Research and Project (ReaP) Grants

Important policy changes have been implemented for the ReaP Grants program for academic year 2020-2021. Please review all posted information carefully.

**Any funds awarded through your business office MUST be spent by June 30th, 2021.**

The GPSC recognizes that student education is advanced through academic research and projects. Therefore, the GPSC offers Research and Project (ReaP) grants of up to $1,500 to partially or completely fund research and projects for graduate and professional students and up to $750 to partially or completely fund research and projects for Undergraduate students.

Please read ALL of the sections on this web page before you submit an application. To ensure your application receives full consideration, please check the GPSC ReaP Grant Evaluation Rubric and fill out your application accordingly. Questions regarding any part of the application process may be directed to the GPSC Grants Office at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.

In order to complete your grant application, you will be directed to Submittable, a third party grant management application. By continuing with this application, you consent to providing your student information to Submittable, and to having Submittable receive and process that student information, in order to complete your application and be considered for a grant award.

NOTE: Please log-in with your UA NETID (email.arizona.edu) account

Online Application

GPSC ReaP Grant Evaluation Rubric

It is suggested that all applicants save their text and responses on a separate document (Word or Google doc) in case an error occurs to ensure nothing is lost. If an error does occur, please contact the Submittable Technical Support team at support@submittable.com as soon as possible.

Last updated: 7/31/19

Range of Support

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GPSC Research and Project Grants are intended to partially or completely fund research and projects for graduate, professional and undergraduate students that can be completed within one calendar year of the award date. Applicants can apply for up to $1,500 from the GPSC to support their research or project for graduate and professional students and up to $750 for undergraduate students. Expenses made before the award date are not eligible for reimbursement. Research and projects covered by the grant may include (but are not limited to):

Research carried out in fulfillment of a graduate or undergraduate degree.
Pilot research prior to initiating a larger study
An exhibit, concert, or art installation carried out in fulfillment of a graduate or undergraduate degree.

Below is a list of allowable costs. Any item purchased with the grant belongs to your department. The list is not exhaustive. Please contact gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu if you have any questions regarding the allowance/prohibition of items not on the below list.

Laboratory or project supplies 
Research or project equipment 
Subject compensation¹
Software that is not already provided by the UA or otherwise freely available (Please check sitelicense.arizona.edu to see if there is any software that you could use already provided free of charge or at a reduced fee. If the software is provided at a reduced fee, you may include this fee in your grant application.) 
Books that are not available through the UA library or InterLibrary Loan and their research purpose is well-justified. We will not cover books for classes.
Archival fees
Transcription services
Well-justified research assistant compensation²
Well-justified computer & accessory costs³

¹Subject compensation may be in the form of cash (preferred), gift cards, or food/refreshments, and ReaP awards for subject compensation will be disbursed as stipends rather than processed through academic business offices. If using food/refreshments as subject compensation rather than cash, the applicant must explain why this is a more appropriate form of compensation for their project.

²Applicants must demonstrate that the research assistant will be performing a task which the applicant cannot perform themselves. Transcription services are exempt. Research assistant compensation will be disbursed as stipends rather than processed through academic business offices.

³Applicants must demonstrate that the necessary computer/accessory is not available as an on-campus resource. The computers and accessories must be functioning as or in direct support of specialized scientific equipment and cannot be used for any non-project purpose such as basic, everyday communication.

Prohibited Items

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Expenses made before the award date are not eligible for reimbursement. Please contact gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu if you have any questions regarding the allowance/prohibition of items not on the below list.

Expenses related to travel, including but not limited to, gas/mileage reimbursement, airfare, hotel, etc. For these expenses, please apply to our Travel Grant program.
Dissertation fees, including but not limited to, Graduate College and/or graduation fees and dissertation printing expenses.
Tuition or remuneration of time spent on research project
Travel visas, passport photos, and visa mailing fees
Editing fees
Membership dues
Office or laboratory furniture
Office equipment or supplies
Philanthropic events
Entertainment
Child Care
Items that do not directly contribute to the execution of the project.

Activities that could otherwise be funded through another GPSC funding program (Travel, or Professional Opportunities Development (POD) Grants) will not be considered for a Research and Project Grant.

FAQs

Does the grant cover page charges?
- If the paper has been accepted for publication, then you may apply for the grant to cover page charges. We will not cover page charges for papers that are either in prep or submitted.
Does the grant cover shipping charges or taxes?
- Yes. However, all anticipated charges must be included in the application. They will not be covered after the fact.

