Student Mentored Academic Research Team (SMART) Grant
Instructions
SMART Grants are competitive grants awarded to undergraduate students and their faculty mentors who
are engaged in collaborative scholarly endeavors. For purposes of these grant applications, these scholarly
projects are defined broadly. Students in the natural sciences or social sciences may be involved in
empirical research whereas students in the arts and humanities may be involved in producing a portfolio
of work. Students in engineering may be involved in a building project whereas students involved in
computing sciences may be involved in writing a computer program. We encourage students from all
disciplines to apply for funding.
Over the course of several years, the application process for these grants has become increasingly
competitive whereas funding continues to be static. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to pay
close attention to instructions, address each question thoroughly, and make a compelling argument for
both the importance of the scholarship as well as the value for the student of engaging in this scholarship.
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Deadlines for submitting grant applications are mid March and mid October.
Applications will be blind-reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers (who are in related fields outside
of the department sponsoring the research) who will critique the proposal and provide feedback.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their grant application within six weeks.
Funding for those grant applications that are approved during the spring term will be awarded during the
following fall term. Funding for those grant applications that are approved during the fall term will be
awarded during the following spring term.
Student Eligibility:
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Student scholars applying for a grant must be undergraduates enrolled in degree programs at the
University of North Florida.
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Student scholars applying for a grant will enroll in no less than three credit hours of directed
independent study or Honors research in which a letter grade is earned (i.e., not a pass/fail course).
Any other arrangements will require the approval of the Coordinator of Undergraduate Research.
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Projects proposed in the application should be primarily the responsibility of the student scholar(s).
Student scholars are expected to carry out the project under the supervision and mentorship of the
faculty mentor. Student scholars are not expected to simply be assistants on faculty projects.
Faculty Eligibility:
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Faculty mentors who sponsor and supervise a proposed project must be permanent full-time
employees.
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Faculty mentors on funded projects must be willing to oversee the completion of projects, endorse
student proposals, complete a recommendation form as part of the grant application, and assess and
grade students for the course(s) in which they enroll.
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Faculty mentors who have endorsed grant applications in which students failed to produce a
manuscript or other scholarly product for publication in the Osprey Journal and a presentation for the
annual research symposium will be ineligible to endorse student grant proposals for two years.
Grant Requirements:
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Projects may be individual or collaborative with one or more students. In the case of a collaborative
project, the group should submit one application, which should indicate the roles that each student
will play. Collaborative projects should be large enough to warrant three hours of academic credit for
each student involved.
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Students awarded funding must produce a scholarly product (e.g., a scholarly manuscript or
undergraduate thesis, a performance, an exhibit, a work of art or literature) that will be assessed by
the faculty mentor and result in a grade for the three-hour course(s).
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Students awarded funding must submit a manuscript or other scholarly product (e.g., score of music,
collection of poetry, images of exhibited art work) for publication in the Osprey Journal of Ideas and
Inquiry, the UNF undergraduate publication.
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Students awarded funding must present their research or scholarly work at the annual research
symposium held at the University of North Florida at the end of each spring term.
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Students awarded funding who are unable to within one year complete course work, submit a
manuscript or scholarly product for publication, and present their research or scholarly work at the
annual conference must submit a written progress report and request for extension to the Office of
Undergraduate Research in the Honors and Scholars Program. The progress report must include
specific information on the advancement made on the project to date and a plan for the completion of
the project. The faculty mentor must write a letter accompanying the report that supports and
approves the plan for completion.
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Faculty mentors and students agree that students will not receive a grade or academic credit for the course
in which the student enrolled until the course work is completed, a manuscript or scholarly product for
publication is submitted, and research or scholarly work is presented at the annual conference. All other
arrangements must be approved by the Coordinator of Undergraduate Research.
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Students failing to submit a manuscript or scholarly work and failing to present their research or
scholarly work at the annual symposium may have a hold put on their records until these products are
received or until such time as arrangements are made with the Coordinator of Undergraduate
Research. Failure to submit a manuscript or scholarly work and failure to present this work at the
annual symposium may result in the student(s) having to refund grant moneys.
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Student scholars and faculty mentors are strongly encouraged to present research or scholarly projects
at professional conferences or other appropriate conferences (e.g., the Annual Meeting of the National
Conference on Undergraduate Research, the Annual Meeting of the National Collegiate Honors
Council) and publish co-authored manuscripts in professional publications.
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The maximum amount of the student award, including collaborative projects, will be $500. Expenses
related to course work (i.e., textbooks and tuition payments) will not be funded.
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The maximum amount of the faculty award will be $1000. Although faculty members may endorse
and supervise more than one student grant proposal, faculty members will receive a maximum of
$1000 regardless of the number of student projects funded.