors involved in the project must submit a recommendation letter to URiCA for both the project and the student(s) participating. Please emphasize the importance of the project and the students’ ability to complete it on time in the letter.

How to submit application materials

Student(s): Submit the completed proposal as a single Word Document or PDF to urp@uww.edu with the subject line (P.I. Last Name) Summer Fellowship Application. Applications must be received by the end of the day on March 1, 2026.

Mentor(s): Please email the completed letter of recommendation as a Word Document or PDF to urp@uww.edu with the subject line (P.I. Last Name) Summer Fellowship Application LOR. Recommendations must be received by the end of the day on March 1, 2026.

URiCA staff will review your application within 48 business hours and send you an acknowledgment of receipt. If any parts are missing, you will be notified and have 48 business hours to respond. Applications not submitted within 48 business hours of notification will be rejected.

Subject Review: URiCA will select at least one content expert to evaluate the proposal and rate it based on the following.

• Is the proposed project relevant to the field of study?
• Are the proposed methods for completing the research project sound according to current practices in the field?
• Will the proposed project generate original data, investigate a new question, or conduct secondary research that advances the broader field of study?
• Is the student ready to finish the proposed project by the deadlines outlined in the proposal?

Review by URiCA/ORSP: At least one member of the URiCA/ORSP team will also assess the proposal and assign a rating based on the following:

• The same questions mentioned earlier.
• The application clearly defines the project's deliverables and expected outcomes.
• Do the student(s) and mentor(s) meet the URiCA criteria for the proposed project?

Awarded proposals will be notified by March 31, 2026.

Award Responsibilities

• All students and mentors involved in awarded projects must agree to the following:
  • Before beginning work on the project (ideally between March 31 and May 15), students and mentors must:
    • Watch a Summer Fellowship Orientation video made by the URiCA team.
    • Finish a Responsible Conduct of Research course.
    • If working with human subjects, complete a course in social, behavioral, and educational sciences.
    • When working with human subjects, ensure an approved protocol is on file with the Institutional Review Board (IRB).
    • If you work in the biomedical field, think about taking a Biomedical Sciences Research course.
    • Fill out an obligation form, agree to the Summer Fellowship grant responsibilities, and submit demographic data for URiCA records.
  • Grant Period Obligations. Grant personnel will:
    • Notify URiCA of any changes to the project's scope or expenses; these must be submitted in writing to URiCA before implementation. URiCA reserves the right to deny any of these requests.
    • Inform URiCA in writing if any student registers for research hours (e.g., 498, 498R, 499 courses) to earn credit toward this project.
    • Reply quickly to any messages from URiCA, preferably within two business days.
    • Complete your end-of-year review of your experience with URiCA.
    • Provide an update on the research completed (including information about the number of hours worked over the summer) over the summer and revise goals to reflect the remaining work for the upcoming academic year. Submit this to URiCA by August 31.
    • Present at UW-W’s Fall URiCA Symposium in November.
    • Present at UW-W’s Spring URiCA Symposium in April.
    • Present their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).
    • Present their research at the Universities of Wisconsin’s Research Symposium.
    • If invited, present at Research in the Rotunda, Science Alliance meetings, or other events held on campus or across the state. We encourage students to take advantage of these opportunities.
    • Notify URiCA of any additional professional presentations, published work, or public displays or showings related to the funded proposal.
    • Submit an extended abstract (2,500 to 4,000 words) to URiCA by the end of the Spring semester (i.e., May 15, 2027). These abstracts will be stored on URiCA’s website to archive the projects completed in the program.

The Undergraduate Research, Innovative, and Creative (URiCA) Program at UW-Whitewater recognizes that the field of Artificial Intelligence is evolving quickly. We also understand that students and mentors might have questions about its use when preparing proposals, conducting funded research, and submitting reports to URiCA. The core principle of our policies is that students and mentors are responsible for how they utilize any Generative AI during these activities. Since our program covers multiple disciplines, students and mentors should also adhere to discipline-specific AI usage policies established by professional organizations as standards.

Other considerations students and mentors should reflect on:

• Understand the relationship between GenAI and Intellectual Property Rights.
• In most research fields, reproducibility and transparency are essential for ethical research, and GenAI tools should not weaken that standard.
• Students and mentors should understand the limitations of GenAI and acknowledge that some tools will sometimes produce "hallucinations."
• When sharing your results, be ready to answer follow-up questions about all aspects of the research.
• Policies of external publications, organizations, and conferences where the work may be submitted or presented, in addition to URiCA-sponsored events.

