Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Funds

The Office of Undergraduate Research sponsors a limited number of Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) funds during the academic year. The URCA funds are designed to enhance undergraduate involvement and experiences by supporting the following:

  • Supplies or materials to conduct research (for example, software, materials for the arts, scientific supplies, books/journals that cannot be provided by the library, etc.)
  • Personnel (for example, a stipend provided to undergraduates to conduct research)
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  • Travel and/or registration costs for students presenting at a conference** (note that we cannot fund students to attend conferences or workshops where they are not listed as a presenter). International travel needs to be approved by the Office of International Safety and Security before an URCA proposal can be reviewed. Please email globalsafety@kennesaw.edu for more information
    • The Office of Undergraduate Research funds may only be used to pay for early registration fees (or the equivalent cost) unless there is a justified reason as to why the applicant was unable to register on time.
  • Participant incentives (for example, gift cards for individuals who participate in a survey or experiment)
  • Publication costs
URCA Guide Questions?
**Please note: URCA funding cannot be used to support NCUR travel

Use of AI Disclaimer

If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to write your proposal, abstract, or  presentation, it’s important to first seek approval from your Primary Investigator (PI). Even with approval, you must include a disclaimer in your submission that clearly indicates the role AI played in your work. Keep in mind that while AI can be a helpful resource, it’s not infallible – AI-generated content can contain inaccuracies or biased information. As the author, you are fully responsible for the accuracy, ethics, and quality of the content, even if AI-generated. Failure to acknowledge the use of AI tools not only misrepresents your work but also constitutes a breach of academic integrity. 

Details and Deadlines

Application Due Dates - APPLICATIONS FOR FY25 ARE NOW CLOSED
  • Applications will reopen in August 2025 for FY26. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. There are no due dates. As soon as you need funding, apply. We will stop accepting applications on Thursday, March 25, 2026 at 11:59pm due to to fiscal year deadlines, but you can apply up until that point. Due to fiscal year deadlines for state funding, all funds must be spent by the end of April 2026.

  • If you are applying for an URCA to support travel to present at a conference, please wait to apply until you have been accepted to present. Attach a copy of your conference acceptance to your application before submitting. 

Funding Amount

  • Limited to a maximum of $1,000 per student per academic year in order to provide as many opportunities for undergraduate researchers as possible.
  • Limited to a maximum of five students (equivalent of $5,000) per Primary Investigator (PI) per academic year in order to provide as many opportunities for projects as possible.
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    • All KSU-supported research projects are administered in accordance with established University fiscal procedures and research policies. These include all travel regulations, policies relating to the protection of human subjects, and policies related to intellectual property rights. All publications and presentations must acknowledge the assistance of Kennesaw State University.
    • PIs and students are expected to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval prior to collecting any data if the project includes research involving human or animal subjects.
    • Students who are not funded the first time they submit are strongly urged to apply again if they can address the reviewers' concerns.
    • One application per student for one project.  Each student is required to write his/her own application.  Copying from another student applicant will be considered as plagiarism and will be penalized accordingly.
      • Sections written by the PI (Primary Investigator) can be identical among applications from different students.
    • Applications that exceed the stated word count maximums may be disqualified and not considered for funding.
    • Applications that include additional documents that were not requested may be disqualified and not considered for funding.
    • Requests for materials that could be obtained in another manner (e.g. a book available at the library, software available for free at KSU) will not be funded.
    • Students who wish travel support must show they have been accepted to make a formal presentation as an individual (team or group presentations are not supported).
    • Primary Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs can be funded for a maximum of $5,000 per year based on the availability of funding and at the discretion of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
    • Violation of safety protocols or misuse of funds will result in ineligibility for future funding from the Office of Undergraduate for at least one year. The appropriate penalty will be determined by the Director of Undergraduate Research. Students found to misuse resources, including funding, from the Office of Undergraduate Research will be considered as violators of the KSU Code of Conduct and will be reported to theDepartment Student Conduct and Academic Integrity.

