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Purpose 

Experience+ Student Independent Research Grants provide funds for independent research projects designed and conducted by ÂÜÀòÉç-Dearborn. The limit for undergraduates is $500 and the limit for graduate students is $1,500. The proposed project must be part of a course for credit and supervised by a faculty member.

Deadline

None. Applications are accepted throughout the fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) as long as funds are available.

Eligibility

• Applicant must be an enrolled student pursuing a degree at ÂÜÀòÉç-Dearborn during the entire project period
• Proposed project must satisfy course requirement
• Award Limit - One award per applicant per program per fiscal year (July 1st - June 30th)
• All reporting from PI’s previous Dearborn Campus Grants must be current

Project Period

• Funds will be available for a project period of 12 months from the date of the award
• Any awarded funds unused at the end of the project period will be deobligated

Budget Guidelines

• Budgets must reflect the needs of the proposed project and may include:
  • Project-related lab supplies (individual items ≤ $5,000, up to the limit of the grant)
  • Field work mileage reimbursement - Per university procurement policy:
    • Mileage reimbursement may not exceed the maximum allowable rate for federally sponsored programs, and is limited to the amount of coach airfare.
    • When claiming mileage in lieu of airfare, a coach class comparison from Concur at least 14 days in advance of the trip is required with the expense report submission.
  • Individual software licensing
  • Human Subject Incentive Payments (HSIP) - NOTE:  If you will be paying human subjects, we recommend you use the University’s HSIP system. The faculty advisor will be required ​to ​serve ​as​  custodian​ for these funds. ​U-M policy requires evidence receipts when funds are distributed to research subjects. Campus Grants funds will not support any research activity not conducted in accordance with U-M policy. Therefore, Experience+ will not cover the cost of any HSIP funds distributed without evidence documentation being provided.​  Third-party systems: If you choose to use an outside vendor for this service (such as Amazon MTurk), you will need to work with your department to pay the vendor. Experience+ will only reimburse for actual participant fees; pre-payments for these services are not allowed unless they are paid using a ÂÜÀòÉç Purchasing Card.
• Reimbursement will only be provided for expenses that occur within your project period; Experience+ will not reimburse for expenses:
  • prior to award notice
  • after project period end date
  • in excess of the awarded amount
• Unallowable Costs
  • Salary
  • Books
  • Tuition
  • Transcription services
  • Travel to present a paper
  • Equipment  (individual items greater than $5,000)
  • General supplies (e.g., office, computers, etc.)
  • Costs normally covered by the academic unit or other institutional support
• Upon project completion, materials and supplies become property of the awardee’s department
• Prior approval is required for any variation to the approved project or budget (e.g., conference change, reallocation of funds, period of performance, etc.)
• Final report requires disclosure of actual expenditures versus proposed budget

Application Procedure

• Apply via electronic submission through the  system
• Proposals are subject to administrative review for completeness and may be returned due to missing information
• Only complete proposals will be accepted for consideration (see proposal requirements)
• Department Chair or Faculty Advisor approvals are not needed prior to submission; approvals will be obtained electronically once your application has been accepted
• Applications are typically reviewed within 5-10 university business days
• Proposal review and funding decisions will be made by Experience+

Proposal Requirements

• Budget - List anticipated expenses and how they relate to the project
• Project Description (3 page maximum), including:
  • Hypotheses or central ideas to be studied
  • Techniques and methods (e.g., how the data will be collected and analyzed)
  • Expected Outcomes
• Student CV (2 page maximum)
• Faculty acknowledgment that proposed project satisfies course requirements will be obtained electronically when your application is submitted

Human Subjects or Animal Research (if applicable)

• If your project includes work with human subjects (e.g., surveys, interviews, data collection, etc.) you will need to seek approval from the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board (IRB) before work can begin on your project.  For more information see the Human Subjects Compliance page.
• If your project includes work with vertebrate animals you will need to seek approval from the University of Michigan's Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) before work can begin on your project.  For more information see the .
• Proof of IRB/IACUC approval is required prior to release of funds

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by Experience+ based upon the following:

• The project's potential to produce results (e.g., thesis, publication, term paper, etc.)
• The value of this work in terms of the student's education and potential
• Meeting the intended purpose of the program
• Faculty/student academic qualifications and dedication to excellence
• Merit and quality of the proposed work and expected outcomes or products
• Impact on applicant’s:
  • Research program goals and plans (e.g., grants, publications, sustainability, etc.)
  • Career and/or professional development
• Adherence to the guidelines and program requirements
• Practicality of the requested funds

Award Administration

• Funds will be administered and tracked through Experience+
• Experience+ will provide instructions for accessing funds in the award notice; students must work with their departmental administrator to make purchases

Reporting Requirements at Project Completion

• Through the  system within 30 days of project end date, submit:
  • Accounting of how the awarded funds were spent
  • Final report (1-3 pages) highlighting
    • What you learned through the research process
    • Reflections on the value of the experience, key learning outcomes, and impact of this experience on your future academic or professional goals
  • Letter/email of confirmation from your faculty advisor that you completed the project
• Future funding by the ÂÜÀòÉç-Dearborn Campus Grants program is contingent upon the acceptance of the final report by Experience+

Required Approvals

When an application is submitted, it will be routed to the listed faculty advisor and the appropriate department chair for approval before final approval by Experience+.

Acknowledgements

As part of the application process, the applicant, faculty advisor and chair will have a checkbox to acknowledge the below - it is part of the application process and the appropriate people will be notified automatically. Additionally, the final report submitted by the applicant includes acknowledgment that the project was supervised by a faculty advisor.

Applicant

• I agree to use the requested funds for the purposes outlined in the proposal. Any modification to the proposed budget requires prior approval from Experience+
• I have reviewed the  and confirm that none of the materials on this list are either applicable to this project or available for use

Faculty Advisor

• I agree to serve as custodian for Human Subject Incentive Payments​ purchased with awarded grant funds as part of the proposed project.
• I acknowledge the proposed project will satisfy a course requirement for the student applicant and I will supervise the project as proposed.
• I acknowledge and approve the use of department or college funds up to the amount disclosed on the application cover sheet.
• I have reviewed the  and confirm that none of the materials on this list are either applicable to this project or available for use

Department Chair

• ​I agree that any HSIP funds for which evidence receipts are not provided at the end of the project will be charged back to my department operating account by Experience+.
• I acknowledge and approve the use of department or college funds up to the amount disclosed on the application cover sheet.