Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Allowable Expenses

  • Specialized equipment. (Hard drives, computers, and tablets will be allowed only if no other viable storage option is available, all files should be stored in accordance with UVU policy).
  • Stipends for guest presenters, experts, etc.
  • Student salary to include benefits (must be hired through Human Resources in ALL situations).
  • Gift cards (must provide procedure of distribution and oversight). Cannot exceed allowable income limits for UVU employee's and may require tax reporting documentation, to be the responsibility of the awardee.
  • Travel (personnel and students)
  • One course re-assigned time will be considered with a convincing justification and IF the Dean and Department Chair support this in writing and sign the application to that effect. Please consult both ahead of time before submitting applications.

Non-Allowable Expenses

  • Personnel (employee) salary of any sort for staff or faculty whether full time, part time, or over summer when faculty are off contract
  • Monetary stipends of any sort for staff or faculty whether full time, part time, or over summer when faculty are off contract
  • Monetary or material gifts for work performed
  • Any expenses related to study abroad programs including but not limited to preparation costs, travel costs, or reimbursements
  • Any expenses related to Capstone projects
  • Any expenses related to required course completion, to include student salary, materials and supplies
  • Graduate student salaries or projects
  • Any expenses or payments, including salary or stipends of any sort, for course design or development
  • Computers that are commonly available on campus and do not provide a specialized need fulfillment.
  • Commonly available equipment and supplies
  • Salary, travel or any type of compensation for non-UVU students

Budget Forms

Year End Reports

  • Student Participation Report (may download a hard copy here for convenience, must be filled out in the original ZEngine application online to be accepted)
  • Student Budget Reconciliation Report (may be downloaded here, must be attached to the original ZEngine application online where indicated)
  • Faculty Budget Reconciliation Report (may be downloaded here, must be attached to the original ZEngine application online where indicated)
  • Final Outcomes and Assessment Report. To be completed within the original ZEngine application. One additional document may be attached within this report.

Students

Research Applications

Can more than one student submit an undergraduate research proposal for the same study?

If more than one student is working on the same project then NO, they must submit as a team. If they submit separately for the same project one will automatically be denied. FYI, budgets are different based on individual or team projects and this is detailed on the website.

Can the faculty mentor for an undergraduate research project include a faculty stipend in the budget?

No, Faculty stipends are not allowed on any of the GEL grants nor are they allowed on a student grant application.

Can a faculty member submit a grant proposal for the same study that a student submitted as their study (and which the faculty member is mentoring them for)?

No. If a faculty member is acting as a mentor on a project that the student is being funded for and conducting then the faculty is a volunteer mentor. If the faculty wants to conduct a very different phase of the same project and can clearly document the differences they may apply for that phase of the project only. They cannot include budget request to pay the same students to work on this separate phase if the students have been paid to work on their own phase of the same project.

Budget Requests

Can I combine a request for dissemination funds in my research application request?

No. There is a separate application specifically for dissemination requests. Any research applications that have dissemination included will have budgets adjusted down to eliminate the dissemination amount, or declined in entirety.

What is considered the academic year for funding requests?

The academic year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. Funds requested must be spent by the June 30 deadline if they are awarded through the URSCA Research or Dissemination Grant award program.

If I am awarded a TEELs grant, do I need to use all my funds by the June 30 deadline?

No, it is not required to spend your funds by the June 30 deadline for the BoTs or the TEELs grant. You will be required to adhere to the grant requirements for fund expenditure for these two grants.

It says that students will only be awarded one URSCA Research and one URSCA Dissemination grant each academic year. What if I am part of a team, am I still limited to only one?

Each Primary Investigator is limited to one URSCA Research or Dissemination grant each academic year. Co-PI's that perform only supporting roles and have a much smaller time commitment will be able to apply for their own Research or Dissemination grant in the academic year.

If I receive an URSCA does that mean I cannot receive a TEELs?

No. The limit of one Research and one Dissemination grant in an academic year does not include the BoTs or the TEELs. Student may still apply and be awarded these as decided by the award committees.

Dissemination Applications

Can travel be included in the budget?

Yes, dissemination applications are specifically for travel expenses.

Can I book my own travel and get a reimbursement?

No. All travel must be booked through UVU's Concur travel request system by your faculty mentor or dean's financial manager.

What is allowed in a dissemination budget?

Travel to and from a conference for an enrolled student/s, hotel, conference registration and per diem.

Is there a limit on per diem?

Yes, Per-diem is limited to one dinner reimbursement per day based on location and detailed in university guidelines and on Concur.

Is there a limit on the total budget request allowed?

Yes, these limits are listed on the "apply for funding" web page for dissemination and is based on the number of applicants on each request.

