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Summer Program Support
For faculty who are working to secure funding for research involving undergraduates, we are here to help you! Below are some resources to make your proposal writing easier. We offer advice (budget and language) for including a small number of undergraduates in SURE or REU-like research experiences as a supplement within your proposal. In addition, we will work with you to write an undergraduate research site proposal (e.g., NSF REU Site) and have resources (e.g., budget, budget justification, previously-funded REU proposals, list of activities) to aid you in this endeavor. For instance, we provide:
- mentor training
- summer workshops for participants
- summer professional development activities for participants
- advertising and promoting your program
- online application portal
- template offer letters
- mentoring contract templates
- waivers and releases
- setting up stipends, meals, housing, WVU My ID cards
- supplemental insurance for participants
- safety and ethics trainings
- recreational opportunities
Contact The Office of Undergraduate Research for more information and to take advantage of our crowd-sourced knowledge regarding the advertisement, administration, and educational programming to support undergraduate research.
Add a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Student to a Grant
PIs can easily build in excellent training for select undergraduates into their grant proposals, or by requesting supplemental funds from the NSF (see more details below under REUs). Thanks to generous support from the WV HEPC Science and Research as well as WVU, the SURE program funds WVU undergraduates and West Virginia resident undergraduates (attending WV institutions or with permanent residence in WV) for 8 weeks of research during the summer months.
Participants in SURE receive stipends for 8 weeks of research, but no housing or food allowance, and must make their own housing arrangements (limited WVU dorm housing is available during the summer months). There is a 1-credit research course to accompany the SURE experience and participants are required to register for and pay the 1-credit of tuition for this course. SURE participants are expected to participate in research full-time (40 hours per week minimum) and are not allowed to be enrolled in any other coursework (besides the 1-credit research course) or hold another job concurrent with their SURE experience. The SURE program has funding to support ~50 undergraduates in research. Additional SURE participants are sponsored by faculty research grants. If, in your proposal, you wish to include funding for undergraduates via the SURE mechanism, a tentative budget (2 participants per summer for 2 years) and language for your proposal are given below. Modify this language and budget as you see fit to include within the constraints of your proposal.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
REUs typically fund non-WVU undergraduates in full-time (40 hours per week minimum) research during the summer months (10 weeks is typical duration). REU Sites or Supplements are funded by the National Science Foundation.
REU Sites fund 8-12 non-WVU undergraduates per summer in research and educational training activities. Currently, there are two REU Sites at WVU:
REU Supplements provide support for 1-2 undergraduates to participate in research as part of a new or ongoing NSF-funded research project. If, in your proposal, you wish to include funding for undergraduates via an REU-Supplement type mechanism, a tentative budget (2 participants per summer for 2 years) and language for your proposal are given below. Modify this language and budget as you see fit to include within the constraints of your proposal. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Undergraduate Research.
