To apply for the Grants-in-Aid of Scholarship and Research Program, students should first identify a Truman faculty or staff member who agrees to serve as the student’s research mentor, then work with the research mentor to prepare the application materials.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed by faculty across a number of disciplines using the GIASR Evaluation Rubric PDF (updated January 2021). Reviewers are not necessarily in the student’s area of study, so applications should be geared towards a multi-disciplinary audience and unexplained, technical terminology should be avoided.

Application Requirements

In order to attempt to make this a blind review process, student and mentor names should not be included on the project description, budget, IRB/IACUC plan, or in the document file names. Student and mentor names should only be indicated on the secure submission form in the corresponding locations.

1. Project Description (500-word maximum, not including references, budget, or IRB/IACUC plan)

The following should be included:

• A review of previous work connecting the project into the context of how it will advance knowledge and benefit society
• The project goals and objectives stated in non-technical language
• A description of the project steps, design, and/or methodology that is appropriate to the scope of the proposed project and to the 1-semester project duration
• A timeline outlining when major project-described activities will be completed
• Description of the educational benefits for the student
• References to relevant scholarly work (not included in word count)

2. Budget (one-page maximum)

The following should be included:

• An itemized budget outlining expenses relevant to the project
• A budget justification

Allowable expenses include:

• Student stipend
• Supplies (books, lab supplies, software, art supplies, office supplies, sheet music, etc.)
• Travel to conduct research (but not to attend or present at a conference)

GIASR projects may request up to $750 in funds. Funds may be requested from one or more of the budget categories (stipend and supplies/travel expenses). All funds must be used by the end of the program period (i.e. the last day of classes during the awarded semester).

All expenses must follow University guidelines. Students may not be dually compensated for the project with a GIASR grant stipend and academic credit, scholarship hours, work-study, or institutional pay during the same semester. The student stipend amount cannot be changed once the GIASR has been awarded.

*Policy update Fall 2022: Only one GIASR application per project per semester is allowed. Multiple students are allowed to work on one GIASR project; however, only one student can be awarded the GIASR project grant. Stipends cannot be split among multiple students, so only the student awarded the GIASR grant can receive a stipend. Additional people, whether co-investigators or research participants, cannot be paid through GIASR funds. Incentives for research participants should be an item (gift cards are not allowed by the Business Office) purchased with supply funds.

Click here for example budgets and justifications.

3. IRB or IACUC Plan (only if the research involves human or animal subjects)

The following should be included:

• A plan to acquire approval from the Institutional Review Board or the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before the start of the research project
• A statement describing the status of the IRB or IACUC submission (in progress, approved, intending to apply by a certain date)

Note: Funds will not be dispersed until IRB or IACUC approval is granted.