Internal Funding for Students

The Student Travel Award supports both graduate and undergraduate students that have been accepted to meetings or events sponsored by professional organizations for the purpose of reporting the results of research, exhibiting or performing creative works, or otherwise disseminating results of their scholarly activity.

Students Eligible: Degree-seeking undergraduate and graduate students at the Broadway Campus.

Award: Up to $800

Guidelines

The following guidelines have been created to ensure that all funded travel adheres to the policies and procedures set forth by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Funds received for travel are considered a “Sponsored Trip” with the purpose of providing and supporting external learning and research opportunities for Broadway campus degree seeking students.

Student Travel funds are awarded as reimbursement after travel is completed, with the exception of airfare purchased through the university travel agent. Awarded funds must be used within the fiscal year (June 1-May 31) in which it was awarded.

Grant Description

The Student Travel Grant supports both graduate and undergraduate students that have been accepted to meetings or events sponsored by professional organizations for the purpose of reporting the results of research, exhibiting or performing creative works, or otherwise disseminating results of their scholarly activity. Please note: due to very high demand for student travel funds, we are unable to support students who are attending but not presenting at professional conferences or meetings.

The amount awarded is up to $800 toward expenses incurred during the approved travel. Once the award is closed out through the submission of the general travel expense report, any unused funds for the approved travel will be reallocated to provide other students opportunities to receive funding.

The award amount will depend on the number of applications received, the available budget, and on the priority given to the application by the selection committee.

We provide limited funding based on availability of the budget, amount of applications, amount of times the student has applied for funding, and the location of the conference. Students are strongly encouraged to have some vested interest in attending by paying for some of their travel.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Student Travel Grant, at the time of travel an applicant must be:

1. regularly admitted and enrolled in a degree program
2. in good academic standing
3. enrolled in the semester or session during which the presentation or travel takes place (doctoral students on “continuous enrollment” status for dissertation writing may meet this requirement with at least one hour of enrollment)

An award must be disbursed during the academic and/or fiscal year (June 1-May 31) in which it is awarded. Students that maintain a current enrollment status from Spring to Fall may apply funds for travel during the Summer semester/session. Each individual is only eligible for a total of $800 maximum per fiscal year (June 1- May 31).

Expectation of Student/s

If you receive funds for travel from the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, you are expected to adhere to the following:

• UIW Student Code of Conduct
• UIW Travel Policy
• Office of Research and Graduate Studies travel guidelines
• Relevant research compliance approvals (e.g. IRB approval for human subjects research, IACUC approval for animal research)
• Communicate with the Office of Research and Graduate Studies to review the process and procedures before any funding is disseminated

Expenses/Budget Guidelines

Allowable Costs: Below are items/categories that can be covered by the award, however, this does not mean that all of them will be paid for.

San Antonio (in town) conferences:

• Conference Registration Fee (excludes membership fees)
• Parking fee
• Mileage from UIW to the conference site

Out of town or out of state conferences

• Airfare or mileage
• Hotel accommodations
• Food/per diem rates
• Conference registration fee (excludes membership/organization fees, conference t-shirts, field trips, etc.)
• Transportation costs only if no courtesy shuttle is available from the airport to the hotel and hotel/conference site

Unallowable Costs: Below are the items/categories not covered by the award:

• Rental vehicle
• Gas or any other incidental expenses associated with driving to your destination (see mileage)
• Entertainment expenses
• Alcohol expenses
• Membership fees
• Room service of any type
• Extra nights at hotel beyond the conference dates
• Transportation costs such as taxi fees, Uber fees, Lyft fees, and any other service to get around town (only exception is from airport to hotel/conference if no courtesy shuttle is available)

*No cash advances will be applied for the student travel award

When to Apply

• For Airfare (recommend at least 2 months in advance): If you are requesting assistance with airfare apply as soon as possible. This will allow ample time to book airfare through the University Travel Agent. Airfare will not be booked in advance if the trip is less than 3 weeks away.
• For all other requests (either 1 month before travel or apply immediately after travel for reimbursement). University policy states that expenses and receipts must be submitted within 10 days of travel. Any expenses that are not closed out within the 10 days after travel will be reallocated to the travel fund for other student use.

Submission Process

Only applications submitted online via Submittable will be accepted for review.

Apply for a Student Research Travel Award

Grant Description

The Undergraduate Research Grant supports and encourages mentored scholarly research, scientific inquiry, inventive technology, and artistic/creative activity. This award is up to $1,000 for undergraduate students who are conducting research projects and need financial assistance for necessary materials to begin, and collect data. Costs for projects include subscriptions to software for data collection and/or data analysis; publication costs; materials such as lab supplies; or other costs for research related materials that are not available at the university and are necessary to complete the research project.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award from the Undergraduate Research Grant, an applicant must be:

1. (a) regularly admitted to a degree program
2. (b) in good academic standing
3. (c) enrolled in the semester or in the session that the research takes place
4. (d) be the sole or principal investigator

The grant must be used during the academic year in which it was awarded. Each individual is only eligible for funding once per fiscal year (June 1-May 31).

