INSPIRE! Graduate Student Community Engaged Research Seed Grants

INSPIRE! Community Engaged Research Graduate Student Seed Grants funding supports summer community engaged research to be conducted by a graduate student in good standing. Under the guidance of an advisor and/or principal investigator, graduate students will be supported with up to $10,000 to conduct a community engaged research project.

Recipients must complete the CITI Program Community-Engaged Research Training and provide a letter of support from their advisor or the PI (if not their advisor) with whom the student will be conducting the research. Although not a required element of the submitted proposal, it is strongly encouraged to include a letter of support from the community with whom the graduate student proposes to work.

Eligibility

Graduate Student Community Engaged Research Grant funding is available to WSU graduate students in good standing.

Timeline

Proposal Submission Requirements

The following elements are required for proposals to receive consideration, all of which are submitted via the online submission form linked below. Late proposals will not be accepted.

• Non-technical Abstract
  • Use plain language understandable to a reader outside your field.
  • Word Limit: 300
• Proposal Narrative
  • Your narrative should include the following sections:
    • Project Background
      • Include a section on preparation done for familiarization with theories, methods, and practices of CER.
    • Project Objectives
      • Include timelines, goals, and activities to be undertaken over the course of the project.
  • Word Limit: 1,200
• References Cited
  • Word Limit: 500
• Budget and Budget Justification
  • See Budget Preparation below.
  • Budget must be certified by your department research/grant administrator.
• CV (3-page limit) 
• Letter(s) of support 
  • Advisor 
  • Principal Investigator (if not grad student’s advisor) under whose guidance research will be conducted. 
• Proof of completion of CITI Program Community-Engaged Research Training.

Review Process

The Office of Research Advancement and Partnerships is responsible for overseeing the review process. A panel of peer faculty experts will be convened for each grant cycle. Successful Graduate Student Summer Community Engaged Research grant proposals will represent a sound, short-term project based in or informed by community engagement.

Award Terms and Conditions

• If an award granted at less than the requested amount, a revised budget and scope of work are required before funds are released.
• Applicants are required to submit proof of completion of the CITI Program’s Community-Engaged Research course with their proposal. See below for access instructions.
• If applicable, protocols for human subjects (IRB), animals (IACUC) and/or biosafety activities (IBC) do not need to be approved before the submission date, but must be reviewed, approved and sent to ORAP before the grant funds are released. Funds are not released until all appropriate protocols have been approved.
• Prior to the grant start date, PIs are required to attend a briefing on grants administration, roles and responsibilities of a principal investigator, and post-award program information.
• The awards are for either a 3-month period over the summer months or a 9-month period through the academic year. Time period must be requested in the proposal with justification. If needed, a one-time only, no-cost time extension request will be considered with a strong justification.
• If the PI leaves the university prior to the completion of the grant, the remaining funds are to be returned to the Office of Research.
• Any remaining funds after the grant’s termination date are to be returned to the Office of Research.
• Acknowledgement of Community Engaged Research Seed Grant support must be included in any published work or presentations directly resulting from this award, including Showcase posters.

Final Report

By accepting this award, the PI agrees to submit a final report to the Office of Research. This report will allow the university to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The final report deadline is six (6) months after the award period ends. The report will document any publications, presentations, exhibitions, media coverage, sales or marketing, projects, papers, proposals/awards or other accomplishments that resulted from the CER Seed Grant Program’s original support.

CITI Community-Engaged Research Training

Graduate Student Summer Award applicants are required to complete the CITI Program’s Community-Engaged Research Training. The course is suitable to all experience levels and will reinforce best practices for CER. It is available at no cost and will take most about 30 minutes to one hour to complete.

Follow these steps to access the course:

1. On the CITI website homepage, choose “Log in through my institution” and find Washington State University in the list.
2. Log in with your WSU credentials
3. If you have an existing account:
   1. Navigate to “Learner Tools for Washington State University” at the bottom of the homepage and select “Add a course”.
   2. Check the box next to “Community-Engaged Research” and click “Next”.
4. If you do not have an existing account:
   1. Proceed through the registration process until you reach the “Select Curriculum”.
   2. Check the box next to “Community-Engaged Research” and click “Next”.
5. Navigate to Community-Engaged Research under “Courses Ready to Begin” and click “Start Now”.

Contacts

Please submit any questions to the Office of Research at (or.orap.servicedesk@wsu.edu).