Summer 2016
Undergraduate Research Assistantship Award Announcement
Alaska IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence
(Alaska INBRE)
Announcement Date: Feb 1, 2016
Submission Date: February 29, 2016
Awards Announced: March 28, 2016
Funding Period: May 15 – Aug 15, 2016
I. BACKGROUND
The Alaska IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) is supported by a grant from the
National Institutes of Health. The primary objective of Alaska INBRE Undergraduate Research Assistantship
initiative is to provide support for a project in the biomedical sciences and health with mentorship from UA
biomedical or health faculty. Students funded through this program will gain valuable experience in designing,
conducting and reporting biomedical research. The purpose is to train undergraduate students in scientific
methods, scientific writing, reporting, and presentation preparation. Up to 10 Undergraduate Research
Assistantships will be funded through this solicitation. Up to 5 at UAA and up to 5 at UAF. Note: UAS
undergraduate students have already participated in a round of applications and review to fund summer
research projects at their MAU.
II. ELIGIBILITY
During the 2015-2016 academic year, applicants must have been full-time undergraduate students enrolled in
programs at a UA campus and must have been in good academic standing (min. 2.0 GPA). Applicants are
expected to have identified a supporting mentor (UA faculty) and worked with that mentor to write the proposal.
III. AWARD AMOUNT
The summer URA award includes salary 40 hours a week during the summer (May 15 – Aug 15, 2016).
Hourly compensation will be provided at the Student Assistant C level ($10.50 - 12.50/h depending upon
experience). For additional information on this wage range and student employment policies and regulations,
please see http://www.alaska.edu/bor/policy/09-05.pdf.
URAs will also include up to $2,500 to spend on supplies and services to help support the research they
conduct in their host laboratory. The expenditure of these funds will be administered by the departmental fiscal
coordinator associated with the faculty mentor.
IV. APPLICATION FORMAT AND SUBMISSION PROCEDURES
Download the Summer 2016 URA Application and coverpage (found on the INBRE website) and follow
instructions I through III to complete and submit the application.
PDF FORMAT REQUIRED: Applicants are to prepare the application using a word processing program and
then convert the files to a single PDF document before submission. Applicants are to name the PDF as
follows: “applicant’s last name_MAU campus_Mod-15 URAApp.”
Example: Smith_UAA_Mod-15 URA App.
Applicants are to submit completed applications to Alaska INBRE via the website at www.alaska.edu/inbre.
Please note: the Undergraduate Research Assistantship is found in the Funding Opportunities section.
If you have any questions about the preparation of your application or URA guidelines and requirements
please contact Barbara Taylor at betaylor@alaska.edu. All submissions will receive an email notification of
receipt by the end of the next business day.
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V. REVIEW PROCEDURES
An ad hoc INBRE Committee will review the applications. Applications will be evaluated based on the following
criteria: 1) overall scientific merit of the project; 2) relevance of the research to the overall objectives of Alaska
INBRE; 3) written quality of the application; 4) the applicant’s academic standing; and 5) faculty mentor’s letter
of support. Ranking of candidates and recommendations will be submitted to the INBRE Director/PI and Co-I.
Announcement of URAs will be made on or about March 28, 2016.
VI. AWARD CONDITIONS
● All safety training and any compliance committee approvals, such as Institutional Review Board or
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, required of the undergraduate student or proposed project by
your University of Alaska campus must be completed before any work can begin.
● Provide a report of research progress, which will be rigorously reviewed by INBRE Management Advisory
Committee for scientific progress. Your report on summer URA projects is due September 15, 2016, and shall
include: A) a description of research progress and findings; B) Faculty approval; C) a complete list of
publications* and presentations*; D) any outreach presented to the public, schools, or organizations about your
research. All reporting will be submitted via the INBRE reporting database. All URAs will be required to comply
with NIH guidelines by obtaining an eRA Commons account (if you do not currently have one) and updating
their personal profile. INBRE staff will assist you in obtaining one prior to your report. You will be asked to
provide your eRA Commons Username/ID when reporting to INBRE.
*Presentations (oral or poster) and publications must include the following acknowledgement and disclaimer:
“Research reported (on this poster/in this publication) was supported by an Institutional Development Award
(IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award
Number P20GM103395. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily
represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”
FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH AWARD CONDITIONS WILL RENDER STUDENTS INELIGIBLE FOR
FURTHER PAYMENTS OR TO APPLY FOR ANY FUTURE INBRE FUNDING.
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