URiCA also wants to remind all students that the university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity, as well as to develop proper procedures for handling cases of academic dishonesty. Students are accountable for doing their work honestly, accurately representing it, citing sources correctly, and respecting the academic efforts of others. More information can be found at: http://www.uww.edu/dean-of-students/uws-chapter-14-student-academic-disciplinary-procedures.

Faculty/Staff mentors must apply for this grant. There must be a significant travel component to the project.

Complete the Travel Study Application. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.

On the application Faculty/Staff mentors must submit a document that:

• Describes the purpose of the travel grant funding. This statement should, at minimum, include:
  • A detailed budget of expenses
  • The number of students that will be traveling
  • Names of the students who will be traveling (if known at this time)
  • The estimated cost per student for this travel
  • The dates of travel
  • The location of travel
  • The purpose of travel
  • If applicable, a syllabus for the course

Projects are reviewed by Undergraduate Research Program.

Projects are scored on the following criteria:

• Travel is a necessary component of the scholarly, research, creative, or innovative project

• Budget clearly outlines the purpose of the funds being requested

• Project is realistic given the time frame and amount of funding

• If applicable, syllabus outlines travel itinerary

Permitted Expenditures:

• Materials for conducting research project(s) (software, equipment, supplies, etc.). All materials purchased with grant funds belong to the university. Funds must be spent following regular university guidelines and within the university's fiscal year.
• Group travel expenses (group airfare purchased via Fox World Travel, payment to travel vendors, etc.), to bring down the total cost of the travel study course. No funds will be allocated to individual students

Prohibited Expenditures:

• Salary/wages for students, mentors, and/or participants
• Furniture

If awarded, all students enrolled must:

• Attend a travel orientation meeting. This will be arranged by URP staff.
• Submit an abstract and present results or showcase the project at a URP sponsored event
• Complete a web survey at the end of the academic year
• If research will entail or entails human or animal subjects, you must hold or obtain approval from the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). Undergraduate Research Program award funds will not be disbursed to you until you provide the appropriate protocol number from ORSP to URP.
  • Human Research Compliance Policies and Process
  • Animal Research Compliance Policies and Process

If awarded, faculty/staff mentors must:

• Attend a travel orientation meeting. This will be arranged by URP staff.
• Provide students with mentorship throughout the project
• Provide students with feedback on required abstracts and presentations
• Complete a web survey at the end of the academic year

• THIS AWARD IS CLOSED FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR.
• What is it?
  • The Sustainability Award supports students who are engaged in research dealing with environmental and sustainability issues.
• Who is eligible?
  • The proposed research can be conducted by either a single or multiple student investigators who are working with a faculty or staff mentor.
  • All rules governing Undergraduate Research Grant projects apply to recipients of the Sustainability Award.
  • Multiple awards may be given each grant competition period.
• How to submit.
  • The itemized budget must provide details on costs related to the research project. This award will provide up to $500 in addition to the $500 from the URP (total award up to $1000)
  • To apply for this grant, fill out the UR Grant application and check the appropriate box for funding in the survey

THIS AWARD IS CLOSED FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR

What is it?

   • The Discovery Endowment Award supports students who are engaged in course-based research projects.

   • Students enrolled in an Independent Study (Research 498 (R)), Honors Thesis, or a Research Methods course may request up to $500 in approved research-related expenses in addition to the $500 maximum research budget allowed under the Undergraduate Research Grant.

   • The proposed project can be conducted by either single or multiple student investigators (with one student applicant clearly identified as the lead student investigator).

   • All rules governing Undergraduate Research Grant projects apply to recipients of the Discovery Endowment Awards. Only one Discovery Endowment Award may be offered per academic year.

Who is eligible?

   • Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above (note this is higher than the minimum GPA requirement of a regular Undergraduate Research Grant) as stipulated by the donor of the award.

   • Student must be enrolled in an Independent Study (Research 498 (R)), Honors Thesis, or a Research Methods course.

How to submit!

   • The itemized budget must provide a clear justification for the need of a larger budget (up to $1,000 instead of $500 total).

   • The letter of support from the mentor must clearly indicate the student applicant(s) is enrolled in 498(R) or a specific Research Methods course during the semester of the grant application.

   • To apply for this grant, fill out our UR Grant/SURF application and check the appropriate box for this funding!

THIS AWARD IS CLOSED FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR

What is it?

   • A total of six awards are available per academic year, and each award request can be up to $500 in research budget (on top of any other grant budget request).

