The Otterbein Student Research Fund provides support to encourage research and creative work among current Otterbein undergraduate and graduate students.

Student Research Fund (SRF) Grants

There are two types of SRF grants offered: Research and Presentation grants. Applications for both grant types are evaluated by the Student Research Fund Committee, comprised of faculty members from a variety of disciplines.

The deadlines for the 2023-24​ year will be September 21, November 2, February 1, and March 28. Completed applications are due in the Office of Academic Affairs by 4pm on those days.

  • SRF Research Grants provide up to $400 for costs associated with research and other scholarly or creative endeavors.
  • SRF Presentation Grants provide up to $400 for costs associated with travel to a conference to present research or creative work.

Download the documents provided below for specific instructions and information about each of the Student Research Fund grants.

Grant Submission Information and Resources

Note: All student research projects must be consistent with the definition and standards of scholarship established by the department of the project’s discipline. When preparing your application for either grant, remember that funds are limited and the selection process for the grants is competitive. If your project is not initially funded, you can resubmit with revisions at the next deadline.  Please keep in mind that the final deadline of the year has the least money available.

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities

The research and creative work supported by the Student Research Fund awards have the potential to be the most memorable experiences your students have as part of their Otterbein education. The primary role of the faculty member is to support the student in the design and execution of their project, but in order to keep the program running smoothly we need to ask faculty members to support our efforts as well. We aim to keep our demands as small as possible.

Letter of Support

For all SRF-Research Grants, we ask for a letter of support from the faculty member. Our committee is comprised of members from across the disciplinary spectrum of Otterbein. As such, we rely heavily on the opinions of the sponsoring faculty member for their opinion both about the importance of the work the student is proposing, and for an evaluation of the feasibility of the project. We ask that this letter be sent directly to academicaffairs@otterbein.edu by the deadline in which the student is applying. The more specific your letter, the better able we will be to make an accurate evaluation of the proposal.

Please keep in mind that if you have advised a number of SRF applicants in similar or related projects, it would be of great help to the committee if you use part of your letter to make it clear how the project you are recommending now is distinct from previous efforts.

Verification of Expenditures

For both the SRF Research and SRF Presentation grants we ask that both the student and the faculty mentor sign all claims for payment or reimbursement. The process and forms necessary for claims on grant funds can be found on the Claiming Expenses section of the Grant Information Packet (PDF).  While you may be the student’s first port of call for help, we do not expect you to be an expert with these forms…if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Kathryn Plank (kplank@otterbein.edu) for help.

IRB and Animal Care & Use Information

If your project makes use of human beings as research subjects, it must be approved by the Institutional Review Board. Do not begin collecting data from human subjects before receiving IRB approval. All use of vertebrate animals (fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals) in research and teaching must be approved by the Otterbein University Animal Care and Use Committee (OUACUC) and must adhere to the Otterbein Animal Care and Use Guidelines. If your research project will be making use of animals you are required to submit the Animal Use and Care form with your proposal.