NCUR and UCUR

Can I use an URSCA Dissemination application to pay for travel to NCUR or UCUR?

Yes, but only for travel expenses, please see "Dissemination Applications" above for guidelines. Note: all students whose abstracts are accepted to present at NCUR and UCUR will have their conference registration paid for by the Innovation Academy.

Student Grant Scoring Rubric

Applications are scored on a 1-5 Likert Scale with 1 being extremely poor and 5 being excellent

  1. Abstract, Purpose, Hypothesis
    • Proposal is well written and organized, offering clear background context, and outcomes.
    • Project has clearly stated objectives and outcomes that can be readily evaluated.
  2. Methodology
    • Methodology of the project is clear and requires rigorous effort at the undergraduate level.
  3. Dissemination
    • In the context of the discipline, there is a clear plan for dissemination and, if appropriate, an opportunity for professional peer review beyond the confines of UVU.
  4. Discipline Importance
    • Project includes a product that significantly contributes to scholarship or creative work within its discipline.
  5. Transformative Nature
    This applies only to the BoTs Grant. Leave blank for all other grant applications.
    • Project is significantly transformative to the applicant.
    • Project has a community transformative component.
  6. Level of Faculty Support
    • Level of support indicated in faculty recommendation section of the application.
  7. Budget Justification
    • A clear and appropriate budget justification is provided.
    • Is the requested budget appropriate for the scope of the project?
  8. Project Funding options
    • Fund
    • Do not fund
    • Revise and resubmit
  9. Comments and Feedback

Faculty

GEL Grants

My guest lecturer is a UVU faculty/employee, can I pay them a stipend.

No. See Allowable Expenses above

Can my unused GEL Carrot funds be rolled to the second year?

No. These funds are appropriated and as such are swept on June 30 of each year. All Carrot grant budgets reset for the second year to the second year awarded fund amount.

Who is eligible to apply?

UVU Tenured, Full-Time and Associate Faculty.

Non-eligible:

Staff, Adjunct Faculty, Interns, Apprentices, Lecturers, Professionals in residence, Students, Community members, Members of other Universities

Can I collaborate with another college on the same application?

To collaborate with another college the application will need to be separated and applied for by each individual in their respective college. This means that each application will apply for a clear and separate portion of the project. The reason behind this is so that each college's financial manager, department chair and dean are aware and approve of the time and financial commitment for the respective PI's.

Budgets

Does the faculty salary at the adjunct rate mean the PI can get paid this as a stipend?

No. The faculty salary at the adjunct rate refers to providing funds from your grant request to pay for an adjunct to cover one course release for the PI to work on the research project.

Can a faculty PI get paid through a GEL grant?

Yes, a faculty can choose to have a lump sum payment at the end of the academic year in lieu of requesting a re-assigned time course release, after completing a Time and Effort Report and having it approved. The lump sum limit per grant per year is $3,000. Faculty may not request a re-assigned course release and lump sum payment.

Stipend Request Form

Scoring Rubric for GEL Grants

(scored on a 1-5 Likert scale with 1 = Extremely Poor, 5 = Excellent)

  1. Relevance, Statement of Need, and Project Background
    (Total Relevance Score out of 20)
    • Rate how thoroughly the mission of the project is conveyed and establishes context.
    • Rate how well the situation/problem is addressed by the proposal.
    • Rate how well the proposal describes prior work and accomplishments, and if applicable, establishes current status of the field, providing statistical facts and figures.
    • How clearly does it indicate the project will benefit and advance the field?
  2. Project Goals, Objectives and Impact
    (Total Project Goals Score out of 20)
    • Does the proposal have realistic and attainable goals with long term effects and benefits from the desired outcomes?
    • Rate how well the goals and objectives are related to the needs of the target beneficiaries.
    • Rate how well the Impact measurement assessments are described.
    • Rate the clarity of the student learning objectives, are they specific and measurable?
  3. Proposal Sustainability
    (Total Proposal Sustainability Score out of 20)
    • How well does the project enhance learning above and beyond the UVU students who will be involved in this project?
    • How well is the project integrated into the academic program/department?
    • Rate the sustainability of the project beyond the GEL funding period.
    • How enduring is the project on curriculum and programming?
  4. Budget, Proposal Strength, and Quality
    (Total Budget Score out of 15)
    • Rate the budget justification.
    • Rate the overall strength of the proposal within the context of it's discipline.
    • Rate the overall quality of the proposal within the context of it's discipline.
    • Is the requested budget appropriate for the scope of the project? (yes or no)
  5. Does this project target current UVU priorities?
    • Inclusion, First-generation, completion/retention, other
    • Freshman, Sophomore target
  6. Should this project be:
    • funded
    • not funded
    • revised and resubmitted
  7. Comments and Feedback