Faculty Opportunities

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & INQUIRY COLLABORATIVE FACULTY CHALLENGE GRANT: 

Increasing Access to Undergraduate Research 

Applications for funding for Spring 2023 open now! 

The University of Arizona’s Undergraduate Research & Inquiry Collaborate invites faculty to apply to the Fall 2022 Faculty Challenge Grants with the goal of increasing the availability of experiences in undergraduate research and inquiry. 

Undergraduate Research Initiation Funding provides hourly student employment wages for faculty who will BUILD NEW individual research experiences for undergraduates where current opportunities do not exist. Awards will be in the amount of $2500 plus ERE per student for up to three new student research employees (maximum award $7500 plus ERE). Fall 2022 funds will provide employment for student researchers from January through May, 2023.  All funds must be spent by June 1, 2023. 

We invite applications from all fields -- STEM, fine arts, humanities, education, social sciences -- to expand the breadth of paid and credit-based research opportunities for undergraduates in all fields of inquiry.  We encourage applications that support the participation of under-represented and under-served student populations in authentic research and inquiry. 

These awards are meant to support authentic experiences in research and inquiry that allow students to participate in hands-on data collection and / or analysis of a real-world problem. They allow for the thrill of discovery, the experience of the challenges researchers face, and promote an understanding of how their findings on the project inform broader questions in the field of study.  

• We seek projects that fulfill one or more of the following: 
  1. Create opportunities in undergraduate research or inquiry in projects or academic fields where they have not previously been available
  2. Promote diversity and inclusion by increasing access to undergraduate research and inquiry to underrepresented and underserved student populations
  3. Provide an authentic experience in research or inquiry for student participants.  
  4. Demonstrate the potential for sustainability upon completion of this funding (e. g. through continued funding from other sources, ongoing scheduling of new curriculum, etc.)  

Questions about this application, or general questions about Undergraduate Research at the University of Arizona, may be directed to Dr. Kelley Merriam-Castro at kmerriam@arizona.edu. 

Who is eligible to apply: 

Tenure Track, Continuing Status, and Career Track Faculty at all levels of appointment at the University of Arizona are eligible to apply. 

Application opens: September 19, 2022

Submission deadline:  October 24

Award notification date: November 21

ACCESS APPLICATION HERE

Interested in more faculty funding?  Undergraduate research is experiential learning!   

Consider the following sources offered by Student Engagement and Career Development:

• Faculty grants for Experiential Learning (available until funds are exhausted)

• Experiential Learning Design Accelerator (multiple deadlines per year)

Or consider applying for a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience Fellowship:

• The CURE Training Institute  (Applications available in mid-spring for the three-day summer institute, held in mid-late May)