Changes in Academic Proposal Grants have impacted the National Conference on Undergraduate Research funding and maximum grant awards.
The National Conference on Undergraduate Research is an annual interdisciplinary conference held to showcase undergraduate research. Any undergraduate student with an original research paper or project is able to submit an application for NCUR. The 2025 NCUR abstract submission deadline is Dec. 6.
“The National Conference on Undergraduate Research is the largest undergraduate research conference in the country, and it brings together students from all over the US and all disciplines. It’s a really good experience for students to go through the entire process of presenting,” said Brian Railsback, professor of English studies and founding dean of the Brinson Honors College.
WCU has funded students’ travel to NCUR for well over a decade. In previous years, the Brinson Honors College and Office of Research Administration handled the travel, lodging and funding for NCUR. As the founding dean of BHC, Railsback attended 16 NCURs with WCU students.
WCU will still fund a limited number of students attending the conference. Now, any group travel to the conference will be handled by the department involved. Individuals attending the conference with no affiliation with a department are responsible for planning logistics themselves.
“By implementing this new process, we can improve efficiency and streamline operations,” said WCU’s NCUR website on these changes.
Despite these changes, NCUR funding is still available for interested students through Academic Proposal Grants. The Office of Research Administration now oversees all funding allocation and sets aside $25,000 each year specifically for NCUR travel. The number of students ORA can support depends on multiple factors including the location of the conference.
“Last academic year we were able to fully support 11 students to disseminate their research at this national conference,” said Suzanne Melton, Research Programs Coordinator at ORA.
The 2024 NCUR was held in Long Beach, CA. With increased travel costs, less students were able to receive funding. The 2025 NCUR will be held in Pittsburg, PA, April 7-9. The closer location means more students are likely to receive funding.
NCUR travel funding is now handled as a subsection of the Academic Project Grants. Individual students can receive up to $1,250 specifically for NCUR travel from an APG. Some departments may have additional funding support available for students, according to WCU’s NCUR website.
APGs are also available for students to travel to other conferences or conduct undergraduate research. The budget for these APGs is separated from the budget for NCUR, so more students have the opportunity to explore undergraduate research.
“The grant provides funding support that can be used to purchase equipment, materials and supplies to conduct research or travel to disseminate research at local, regional and national conferences,” Melton said.
This year, APGs have increased the maximum available funding support for individuals and groups. Individual students can now receive up to $750, increasing from $500. Groups can receive up to $2,000.
“The only qualification for access is that the student/group of student applicants must be undergraduate student(s) working with a faculty sponsor/mentor on an undergraduate research project,” said Melton.
Students must apply for an APG and be accepted in order to use this funding. APGs are not limited to specific disciplines. The next APG proposal deadline is Jan. 23.
To apply for an APG, undergraduate students or faculty sponsors need to submit a proposal on the APG submission portal available on their website. Individual students need a faculty member to write a letter of support to accompany their proposal. More information about the submission process is available on the APG website.
Proposals are evaluated by the APG Review Committee.
“Each proposal is reviewed and considered by a faculty review committee that is made up of one representative from each college. Majority vote determines awarding. This committee aims to fund projects from across disciplines that meet the CUR definition of undergraduate research and creative inquiry,” said Melton.
CUR, the Council on Undergraduate Research, is the organization that creates many undergraduate research conferences including NCUR. The CUR definition of undergraduate research is “an inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline,” according to its website.
These changes are aimed at encouraging student participation in undergraduate research.
“Western Carolina University has established itself as a national leader in undergraduate research working annually to support students in kick starting, sustaining and disseminating research, scholarship and creative activities from across all disciplines,” said WCU’s undergraduate research website.
“If you’re thinking of graduate school or you’re looking ahead to a career, evidence of undergraduate research shows that you are willing to take the extra mile, that you aren’t just there for classes. It’s one of the few markers that shows academic achievement outside of just grades,” Railsback said.
Railsback was the founding director of WCU’s Office of National and International Awards. ONIA provides additional funding and support for students pursuing undergraduate research through various scholarships and fellowships. ONIA and APGs operate independently, though both are resources for students interested in completing undergraduate research or attending conferences like NCUR.
When creating ONIA, Railsback spent time talking with Harvard’s Fellowship Office, one of the most successful fellowship offices in the nation.
“They have all these incredible awards that their students are getting. They’re very successful. And the reason why, the director told me, is because they have a very robust undergraduate research program, and I would say that Western does not,” said Railsback. “We were a little disappointed. There was going to be a task force to look into research at Western and I think some of us thought they would look at undergraduate research, but for reasons that I don’t know, that didn’t happen.”
While some think that WCU still needs improvement in support of undergraduate research, changes like the recent one to APGs and NCUR funding may show that WCU is heading in the right direction.
