Proposal limits

• Each student may only receive ONE SURF grant in a fiscal year. Receiving an undergraduate research grant does not exclude the recipient from receiving in the future another undergraduate research grant (or URG or SURF).For allowing a broader participation in the SURF program, if a student submits a second SURF proposal and both proposals are highly scored, only the proposal with the highest score will be accepted. The student can be co-PI (second writer) on a second successful SURF proposal during the SURF 2025 program.
• Each faculty mentor can support one undergraduate student awardee in the SURF 2026 program as sole mentor but can co-mentor a second undergraduate student on another SURF project.

Proposal Components

A proposal layout is provided for SURF proposal submission. For consideration of funding, the proposal must be submitted electronically in one PDF file with the content listed in the instructions below.

Proposal Coversheet: The information on the coversheet will be utilized for determining the eligibility requirements.

Project Description: The narrative portion of the proposal must not exceed 7 pages of letter-size paper with 1” margins and 10 pt. Times New Roman font or larger. The narrative portion of the proposal encompasses items 1–7 of the list below. Item 8, letter(s) of recommendation from mentor(s), does not count towards the page limit. Separate page(s) for references, graphs/tables, and/or appendices do not count towards the page limit.

1. Title (no more than 10 words) and Abstract (of 250 words or less)
2. Introduction or Problem Statement
3. Research Objectives/Hypothesis/Thesis/Purpose
4. Methodology and research design
5. Expected Output and Outcome (Note: “output” refers to activity, effort, and/or associated work products related to the objectives that will be produced by the end of the project; while “outcome” refers to the result, effect, or consequence that will occur with the project output.)
6. Proposed Budget (up to $6,000 per project, including housing in Cardinal Village, research support, and travel related to the development of the SURF project) and budget justification. The allowable expenditures include the research student’s time & effort ($2,700, which will be taxable), research supplies (up to $1,400), and travel related to the project (up to $500). View Sample Budget
7. Relevant literature to the proposed project with references.
8. Letter of recommendation from mentor(s). If several mentors are for one project, then each mentor should provide a letter of recommendation and should specify his/her role in mentoring the student. The letter should be on one page and should touch on two points: 1) the benefit for the student in running the research project and 2) the student’s ability to successfully complete the project

SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

• Intellectual merits, clarity in technical language, and originality of the idea (10 points)
• Methodology, research design, thesis or purpose (10 points)
• Project output and outcome, including broader impact (10 points)
• Relevant literature review for the proposed project (10 points)
• Organization and quality of proposal (10 points)
• Proposed budget and budget justification (5 points)
• Letters of recommendation (5 points)

Scoring for each of these criteria will be based upon the Proposal Evaluation Criteria Rubric.

OPPORTUNITY!

Final Report

1. The final SURF report is due at the SURF Symposium, usually scheduled on Friday of the second week of the Fall semester, when the SURF fellows will also receive the certificates of completion of the SURF program.
2. The student can submit a 6-to-10-page narrative with technical details (including graphics, graphs, tables, survey forms, references, etc.) about the project and outcomes. 

   Format: letter size paper with 1” margins and 12 pt. Times New Roman font.

3. If a narrative cannot be generated for serious reasons and with mentor(s) approval, the student(s) will submit a brief final report (not to exceed 2 pages of text. Graphics, graphs, tables, or references not included.).

1. Project title
2. Student name
3. Faculty mentor(s)
4. Project output
5. Project outcome
6. Plan for research in the future
7. Student’s Testimonial

The submission of the narrative should be approved in writing by the faculty mentor(s).

Faculty Mentor Benefits

1. There is a $1,000 stipend per SURF project offered for the faculty mentor's time and effort. If two or more faculty co-mentor the same SURF project, they will split the $1,000 stipend evenly. This stipend will be received in the paycheck for August or September.
2. Faculty mentor(s) will receive up to $500 for each SURF project mentored over the summer, during the next university year; i.e., for a 2026 SURF project, up to $500 will be allocated for travel support only for university year 2027-28. No credit will be granted for year 2026-27

Requirements for all SURF Winners

Requirements for all SURF winners:

1. Presentation at SURF Kickoff Day on May 27 (Wednesday).
2. Participation in one New Student Orientation (NSO) during June-August 2026.
3. Participation in the mid-term report.
4. Presentation at the SURF Symposium scheduled at the beginning of Fall semester (Tentative date: August 28 (Friday) afternoon).
5. Presentation at the O.U.R. Fall Conference on November 13, 2026 (Friday).

If a student does not participate in one of the major events listed above without offering a strong excuse for absence, then the travel support offered as part of the SURF grant, or/and the post-grant travel support, depending on the absence(s), will be forfeited.