Funding Your Research

Can I fund my research?

Researchers at all levels encounter questions about the prospect of having their research endeavors financially supported. Therefore, it is helpful for undergraduate researchers to become familiar with funding mechanisms available to them. If you are wondering whether funding is warranted for your research, ask yourself some of the following questions:

Do I need some funding to purchase non-standard equipment for my undergraduate research project?
Do I have undergraduate research results of interest to other researchers within my discipline?
Does my research mentor want me to attend a discipline-specific regional or national conference to present my research in either poster or oral format?

If you said yes to one or more of these questions and your research presentation has been accepted, you may need funding for conference registration, travel, or research equipment.

Where do I begin?

Your faculty research mentor may have some funding. If not, depending on your major and your major's WVU home College (i.e., Eberly (ECAS), Statler, or Davis), you may apply for internal enrichment funding from your college or department that can be used to offset costs (registration fees & travel-related expenses) associated with attendance and presentation of your research. Typically, students must submit an application (request, budget, and budget justification) for enrichment funding and funds are distributed on a competitive basis. In addition, you may apply for external travel funding offered by discipline-specific professional societies or by national and regional conferences. See the information and links below for more specific information.

WVU undergraduate and graduate students can access Pivot, a comprehensive source of global funding opportunities to search for fellowships, scholarships and other funding opportunities. Access to Pivot is limited to authenticated WVU users (i.e., email address ending in @mail.wvu.edu; @mix.wvu.edu; @hsc.wvu.edu). Be sure to "Sign up" and "Create a Pivot Account" with WVU as the Affiliated Member Institution.

Undergraduate Research Travel Support

The WVU Office of Undergraduate Research (UGR) offers limited travel support for WVU undergraduates to offset costs (registration fees & travel-related expenses) associated with attendance and presentation (oral or poster) of undergraduate research results at discipline-specific regional and national conferences or workshops, including NCUR (National Conference on Undergraduate Research). You can apply for travel support for any conference attended (or planned to attend) between July 1 and June 30 of the academic year. Funds will be distributed until they are exhausted.

You will be asked to provide:
Accepted abstract
Detailed budget
Letter of reference from your mentor

For additional details and instructions, see travel support reque st.

Additional resources for funding opportunities

At WVU:

Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design Undergraduate students majoring in programs within the Davis College can apply for enhancement funds to assist them in participating in activities that complement, extend, and enhance their academic experiences (e.g., faculty-led field trip, research, conference, or workshop attendance.) A realistic budget (with actual costs), cover letter, online application, and faculty recommendation are required to apply. The WVU Davis College may have some additional enrichment funding to support undergraduate researchers. Faculty advisers and students should contact the office of the Associate Dean of Academic Administration within Davis College to obtain more information. Phone: 304-293-2395.
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS) Academic Enrichment Program Undergraduate students majoring in programs within the WVU Eberly College can apply for enrichment funds to assist them in participating in activities that complement, extend, and enhance their academic experiences (e.g., faculty-led field trip, research, conference, or workshop attendance.) A realistic budget (with actual costs), cover letter, online application, and faculty recommendation are required to apply. NOTE: This program is an award program applied to a student's Banner account and will only award the student (not the faculty member) for costs associated with the activity. Funding will be applied to a student's financial aid account for disbursement.
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources Undergraduate students majoring in programs within the WVU Statler College and their advisers can apply for Research Trust Funds (RTF) to support their research or for travel to conferences to present their research results. Faculty mentors should contact the office of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs within Statler College to obtain more information. Phone : 304-293-4821.
College of Creative Arts Undergraduate students majoring in programs within the College of Creative Arts can apply for the CCA Student Travel Grant once per academic year. This grant was created to support activities that lead to professional development for full-time students who are active majors in the College of Creative Arts. Students must fill out the online application.

Professional Societies and Organizations:

Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research Program (Applicants can request travel expenses to/from research site or for purchase of non-standard laboratory equipment to complete a research project.)
Advancing Microscopy & Microanalysis Undergraduate Research Scholarship Program (supports undergraduate stipend, limited travel, and supply costs for research using or involving a microscopy technique)
Psi Chi The International Honor Society in Psychology (undergraduate awards and grants for psychology majors; in particular, to fund your current research see Undergraduate Research Grants )
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) supports student awards in a variety of disciplines. Deadlines vary.

Social Sciences Undergraduate Conference Awards $200 to support travel to present at national or international conference.
Arts and Humanities Student Scholarship $300 to support any stage of undergraduate research or creative work.

Conference and Professional Society Travel Awards Many national and regional discipline-specific conferences offer competitive travel awards for undergraduate students who wish to attend and present. Once you have identified a research conference, check the website to see if travel awards are available. A quick google search using search terms of "travel awards & undergraduate" may help you find conferences with available travel awards. In addition, many professional societies offer competitive travel awards, for example, see Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Student , ASBMB National Meeting , ASPB Plant Biology Annual Meeting , Genetics Society of America , Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience , ACS Organic Chemistry , Society for Personality and Social Psychology , American Society of Mammalogists , CUR Biology , Social Science and Psychology Divisions (WVU is an institutional member of CUR), and IEEE .