The Research Support Grant (RSG) provides funding for faculty/staff mentored research or creative projects from all disciplines. This includes research projects both on- and off-campus. Students, with the support of their mentors, can apply for awards of up to $2,000 to cover research travel costs, living expenses incurred during academic breaks (i.e., winter break and summer terms, NOT regular semester living expenses), and materials, equipment, supplies, or other ancillary costs. Materials, equipment, and supplies purchased shall remain property of the University of Illinois following completion of the project.
There will be two application cycles every academic year – one at the beginning of the Fall semester, and one at the beginning of the Spring semester. To qualify for the RSG, students must meet the eligibility requirements described below and submit a completed proposal below by the application deadline.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be current Illinois undergraduate students in good academic standing.
- Applicants must have faculty/research staff support or mentoring for the duration of their proposed research.
- Funding is provided for students pursuing their own research projects, or to those working on their own project within a larger faculty-led project.
Proposal Document
All applications must include a project proposal. We encourage students to work with their research mentors on this proposal, but the document MUST be written and submitted by the student. The proposal must include:
- A statement of the research problem: A clear statement of the work to be undertaken including research questions and objectives. Creative projects are also expected to lay out research questions and objectives.
- A research plan: Student must include a research plan specifying how the students will spend their time on the proposed project. Students should be able to elaborate what they want to do, how they plan to do it, their research timeline, and why they want to do it (importance to your field/discipline; importance to your professional development, etc.).
- A detailed budget: Budget costs should be reasonable and credible; if funds for materials or equipment are requested, for instance, students should be able to justify the expense (i.e., not already available on campus, etc.). When exact monetary figures cannot be provided, applicant may use reasonable estimates as long as these estimates are justified in the text. The RSG can provide funding for living expenses only if the proposed work will be conducted over winter or summer breaks. We also do not pay ‘per diem,’ but rather students should estimate weekly food costs based upon their experience.
Proposal Formatting Requirements
Proposals that do not conform to all of the formatting requirements below will be disqualified without review:
- Proposal cannot exceed 5 pages; double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 11- or 12-point font (references DO NOT COUNT toward this limit).
- The top of the first page of the proposal should have the student applicant’s full name and title of the project. All remaining pages of the application must include page numbers and the last name of the applicant in the page header.
- The document must be uploaded as one PDF (i.e. not .doc, .docx, .pages). Proposals submited in any format other than PDF will be disqualified without review.
Statement on the Use of Generative AI for Research Support Grants
OUR believes that developing the skills involved with designing and writing a research proposal is invaluable for your future success. This process should be led by the student, be iterative (involving multiple rounds of feedback from and revisions with your mentor), and be recognized as an important step in the professionalization process. To preserve the integrity of this creative and developmental process, OUR prohibits the use of generative AI (ChatGPT, etc.) when creating your RSG proposal. However, automatic writing technologies like Grammarly – which provide feedback on grammar, spelling, and word choice – are permitted.
It is the responsibility of you and your mentor to ensure that your submission follows the above AI policy. Any suspected violation of this policy will be investigated on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions about this, please email OUR at ugresearch@illinois.edu.
Letter of Support from Research Mentor
A letter of support must be provided by a faculty or research staff member who is familiar with the student’s work and willing to guide them through the work proposed in the submitted grant application. When the primary mentor is a graduate student, the letter should be co-written with the faculty or staff leading the research. The letter should speak to the following:
- The soundness of the research questions, methods, budget, and timeline.
- The student’s capability to conduct the proposed work.
- The mentor’s level of involvement in drafting and reviewing the proposal.
- A statement affirming that, in the mentor’s experience, the proposal reflects the student’s voice, understanding, and critical thinking about the research topic.
- Availability of any other sources of funding in support of the proposed research.
Letters for Illinois mentors should be submitted using the Letter of Support form. Non-Illinois research mentors can email their letters to ugresearch@illinois.edu.
Funding Restrictions
- Funds used to conduct student research must meet all UI employment and safety standards, including Office for Protection of Research Subjects approvals, if applicable
- Funds may not be used to cover tuition or student fees.
- Applications made during the Fall semester may be used for the full academic year in which applying (including winter, and summer term immediately following). Spring applications may be used for the Spring semester and summer term immediately following.
Application Timeline
Spring 2026 Competition
- January 26 – Application Opens.
- March 15 at 11:59 p.m. – Deadline for applications.
- April 16 – Awardees of spring competition will be notified.
Fall 2026 Competition
Details will be announced at the beginning of the Fall 2026 semester.
Application
Application portal for the Spring 2026 competition will close on March 15, 2026 at 11:59pm.