   • Applicants are selected among eligible and successful undergraduate research proposals that show high quality of research and justification for increased research budget.

Who is eligible?

   • Biology majors conducting Biological Sciences research.

   • Students with at least a sophomore standing.

   • Students with an overall GPA of 3.0 or above.

How to submit!

   • To apply for this grant, fill out our UR Grant/SURF application and check the appropriate box for this funding!

*If you are interested in applying, please email the Undergraduate Research staff at urp@uww.edu. Applications are reviewed by the URP staff.

THIS AWARD IS CLOSED FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR

Who is eligible?

   • A registered student at UW-Whitewater.

   • All candidates must be a native of Wisconsin (preference given to candidates from Wautoma, WI).

   • Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.

   • The candidate may be a sophomore, junior, or senior at the time of application.

   • Students need an approved faculty mentor as part of URP and must be conducting academic research.

   • The candidate should submit a completed application a semester prior to receiving the scholarship.

Selection process

   • The selection of the candidate(s) will be made by the Director of the Undergraduate Research Program, with input from other appropriate persons with regard to finalist candidates and the criteria below must be adhered to.

   • After finalist candidates are selected, if there is a candidate from Wautoma (Waushara County), that candidate will receive the scholarship.

   • To be considered as a finalist candidate, student(s) must have a superior research project proposal, provide prior evidence to suggest high-caliber work will be completed, and have a demonstrated passion for research.

How to submit!

   • To apply for this grant, fill out our UR Grant/SURF application and check the appropriate box for this funding!

THIS AWARD IS CLOSED FOR THE 2024-2025 ACADEMIC YEAR

What is it?

• This program provides financial support of up to $800 each for students to travel with a faculty mentor to present their research at a professional conference.
• At most ten travel grants will be awarded annually.
• This award supports and encourages research by our most talented undergraduate researchers.
• This program is intended to complement the experience students gain by presenting at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research.

Who is eligible?

• Students must be enrolled full-time in a College of Letters and Sciences major.
• Applicants must be juniors or seniors.
• Students need a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher.
• Mentors must be College of Letters and Sciences faculty, or academic staff members holding at least a 50% appointment. Support for travel by mentors should be requested through the College Professional Development funds or funded extramurally.

The following criteria will be considered in awarding travel grants:

• Student GPA
• Role of the student in the research project/scholarly activity and presentation
• Student interest/success in research (participation in the UW-Whitewater Undergraduate Research Program for multiple years and work toward a research-based honors thesis are especially relevant
• Faculty history of successful mentoring of research students (including student authorship on publications, student conference presentations or other relevant activities
• Faculty mentor must attend the conference with the student
• Only one student per paper/presentation will be funded
• Distribution of funds among mentors and departments/program
• Cost-effectiveness of travel arrangements

How to submit.

• Requests will be accepted on a rolling basis, but application materials must be received no later than 90 days before the scheduled conference travel.
• Faculty mentors must submit the L&S Travel Award application on behalf of their student presenters using the form available here.
• Include a copy of the student's unofficial transcript, the student's CV, a description of the research project/scholarly activity to be presented highlighting the student's role, and a brief mentor CV.
• Provide a copy of the acceptance letter or preliminary conference program that lists the student's role as a presenter. The application will still be reviewed if this documentation is not yet available, but the documentation MUST be provided to receive the award.
• Email the complete application file as a single document to urp@uww.edu with "L&S Student Travel Award Application" in the subject line.
• The URP Director will make recommendations to the L&S Associate Dean. Award decisions will be announced by email as soon as possible, and awards are available until funds are exhausted.

Travel Arrangements and Reimbursement

• ALL travel arrangements must follow university travel policy or YOU WILL NOT BE REIMBURSED. Airfare must be purchased using the Concur booking tool or by calling a Travel, Inc representative at  877-811-9898. Lodging must be booked directly through the conference or through the Concur booking tool.  For questions about travel policy, travel authorization and reimbursement procedures,  please refer to travel support  and a guide to infrequent travelers .
• Once you have been notified that you are an award recipient, you will need to complete an electronic Travel Authorization form. This must be completed at least three weeks prior to your travel. To learn more about this, go to  travel support and scroll down to Travel Authorization . Should you have questions about how to proceed, please work with your mentor who will likely be able to assist.
• Upon return from your conference, submit an electronic expense report, also known as an eTER, to get reimbursed. All eTERs must be submitted no later than June 1st of the academic year in question.
• All reimbursements must follow state and UW System guidelines. Please see our FAQ page for additional information: FAQ.