Research Funding

UScholars Student Presenting Research

Conference or Academic-Year Research Applications 


All UScholars in good academic and student conduct standing pursuing any type of project are eligible to apply on a rolling basis for very limited funding to travel to present their research at a conference during the calendar year or to conduct research during the academic year. Such funding enables students to pursue research opportunities by defraying related expenses. 

Students may apply only once per calendar year (for conference funding) or academic year (for research funding). Disbursements are capped for each student at $500 for domestic travel and $1,000 for international travel. 

Application Components 


Online Funding Application Form 
A one-page application must specify the rationale for funding, demonstrate how funds will be utilized, and provide a justification for each line item. The application must follow professional standards and include appropriate references to others' academic work.

For conference presentations, please include as a citation in the proposal:

  • Conference name, dates, and location
  • Presentation title, author list (if more than one author), format (oral, poster, etc.), date/time of presentation, duration, and URL of presentation link (if available)

Timeline 
These funding proposals must be completed and submitted via an online form at least three (3) weeks before the funding is needed. If you receive any funding, you must complete all post-award requirements as listed in your award letter.

Summer Research Proposals 

The UScholars program serves as a student’s primary co-curricular research commitment. As such, the program provides financial support sufficient to enable students to conduct their research full-time over the summer with focus only on the UScholars research project, without commitments to or financial support from other opportunities. Funding levels vary by student and are based on individual needs. In general, disbursements to students in a typical summer range from $500 to $5,000. 

All UScholars in good academic and student conduct standing pursuing any type of project are eligible to apply for funds to cover the costs of their summer research. Also, to be eligible to apply, all applicants must attend the spring funding workshop prior to the summer for which they are requesting funding. A majority of the UScholars Faculty Council must approve a proposal for it to receive funding. Upon initial submission, proposals are expected to be complete according to the guidelines stated below.  However, in keeping with the UScholars educational mission, the committee has the option of requesting that an insufficient proposal be revised and resubmitted for further consideration. 


Proposal Components 


Online Funding Proposal Form 
Proposals must address in essay form all parts of the questions and follow professional standards for your field of inquiry, including citations to other scholars' work. The narrative proposal is the most important part of the application; please work closely with your faculty mentor to ensure that it is well-developed. 

The research narrative must outline the following:

  • Theoretical premise: What do you aim to learn? On what previous related work within your field of inquiry is your project based?
  • Methodological process: How you will come to answer the project’s driving questions?
  • Project’s relevance: Why does this work matter and how might its outcomes contribute to an existing body of knowledge?
  • Degree of independence: If this research is conducted within a group, please be especially clear in distinguishing between your work and that of the larger group. How will your project or role in the lab differ from what has been or will be done? 
  • Relevance to the UScholars mission: How does your project align with the mission or values of UScholars?

Human subjects research

As you prepare your research proposal, please consult with your research mentor to determine if your intended proposal meets the definition of human subjects research. If you determine that your proposal does meet this definition, please indicate this in your proposal and provide proof of where your proposal currently stands in the Penn Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. For more information on the IRB, please see this webpage: https://irb.upenn.edu./.

Budget

The proposal’s budget must itemize, detail, and justify the specific expenses funding is intended to cover since this funding is designed to cover the actual costs directly incurred while you conduct your research over the summer, whether at Penn or elsewhere.  For example, you must specify the rental amount for the period of any rented housing, your monthly food costs, and other expenses resulting from pursuing your research. To prepare your budget, please take advantage of this SRFS resource (https://srfs.upenn.edu/financial-wellness) for learning how to budget and this resource (https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator) for determining costs of living in Philadelphia and beyond. Possible funding, as stated below, depends on need and varies on a case-by-case basis. 

Eligible costs include: 

  • Costs of living (e.g., rent, meals, etc.): Up to $1,500 per month for up to three months. These costs must be itemized as specfically as possible. 
  • Travel costs (e.g., economy air or train fare, economy lodging, etc.): You must use the most economical options.  You cannot receive travel funding to somewhere you are already going to be, even without the research project, such as for a job or study abroad. 
  • Materials and supplies: While laboratory supplies and research materials are normally provided by the lab in which a student works, non-laboratory fields may not necessarily provide such resources. In all cases, when requesting funding for supplies, materials, or books, you must list what is already supplied by your mentor’s resources, and describe how the additional resources are needed and why UScholars funding is needed to purchase them. 

Ineligible costs include: 

  • stipends, hourly wages, salaries, tuition (with the exception of language instruction), field camps, and other learning experiences justified by a training proposal 
  • computers/laptops 
  • equipment or other durable goods 

In all cases, there may be special circumstances that might cause you to go beyond the $5,000 funding limit. If this is applicable to you, please fully explain your situation, what you need, and why.

Faculty Mentor's Letter 
Your Penn faculty mentor (please see Requirements > "Note on Faculty Mentors") must provide a letter of support specific to the research proposal that addresses its usefulness and feasibility within the intended time frame. Particularly, the letter of support should include or describe the following:

  • affirm that you have the skills, background, experience, and knowledge required for the chosen methodology and independent work.
  • the nature of the mentorship that the letter writer is going to provide, including how often they will meet with you or how, if applicable, they plan to train or hone your researching skills. 
  • their acknowledgement of the project.
  • the degree to which the project is independent, the faculty advisor’s role in your project, and how closely or distantly they will engage with the project.
  • the feasibility of your research project.
  • and discuss others who will provide additional advice or consultation, if applicable. This might include post-doctoral fellows, grad students, or other professors.

If you intend to complete your summer research at an institute or with researchers unaffiliated with Penn, please note that you are still required to have a Penn faculty mentor submit a letter of support for your proposal. This faculty mentor must also continue to check-in with you periodically throughout the summer to provide continued guidance on your work.

The UScholars staff may also request that your mentor or supervisor from the unaffiliated organization send a letter of support/intent that states their willingness to host you for the summer. This brief letter should also outline your primary responsibilities as you work with them.

Timeline 
Summer research funding proposals must be completed and submitted via an online form by no later than March 1. Students will begin to receive notifications by mid-March. If instructed to revise and resubmit their proposal, students will be given a final deadline to submit materials for review by the Program Coordinator and Faculty Director.

Students who have fully accepted their funds and have acknowledged the funding requirements will receive the funds through their Student Registration and Financial Services (SRFS) portal. Most students receive their funds by the end of April, although there may be some variation from student to student. Current Scholars should refer to the UScholars Student Handbook for further information.

All summer research funding recipients must submit a progress report approved by the student’s research advisor or mentor by no later than Sept. 1; they will be prompted to do so by CURF's application system.  Additionally, they must present their research at the Fall Research Expo following their summer research. 

 
Training Proposals 


Although many UScholars will be actively engaged in research projects during their first year at Penn, an occasional UScholar would benefit from additional training before applying for research support.  This training might include, for example, learning specialized laboratory or field techniques or participating in intensive language training.  In these cases, the UScholar may submit a research proposal for summer training. Normally, these proposals are limited to rising sophomores and must be clearly linked to a specific future research project. The UScholar must have a research advisor who is a member of the Penn faculty (please see Requirements > "Note on Faculty Mentors") and who, in a supporting letter, must describe the importance of the training for a specific future research project and agree to guide the student over the summer during which the training takes place.