  • Student Application Section Questions:

    1. Title of Project
    2. Student Name
    3. Student Email Address
    4. Student Major
    5. Anticipated Student Graduation Date
    6. Primary Investigator (PI) Name
    7. Primary Investigator (PI) Email Address
    8. Primary Investigator (PI) Department
    9. Co-Investigator(s) Names(s), Department(s), and Email Address(es)
    10. Has the student completed all relevant safety and/or ethics training to conduct the specified research activity? (yes, no, not applicable)
    11. The PI and students are expected to obtain Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval prior to collecting any data if the project includes research involving human or animal subjects. Has this project been granted approval by the IRB? (yes, no, not applicable)
    12. Is the student currently enrolled in directed studies/directed methods/or other relevant research course designation with the listed PIs? (yes, no, not applicable)
    13. Project Narrative (Must be written by student. The combined word count from the following five sub-sections cannot be more than a total of 750 words.)
      • BACKGROUND. Provide brief, relevant scholarly or research context, including citations, that demonstrate how the research makes a unique contribution to the area of inquiry
      • KEY RESEARCH QUESTION AND/OR CREATIVE PROJECT GOAL
      • METHODS
      • RESULTS (OR ANTICIPATED RESULTS)
      • CONCLUSION/DISCUSSION
    14. References
      • Please upload a document list of references used in this application in the citation style used in your discipline (for example, MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.)
    15. Budget Table
      • The current budget table can be downloaded from the application main page, under "Supplemental Documents"
    16. Quotes and Supporting Documents
      • IF your budget table includes incentive gift cards, you must include the following: IRB Approval or Exemption AND Fiscal Compliance Approval
    17. Conference Acceptance
      • If you are applying for an URCA to support travel to present at a conference, you must attach a copy of your conference acceptance to your application.

     

    Primary Investigator Section Questions:

    1. Primary Investigator (PI) Statement (Written by PI; 300 words max)
      • Describe your research portfolio (manuscripts, grants, presentations, awards, etc.) as well as your experience incorporating undergraduates into your research activities.
    2. How does this project meet the definition of undergraduate research as defined by the Council on Undergraduate Research: "A mentored investigation or creative inquiry conducted by undergraduates that seeks to make a scholarly or artistic contribution to knowledge." (Written by PI; 300 words max)
      • Briefly describe how this project meets this definition (application may be denied if criteria are not met).
    3. Institutional Impact Statement (Written by PI; 200 words max)
      • Describe the benefit to the institution related to this research activity (preliminary data for pursuing external funding, plans to publish/present, development of intellectual property, collaboration with reputable institutions, etc.).
    4. Student Impact Statement (Written by PI; 400 words max)
      • Describe how this work will positively impact participating undergraduates immediately and in their future endeavors.
    5. Previous Office of Undergraduate Research Funding
      • Name of previous funding
      • Total amount of funding received
      • Deliverables that emerged from the work on the funded project

  • Primary Investigators (PIs)

    • PIs must be under contract at Kennesaw State University.
    • PIs can be full-time faculty, staff, and postdoctoral researchers

     

    Students

    • Students must be current undergraduates at Kennesaw State University.
    • Students who have graduated one semester prior are eligible for conference registration, travel to present at a conference, and publication costs only (in other words, the project is finished, and the only part left is presenting or publishing). The following criteria must be met by students who have recently graduated and are applying for URCA funds:
      • They are KSU students at the time they have done the work, submitted to the conference or journal, and applied for the URCA
      • They list KSU in their affiliation on posters/PowerPoint/conference registration/badges, etc.
      • They are covered by KSU insurance, or they sign a waiver releasing KSU from responsibility
      • It is no later than one term after graduation (summer if they graduate in spring; fall if they graduate in the summer; spring if they graduate in fall) 

  • The Director of the Office of Undergraduate Research will review applications with input from faculty experts. URCA submissions are evaluated according to the following criteria:

    • Quality of writing
    • Scholarly merit
    • Impact on undergraduate researcher
    • Primary Investigator (PI) track record (or potential track record for new PIs)
    • Consideration will be given to feedback from end-of-year reports received by the Office of Undergraduate Research
    • Consideration will be given to use of prior awarded funds and their deliverables from the Office of Undergraduate Research

 

Application Process

Application Form Instructions

The form consists of two sections: the initial Student Application and the Primary Investigator (PI) Section.

It is the responsibility of the student applicant to begin the application process. Once completed, the PI section will be auto-routed for completion. PI's are requested to complete their section within seven (7) days of notification. The two sections together count as a completed application, and incomplete applications will not move on to the review process.

