Office of Undergraduate Research

OUR Grants

The OUR Undergraduate Research and Professional Development Grant program supports Purdue undergraduate students in the pursuit of their research, creative endeavors, and scholarly activities (collectively referred to as "research") through one of the following purposes:

Applications for these awards, up to $500, are reviewed twice a year, March 1 and October 1. Expenses must occur no more than 12 months from the date of the application review deadline.

Process

The student application and Purdue research mentor letter of support, submitted separately, must be submitted by the review deadline for the application to be complete. Upon submission of the student application, the mentor will receive an invitation to complete their recommendation. No incomplete applications will be considered. An email notification with the grant decision will be sent to you and your research mentor no later than 4 weeks after the review period begins.

Uses of Grant Funds

  1. For individual students (or officially recognized student organizations) conducting research, grant funds can be used for:
    • Supplies or materials (i.e., consumables) necessary for the research project, but not equipment
    • Printing or postage, if required for the research project
    • Travel to conduct research at different sites, not to present your research
  2. For individual students (or officially recognized student organizations) presenting research findings at a national or international, professional or academic conference, grant funds can be used for:
    • Presentation supplies or materials
    • Air or ground transportation
    • Conference registration fees
    • Lodging
    • Meals
  3. For officially recognized student organizations planning a group event related to research, grant funds can be used for:
    • Supplies or materials (i.e., consumables) necessary for the research event
    • Travel (for a guest speaker only)
    • Honorarium (for a guest speaker)
    • Rental for a room or A/V equipment

Prohibited Uses of Grant Funds

  1. Food/beverages (except for meals during conferences while presenting research findings)
  2. Giveaways/prizes
  3. Donations
  4. Equipment
  5. Compensation

Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. All completed applications (including the student application and mentor letter of support) are reviewed twice a year. Expenses must occur no more than 12 months from the date of the application review deadline.

Student Eligibility

The student applicant must:
  • Be a currently enrolled full-time student seeking their first Bachelor’s degree, or their PharmD degree.
  • Plan to use all grant funds within 90 days of graduation.
  • Submit their presentation proposal to the conference before applying for the grant (if the application is for presenting research findings at a national or international, professional or academic conference).
  • Be an officer of the organization (if the application is on behalf of an officially recognized student organization).
Students can submit more than one application for a grant; however, preferences are given to:
  • Applicants who have not received an OUR grant within the past 12 months.
  • First-time presenters at a national or international, professional or academic conference if applying to present research findings.

Application Link

Qualtrics Student Application

A completed application requires two online forms: 1) the online student application and 2) the online research mentor support letter.

Upon completion of the student application, the research mentor will receive an e-mail to complete the letter of support. If your research mentor is unavailable for an extended period of time (e.g., on sabbatical), the application form may be submitted by the department head or another administrator with signature authority, which should be noted within the application form.

Application question PDFs:
All questions | Conducting research | Presenting research | Research event

Application Guidelines

  1. A "letter of support" from a faculty or staff research mentor is required, to assure the funds are used appropriately.
  2. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
  3. Application submission does not guarantee funding nor guarantees the full amount requested. Each approved grant application will receive an award of up to $500 to cover approved expenses.
  4. Students must communicate with the OUR regarding any questions involving the application or grant.
  5. The budget portion of the application form should be itemized of expected costs. It should also include any cost-sharing from the research mentor and/or research project, the college/department/unit, and any additional awards.
    • It is NOT required to have cost-sharing for an application. It is strongly encouraged, however, that other units share at least a portion of these costs to limit personal out-of-pocket expenses and to enable the OUR to fund additional grants.

Post-Activity Guidelines

  1. If presenting your research at a conference:
    • Funds will be disbursed via a reimbursement process directly to the grant applicant, who incurred the cost(s), after expenses have occurred.
    • Ensure receipts are itemized. Alcohol cannot be on the receipt. This is Purdue policy not to reimburse alcoholic beverages.
  2. Complete the End-of-Grant report form due to ugresearch@purdue.edu by the date in your grant award notification letter emailed to you. This form has multiple sections including:
    • Accounting of the funds spent and the description of expenses.
    • An acknowledgment or thank you response the OUR will share with grant donors.
    • A request for at least one photo of the experience to share with grant donors.
    • Brief reflection prompts to document the importance this grant had on your learning and future goals.

Point of Contact

Angie Welshimer
Office of Undergraduate Research
Phone: (765) 494-6503
Email: ugresearch@purdue.edu