Budget

The amount awarded is up to $1,000 for the student and $600 for the Faculty Mentor allocated in the following manner:

• Research Support: up to $1,000. Includes costs for materials and resources required to begin or complete a project. This portion of the budget would include lab supplies, software, materials, or other items that are necessary to complete data collection or analysis. Research support does not include travel expenses for conferences to share completed research.
• Faculty Mentor: $600 stipend. This cost does not need to be added to the budget. The Faculty mentor will be required to complete an evaluation of the student and a mentor agreement. The stipend will be distributed at the conclusion of the award after the student completes an Undergraduate Research Award Evaluation Form. Faculty mentors are only eligible to claim a maximum of $1,800 (payment for a max of 3 students).

Submission Process

All applications must be submitted via Submittable.

Apply for an Undergraduate Research Grant

Grant Description

The Graduate Research Grant supports and encourages mentored scholarly research, scientific inquiry, inventive technology, and artistic/creative activity. This award is up to $1,000 for graduate students who are conducting research projects and need financial assistance for necessary materials to begin, and collect data. Costs for projects include subscriptions to software for data collection and/or data analysis; publication costs; materials such as lab supplies; or other costs for research related materials that are not available at the university and are necessary to complete the research project.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an award from the Graduate Research Grant, an applicant must be:

1. regularly admitted to a master's or doctoral degree program
2. in good academic standing
3. enrolled in the semester or in the session that the research takes place
4. be the sole or principal investigator

Budget

The amount awarded is up to $1,000

Research Support: up to $1,000. Includes costs for materials and resources required to begin or complete a project. This portion of the budget would include lab supplies, software, materials, or other items that are necessary to complete data collection or analysis. Research support does not include travel expenses for conferences to share completed research.

Submission Process

Only applications submitted online via Submittable will be accepted for review.

Apply for a Graduate Research Grant

The purpose of this program is to provide institutional financial support to graduate students within the context of a mentored research experience, the award is restricted to graduate students who are:

• Regularly enrolled in either a master’s or doctoral program
• In good academic standing with the University
• Enrolled in at least six hours in the semester or session in which that the appointment occurs (doctoral students in dissertation writing who have completed their minimum dissertation enrollment and are on “continuous enrollment” status may meet this requirement with one hour of enrollment)

This award may not be combined with other tuition discounts.

Award: 3 hour tuition credit to student account per semester (Fall and/or Spring)

Current GRA Openings

Current GRA opportunities are posted to Cardinal Talent.

Use of Research funds

1. These funds are to be used only for the purposes stated in the proposal and budget. It is understood that these funds will be used for such purposes substantially in accordance with the approved budget. It is also understood that no substantial variances, including the timing of expenditures, will be made from the approved budget without the ORSPO's prior approval in writing.

Unused funds

2. Any funds not expended or committed for the purpose of your approved project by May 31 will not roll over to the next fiscal year. All purchase and check requisitions will cease on April 30. Anything submitted after the April 30th deadline must have prior approval.

Additional Funding Sources

3. If you received additional funds from other sources for the same project, this includes departmental funds, please notify the ORSPO.

Re-Budgeting

4. In general, student recipients are allowed a certain degree of latitude to re-budget within and between budget categories to meet unanticipated needs and to make other types of post-award changes. Written approval is required for budget modifications. Recipients shall immediately notify the ORSPO of developments that have a significant impact on the award-supported activities. Also, notification shall be given in the case of problems, delays or adverse conditions which materially impair the ability to meet the objectives of the award. This notification shall include a statement of the action taken or contemplated, and any assistance needed to resolve the situation.

Tax Status

5. The University of the Incarnate Word is a tax-exempt organization. For any purchases that will require reimbursement, please use the tax exempt form.

Before any funds can be dispersed, projects requiring regulatory compliance must have an approval letter from the appropriate review board.

Please visit our Research Compliance website for more information.

Purchase Order (PO) or Check Request Process

Obtain a quote or invoice from the vendor for the items that you would like to purchase. The quote or invoice should provide:

1. The vendor’s name
2. The item and the description
3. The quantity requesting
4. The total cost including shipping and freight charges
   *If the item is from Amazon, you may send a screen shot of your cart and submit it in pdf format with the ASIN numbers of the product.
5. Submit the electronic Purchase Order or Check Request Form

Process After Request

1. The ORSPO will review the quote and ensure it is within the parameters of your award (if it is an allowable cost). The ORSPO also ensures that the vendor is within the UIW system. If not a W9 from the company must be obtained.
2. The request then gets entered into Banner and is reviewed and approved by the Director of the ORSPO.
3. Once approved, Purchasing reviews it and generates a purchase order (PO).
4. Once the purchase order is received, the ORSPO follows up with the vendor to submit the order.

Receiving the Purchased Items

Purchased items are delivered to the ORSPO office, unless they are chemicals which are sent to the laboratory. Please provide a good contact number to ensure that once items arrive, a pick up or delivery time can be arranged.

To order supplies with your award, use the following request form:

Purchase Order (PO) or Check Request Form

Students receiving an Undergraduate Research Award are required to complete a short evaluation survey at the conclusion of the award. The faculty mentor stipend will be distributed at the conclusion of the award after the student completes an Undergraduate Research Award Evaluation Form.