The student section should be clearly written by the student in their own words, and the Primary Investigator (PI) section should be clearly written by the PI. Student sections that appear to have been written by the PI or that are identical to other submissions will be immediately rejected. 

The application for the 2025-2026 academic year will open on August 1, 2025. 

Post-Award Instructions for Recipients

  • After being notified of the award, recipients will have eight weeks to submit requests for purchasing. Recipients must contact the Office of Undergraduate Research (our@kennesaw.edu) within eight weeks after the initial notification, otherwise the funding will be considered forfeited.
    • An extension can potentially be granted at the discretion of the Director for Undergraduate Research on a case-by-case basis, and only for travel costs or delays from third-party vendors that are out of the University's control.
    • Any awarded funding must be spent by the end of March of the current fiscal year in order to comply with fiscal year deadlines. 
  • PIs must complete surveys or other reporting requirements as requested by the Office of Undergraduate Research. PIs who fail to complete reporting requirements will not be eligible for funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research for one (1) year.
    • This can potentially include abstract(s) of the project results and a list of the presentations/ publications/exhibitions from the work completed.
  • Student recipients will be required to present at the Symposium of Student Scholars during Fall or Spring semester.
  • Upon the project's completion, funding recipients must complete an assessment survey for the Office of Undergraduate Research that includes presentations/publications/exhibitions from the work completed.
  • PIs who receive funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research will be required to commit a minimum of 1-hour to judge for the Symposium of Student Scholars each semester, and serve as a reviewer for future funding opportunities for undergraduate research.
    • If these activities are not completed after requests from the OUR Director, PIs will become ineligible for funding from OUR for a minimum of one year.
  • Student and PI recipients of Office of Undergraduate Research funding also agree to be featured in any future news stories as deemed appropriate by OUR

 

Previously Funded URCA Awards

Research and Conference Support Archiveright arrow

 

Frequently Asked Questions

    1. Problem Area: Project Description
      • Too little detail (much fewer words than the maximum allowed).
      • Identical submissions from students working on the same project (note that PIs are permitted to submit the same wording in their sections when serving as the PI for multiple URCAs).
      • The description isn’t scholarly (e.g., no references are included).
      • No (or vague) description of the methodology of the research.
      • There aren’t results or hypothesized results (if you don’t have results yet for a Travel URCA, explain your timetable for having results before the conference).
      • It is not clear if the project makes a unique contribution to the field.
      • The writing is too technical; it is not comprehensible to a general audience.
    2. Problem Area: Budget
      • Approved budget table template not utilized
      • Not itemized as specifically as reviewers like
      • Not added up
      • Research justification not provided
      • Obvious errors (e.g., “gas” instead of mileage; incorrect per diem amounts)
    3. Problem Area: Writing Errors
      • Grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.  
      • Consider visiting the KSU Writing Center for assistance.
    4. Problem Area(s): The PI Sections
      • Very short or vague
      • Too little detail
      • Incomplete section(s)

  • Typically, funding URCAs have the following characteristics: 

    • Clear, engaging, scholarly, well written description of the proposed research project, including how this research will make a unique contribution to the literature in this area.
    • The results of the study are described in the project description, including implications or applications (in other words, why this research is important).
    • Budget is itemized, totaled, and correct.
    • The PI has indicated his/her interest and enthusiasm for mentoring students in general.
    • The PI has indicated that students will learn a great deal from this project (e.g., making academic posters, networking, analyzing data, writing, public speaking, etc.).
  • Because the funding comes from the Office of Undergraduate Research, the funding can only cover undergraduate students. Contact the Graduate College for information on graduate student research funding.

  • Sometimes departments and colleges can help support student research; ask your PI, department chair, and/or dean for more details.

    In addition, several divisions in the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) offer funding - more information.

    Finally, there are discipline-specific organizations that sometimes offer student funding; check with your PI for more information.

  • The application should be initiated by the student applicant. Once completed, the PI section will be auto-routed for completion.

    PI's are requested to complete their section within seven (7) days of notification.

  • Students who wish travel support must show they have been accepted to make a formal presentation as an individual (team or group presentations are not supported).

    **Please note: URCA funding cannot be used to support NCUR travel