The Research Council of Graduate Professional Student Congress is excited to announce a joint collaboration with the Office of Research and Innovation to establish a competitive process to award internally funded research grants to graduate and professional students starting spring 2020.

Together, the GPSC and the Office of Research and Innovation will award three research grants each in the fall and spring semesters. Students can apply for and receive up to $1,500 for research projects. This funding mechanism is designed to provide graduate students additional funds to help support their research endeavors, with a focus on supporting dissertation and thesis projects. 

The call for proposals will come out the first week of the spring semester, and graduate students will have one month to write a proposal in line with the National Institute of Health's guidelines for writing grant proposals. The proposals will require graduate students to write a 1,500-word research strategy, which will include specific aims, the approach the applicant plans to use, and the impact to the larger field. Graduate students will also be expected to write a budget narrative explaining how they will use the funds and their proposed timeline for the project.

As part of the application, students will also need a letter of recommendation from their dissertation/thesis adviser, and a three-page bio-sketch highlighting their research experiences. After proposals are submitted, Research Council, a team of graduate and professional students, and faculty mentors will review the proposals using a rubric system. All proposals will be scored and then discussed among the Research Council; we intend to notify winners in late March 2020.

Tiffany Marcantonio, the chair of the Research Council and a doctoral student in public health, said she is thrilled to be part of this initiative and to offer this opportunity to graduate students.

"Having the ability to apply for and receive grant funding from your institution is an excellent training opportunity," she said. "As the pool for funding, federally and elsewhere, continues to decrease, but the number of competitive applicants increases, having every training opportunity to exercise this skill is needed. GPSC and Research and Innovation are devoted to the success of graduate students in research and recognize the benefits to graduate training by offering these grants." 

James "JD" DiLoreto-Hill, the president of Graduate Professional Student Congress, said, "There is a significant need for research funding for graduate and professional students across all disciplines. I couldn't be prouder of the work our Research Council and Dr. Sui's office has put into this initiative which brings us one step closer to bridging the gap allowing for more world-class research opportunities throughout campus." 

Daniel Sui, vice chancellor of research and innovation, said, "Graduate and professional students at U of A are an integral part of our research enterprise. The Office of Research and Innovation is very pleased to offer this support to our graduate and professional students. I commend the leadership role GPSC plays in this effort." 

Dean Kim Needy of the Graduate School and International Education said, "I am very excited to see this important initiative roll-out and want to thank the GPSC leadership and Vice Chancellor Sui for their support of graduate student research and strengthening graduate education on our campus."

For more information about the call for research proposals, the criteria to apply, and due dates, please visit here. GPSC will formally open the application portal on Jan. 27, 2020, and close on Feb. 15, 2020. For more information about GPSC's Research Council and their goals click here.