Core Facility Voucher Program—Undergraduate Investigators

ÌýÌýThis application portal will remain open until all the funds are awarded. Please contact Joe Dragavon (joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu) with any questions.

The Core Facility Voucher Program—Undergraduate Investigators (CFVP-UI) is aimed at encouraging undergraduate investigators to utilize CU Boulder core facilities in their research.

CFVP-UI assists undergraduate investigators in gathering new or additional data for their undergraduate research thesis, grant applications, or manuscripts (new and enhanced resubmissions), as well as for addressing concerns from peer reviewers on a submitted manuscript for publication.Ìý

Intent of the Voucher Program—Undergraduate Investigator

Preference will be given to applications pursuing support for senior undergraduate investigators. Qualifying undergraduate investigators will be housed within an affiliated research lab whose Principal Investigator meets the criteria listed below.Ìý

Any of the following employed by University of Colorado requiring data collection and analysis services from a CU Boulder Core Facility to generate data to support grants (new/resubmitted) or manuscripts (resubmitted/revised), and novel/exploratory research with broad implications. All CU Boulder Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty, Senior Instructors, and Career Track Research Faculty (i.e., Research Professors Series, Senior Research Associates* (SRA), and Research Associates* (RA))Ìýwho hold an appointment of half-time or greaterÌýare eligible to apply.ÌýPRAs must receive approval from their department chair, college dean or institute director before applying.

Now accepting applications. The application portal will remain open until all available funds have been allocated.

Applications must be submitted electronically via and include the following information: Ìý

  • Applicant name
  • Cover page
  • Applicant details:
    • Email address
    • Institution
    • Department of major
    • College of major
    • Anticipated graduation date
  • Principal Investigator/Research lab
  • Proposal description (1,000 word maximum) including:
    • Research significance and impact
    • Experimental plan
    • Data use
    • Future/post-graduate plans
  • Applicant resume
  • Amount requested (max = $1,500)
  • A budget generated from the provided template that automatically calculates and adds the 8.49% GAIR to the quote (link below). Note: RIO will not pay for GAIR.Ìý
  • List of Cores to be used
  • Detailed quote for the Core(s) services
    • The quotesÌýmust be provided by the Core Facility.Ìý
  • Details concerning how the data will be applied:
    • Future manuscript
    • Future funding
    • Future thesis/document for graduation
  • Annual Report Agreement
    • The PI of the applicant must agree to submit an annual Impact Report for three fiscal years (three reports in total)

Additional file uploads

All applicants will also need to upload these additional supporting documents:

After all of the above steps are complete, the applicant will be prompted to submit the application.

The maximum per request is $1,500 per applicant.ÌýThere will be no no-cost extension, and the funds must be spent by the end of FY25 as detailed below.

The funding source for the Core Facility Voucher Program—Undergraduate Investigators (CFVP-UI) is coming from Auxiliary funding, therefore GAIR is required to be included in the total request for the Voucher award applications.ÌýPlease use theÌýÌýÌýbudget template, which automatically calculates and adds the 8.49% GAIR to the quote.

Deadline

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please allow 2–3 weeks for review and decision on the proposal.ÌýFunds must be used by June 30, 2025.ÌýNo new voucher awards will be made after April 28, 2025.

Restrictions

  • Funds for awarded vouchers will be provided to the selected core(s) and used for services as outlined in the submitted quote. Make sure you used theÌýÌýÌýbudget template that automatically calculates and adds the 8.49% GAIR to the quote. Note: The GAIR calculation is for your reference. RIO will not pay for GAIR.Ìý
  • Unused funds cannot be redirected to other uses.
  • Click here for a list of all eligible Core Facilities.Ìý

Review

Core directors, in conjunction with faculty selected from various departments, will review submitted proposals. Review criteria include: (1) the ability of core facility services to satisfy the goals and objectives of the project; and (2) the track record of the principal investigator inÌýgrant submissions and publications.

Funding decisions will be announced on a rolling basis 2–3 weeks after submission.

Post-voucher award reporting

PIs must submit a brief Impact Report.ÌýRecipients will receive a link to the Impact Report each August. The report will request information on core facility useÌýand grants/publications submitted.

Any awarded grants or publications must acknowledge support from the CU Boulder Financial Futures Program.

For more information about campus cores or applications for this program, please contact Joe Dragavon, Director of Core Facilities & Shared Instrumentation at joseph.dragavon@colorado.edu.

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