Stanford
Undergraduate Research and Independent Projects

Proposal Guidelines

Proposal Guidelines 

Proposals should be authored and submitted by faculty mentors or the departmental staff coordinating the projects and programs to be funded. 

Proposals must explicitly address:

  • Scholarly and experiential goals for participating students
  • Mentoring strategies, including training and resources available to new mentors as well as guidance and resources for students
  • Outreach and selection criteria for students participants, including efforts to address issues of diversity and inclusion as appropriate
  • For Departmental Grants, recruitment and selection criteria for mentors and projects, where necessary
  • Specific outcomes for past participants (e.g. subsequent publications, honors theses, presentations, etc.) as appropriate.  Discuss any available student or mentor feedback, and highlight new processes or initiatives responding to this feedback.
  • Proposed off-campus projects must be clearly described in the proposal, and funding may only be disbursed after additional requirements on the part of students, mentors, and departmental staff are completed. Undergraduate Research cannot support, in any manner, travel to or work in locations where (a) the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Advisory of Level 4 ("Do Not Travel") or Level 3 ("Reconsider Travel") for the country destination; (b) the U.S. Department of State has issued a Travel Advisory of Level 4 or Level 3 (or associated language "Do Not Travel/Reconsider Travel") for the specific cities or regions within a country; or (c) there is other reliable information of significant health or safety risks.
  • Due to the ongoing pandemic, proposals MUST discuss contingency plans in the event that only virtual (remote) activities are allowed.
    • ​​​​Per University and broader public health guidelines, all grant proposals must include a COVID-19 Appendix that discusses a remote project option: i.e. a version of the project that can be done remotely from a student’s place of residence. This remote option must not involve (1) any in-person engagement, (2) local, domestic, or international travel, (3) on-campus project facilities, (4) or project facilities at other institutions or organizations. Proposals that do not have a remote project plan will not be considered. 
    • Research-related domestic and international travel for undergraduate students is expected to continue to be restricted until further notice. 
      • We understand that levels of COVID-19 risk and related local guidelines vary by region, but no exceptions will be made
      • Updated policies regarding travel can be found here.

Selection Criteria

Grants are competitive, and even strong proposals may receive only partial funding. Successful proposals will provide concise evidence of:

  • A plan to cultivate strong faculty mentorship
  • Intensive student intellectual engagement with faculty mentors' scholarship
  • Student training to develop the skills that enable more independent projects and increased intellectual responsibilities in the future
  • A clear plan to foster student engagement with other undergraduate researchers as well as the department or program’s broader scholarly community
  • **Please note that exemplary proposals may be shared with future applicants. 

Program Administration

For questions regarding program goals, proposal content, or review criteria, please contact:

Brian Thomas
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research Opportunities
bthomas@stanford.edu
650/723-0051


For questions regarding grant administration and budgets, please contact:
vpue-research@stanford.edu
650/497-5388