Eligibility

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Applicants must be University of Arizona graduate or professional or undergraduate students at the time of application and over the duration of the proposed research or project timeline.
Applicants may only submit one application per round.
Applicants are only eligible to receive one ReaP Grant per academic year.
Applicants are only eligible to apply for ReaP Grant funding for research or projects that have yet to be completed, and which can be completed within one year of the award date. Expenses made before the award date are not eligible for reimbursement.

FAQs

I am graduating in May. Can I apply to fund research or a project which will be completed after my graduation?
- No. You must be a student for the duration of your research or project timeline.
I am an incoming graduate/professional/undergraduate student enrolled in classes for next semester. Can I apply for a ReaP grant at this time?
- No. You will be eligible to apply for a ReaP Grant starting in the semester for which you are enrolled
Can I apply and receive both a Travel Grant and Research and Project Grant in the same year?
- Yes.

Application and Faculty Letter of Support Deadlines

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GPSC Research and Project Grant has the following deadlines for academic year 2020-2021. All required materials must be submitted to the online portal by 11:59 PM Arizona Time on the day of the deadline. No exceptions will be made.

September Round: Application opens August 10th, applications due September 10th

November Round: Application opens October 1st, applications due November 1st

February Round: Application opens January 1st, applications due February 1st

April Round: Application opens March 1st, applications due April 1st

An automated submission confirmation email is generated once an online application is submitted. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact the Submittable Technical Support team at support@submittable.com.
Faculty letters of support are due at the same day and time as the applications! In your Submittable application, you will find a textbox in which you can enter your faculty supporter's email address. Submitting the application generates an email from Submittable which will provide your faculty supporter with a link to upload their statement of support-- this means that if you don't submit your application until 11:50pm the day before the deadline, your faculty supporter may not see their upload link in time to provide you with a letter. While not having a letter of support does not immediately disqualify you, it may affect your total score. So, please plan to submit your application with time to spare!
Please advise your faculty recommender to submit a letter addressing: 1) the importance of the project, 2) the applicant’s qualifications for completion of the proposed project, and 3) the project’s feasibility in terms of budget considerations, the project timeline, permissions, or other relevant factors. In order to maintain standards of double-blind reviewing, we ask that they not include your name in the file name or in the letter of support.

FAQs

I do not see the ReaP Grant application when I click the “Online Application” button on this website.
- The application may not be open yet. Please check the application opening and closing dates listed above. If the application should be open at this time, please email us at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
I am having trouble submitting my application online. Can I submit my application materials via email?
- No, we can only accept application materials via the online application. Judges can only view materials submitted through the online system/portal, and as such, we cannot accept materials in an alternate format. If you are experiencing issues with the online application, please contact the Submittable Technical Support team at support@submittable.com.

Before beginning the application, applicants should save their text and responses on a separate document (Word or Google doc) in case an error occurs to ensure nothing is lost. If an error does occur, please contact the Submittable Technical Support team at support@submittable.com as soon as possible.

Selection Criteria

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The number of awards per round is contingent upon the availability of funds and the number of applications received.
Applications are reviewed by graduate students from various disciplines. After the judges submit their evaluation scores, a cutoff score is generated based on the number of applications and the amount of funds available.
For information regarding the necessary components of a ReaP Grant application as well as the criteria used by judges to evaluate ReaP grant applications, please refer to the GPSC ReaP Grant Evaluation Rubric.

Notification of Awards

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The GPSC ReaP Grant program is competitive and is not a guaranteed source of funding.
Applicants will be notified via email when an application status changes. You may check your online application portal for updates on your status.
Award determination will take several weeks.
If awarded a ReaP grant, the applicant will be asked to accept or decline the award. Upon accepting the award, the approved amount will be distributed through the awardee's Bursar's account as a stipend within two to three weeks after award notification*. Stipends are considered taxable income and may affect financial aid status.
Applicants who were not awarded are encouraged to reapply during subsequent rounds, provided that all eligibility criteria are met (see the “Eligibility” section above).

*If research or project expenses must by processed through the awardee’s academic department’s business office instead, the awardee will be asked to let us know upon receiving the award notification and the award will be subject to additional terms. Subject compensation and research assistant expenses will be disbursed as stipends.

It is the responsibility of the individual or the organization to ensure that allocated funds are spent in accordance with University of Arizona and Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) policies, and any other policies the recipient is expected to comply with, including institutional approvals if applicable (i.e. IRB, IACUC).

