SUBJECT:

Encouragement to Seek Support for Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Research experience is among the most effective avenues for attracting and retaining undergraduate students, and for preparing them for
graduate school and/or careers. UC San Diego encourages investigators to
submit proposals and requests for supplementary funding to support
engagement of undergraduate students in research.

Those preparing proposals to the National Science Foundation (NSF), as
well as PIs of active NSF awards, may submit requests for Research
Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) supplements
(https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2013/nsf13542/nsf13542.htm). Such requests can
be components of new proposals, or be made post-award, to supplement an
existing grant or cooperative agreement. Interested PIs may contact the
Research Proposal Development Service (RPDS)
(researchdevelopment@ucsd.edu) for examples of REU supplement requests.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also offer several avenues to
recruit and support undergraduate researchers. In addition to the
Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
(https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/pa-18-586.html), the NIH’s
Research Education Program
(https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/other-training-related/R25)
and Ruth L. Kirschstein Awards
(https://researchtraining.nih.gov/programs/training-grants) offer
support for undergraduate research experiences.

Additional federal funding opportunities to support undergraduate
students and undergraduate programs can be found at
STEMundergrads.science.gov. (https://stemundergrads.science.gov/)

UC San Diego provides various resources to assist faculty and staff in
creating research experience opportunities for students. In preparing
proposals to the NSF, NIH, or other agencies in support of undergraduate
research opportunities, applicants have support available from the
Teaching + Learning Commons (https://commons.ucsd.edu/). Consultation is
offered throughout all stages of a project, from proposal development to
implementation and assessment. In addition, the Research Experience &
Applied Learning (REAL) portal (https://real.ucsd.edu/) created by the
Commons offers faculty and researchers an opportunity to communicate
such research opportunities broadly to UC San Diego students.

The Academic Enrichment Programs (AEP)
(https://students.ucsd.edu/sponsor/aep/) assist students in identifying
research opportunities. In addition, the six undergraduate colleges have
recently launched their Triton Research and Experiential Learning
Scholarship (TRELS) program that provides research stipends to
undergraduates engaged in faculty-mentored research.

Elizabeth H. Simmons Executive Vice Chancellor Sandra A Brown Vice Chancellor for Research