Student Research Fund (SRF) Grants
The Student Research Fund offers two types awards: Research Grants and Presentation Grants. Research Grants provide up to $400 to support research and creative projects, while Presentation Grants provide up to $400 to support conference presentations. Applications for these grants are evaluated by the Student Research Fund Committee, comprised of faculty members from a variety of disciplines.
The Presentation Grant application also includes an optional supplementary READY Immersive Experiences application. This application is evaluated by the READY Immersive Experiences Committee and is evaluated based on both the quality of the application and financial need. Students can receive up to $2500 of conference travel support through this award.
The Research Grant deadlines for the 2025-26 year will be September 18, October 30, January 29, and March 19. Completed applications are due online to the Office of Academic Affairs by 4pm on those days. Late applications will not be accepted. Grant proposals must follow the guidelines from the information packet below and must include all necessary information to be considered for funding.
The Presentation Grant deadlines follow the READY Immersive Experience deadline schedule and are monthly. The 2025-26 deadlines are Sundays at 11:59 PM on the following days: September 7th, October 5th, November 2nd, December 7th, January 11th, February 1st, March 1st, and April 5th.
- Download the documents provided below for specific instructions and information about each of the Student Research Fund grants.
- For funding for other types of Immersive Experiences (travel courses, internship stipends, workshops, etc.), visit the READY Immersive Experiences Sharepoint.
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 often has the least money available.
IRB and IACUC
If your project makes use of human beings as research subjects, it must be approved by the Otterbein University Institutional Review Board (IRB). Do not begin collecting data from human subjects before receiving IRB approval. If your project involves vertebrate animals (fish, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and mammals), it must be approved by the Otterbein University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and must adhere to the Otterbein Animal Care and Use Guidelines.
You will be required to submit your IRB and/or IACUC approval before funds can be awarded to you.
Visit this link to apply for IRB or IACUC approval: https://www.otterbein.edu/academic-affairs/irb-ouacuc/
Faculty Advisor and Payment Processing Information
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 SRF Research grants, all claims for payment or reimbursement must be verified. Students and faculty advisors should work with your departmental administrative assistant to process these requests. The process and forms necessary for claims on grant funds can be found on the Claiming Expenses section of the Grant Information Packet. Your department’s administrative assistant will also receive a copy of the document with information for processing. 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.