Award Refund and Reallocation Policies

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If you are awarded a Research and Project Grant but would like to decline your award, please notify the Grants Office at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu immediately for instructions on how to return unused funds. If taxes were automatically withheld from your award, only the award amount released to you is to be returned to the GPSC.
If your project is cancelled for reasons beyond your control but you have already incurred non-refundable charges, the GPSC will not require you to return that portion of the grant to the GPSC. Please complete your Post-Award Report to document the expenses which could not be refunded.
Funds may only be used for the purpose(s) approved by the GPSC. Awarded applicants may request to reallocate funds. To submit a reallocation request, please email gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu and a form will be assigned to you to complete. Reallocation requests may take several weeks to review.
If the final cost of an approved item is more than the budgeted amount, the GPSC will not pay the difference.
If less than 90% of awarded GPSC funds are used, then that student will be required to reimburse the University of Arizona for the unspent funds. Please notify us of your unused funds at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.

Post-Award Reporting and Responsibilities

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ReaP Grant awardees are required to submit a Post-Award Report within one calendar year of the award date. Failure to meet these reporting requirements affects your eligibility for future GPSC Research and Project funding. The Post-Award Report will be assigned to awardees and completed entirely through the Submittable platform. Once assigned, the form is accessible to awardees via Submittable under the tab labeled "Post-Award Form." Required components include: 1) an experience narrative (500 word limit), and 2) verification that all other award conditions have been met.
All receipts of purchase and a record of human subject compensation (if applicable) are to be submitted upon project completion if requested by the Grants Office.
Awardees must spend at least 90% of their award. If less than 90% of awarded GPSC funds are used, then that student will be required to reimburse the University of Arizona for the unspent funds. Please notify us of your unused funds at gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu.
Awarded applicants must acknowledge GPSC on all publicity, presentations, posters, and publications regarding the research project. The GPSC logo will be provided for use if funding is awarded.

Grants Judges

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Awardees may be asked to serve as judges for following GPSC grant application rounds.
Graduate and professional student volunteers may also serve as judges. Serving as a GPSC Grants Judge allows would-be applicants to obtain an insider's perspective on the evaluation process. Other reasons to be a judge include:
- Formulating a more competitive application by reviewing actual applications
- Additional service or volunteer experience for the relevant section of your CV or résumé
- Obtaining an insider's perspective on an evaluation process similar to how major granting agencies (NSF/NIH/NEH) award research grants
- Being involved in a central part of student governance
If you are interested in serving as a GPSC Grants Judge, please sign-up to become a judge via https://forms.gle/PX17dTTEdWkym7NQ7 or email gpscfunding@email.arizona.edu. All volunteer judges are signed up to review grant applications (Travel, ReaP, and POD) on an ongoing basis, unless otherwise specified.

PLEASE NOTE: You MAY NOT serve as a judge for the ReaP Grants program in the same round in which you applied. You may, however, be assigned applications for a different program (Travel or POD). Please notify us if you have submitted an application but would also like to serve as a judge.

Confidentiality Clause

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Confidentiality Requirement for GPSC Applicants and Reviewers-

Purpose:

The Graduate & Professional Student Council (GPSC) at the University of Arizona takes seriously our responsibility to maintain confidentiality throughout the review process. This policy serves to remind GPSC Officials, GPSC Directors, and Peer judges of their responsibility concerning confidentiality in the application review process.

Measures to Ensure Confidentiality:

GPSC Grants & Funding policy directs applicants to not include any personal identifiers in their application documents.
Applicants may need to identify in grant applications information that the applicant considers being trade secrets, information that is commercial or financial, or information that is privileged or confidential.
When such information is included in the application it is with the understanding that the information will be used or disclosed only for the evaluation of the application.
The information contained in applications shall not be used or disclosed except for evaluation purposes unless disclosure is mandated by University Policy or applicable law.
An applicant may not contact student reviewers/ judges or Council members who potentially may be involved in the evaluation of an application. Applicants may request information and clarifications only from the Grants Director or the Funding Administrator.
Student reviewers/ judges and Council members are instructed to direct all such inquiries to the attention of, and notify directly, the GPSC Grants Office.

GPSC is committed to protecting such information, including measures to ensure confidentiality in the review.

1) Before participating in the initial review for grant applications every individual involved in the process must certify a Confidentiality and Non – Disclosure Rules [Click here for Confidential Agreement] before gaining access to information about the applications, proposals, or review. GPSC is not liable for the intentional breach of confidentiality by reviewers.

2) Data Security

GPSC uses a third - party platform Submittable for Grants application, submission, and management.

GPSC not liable for third-party security breach and hacking of our emails, computers, cloud, and servers.

Thank you to our supporters!

ReaP grants are made possible by funds provided by the GPSC, the Graduate College, Student Fees, and the Vice President of Research through the Office for Research, Discovery and Innovation. Thank you to all of our partners for their meaningful contributions to graduate and professional student advancement.