DURF Grants

Since research often requires financial support, the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund was created in 1996 to assist students in funding their projects. A committee of faculty reviews all DURF applications. Applicants can receive up to $1,000 per grant for a Research Grant (Individual or Team) or Conference Grant and up to $500 for a FAST. Applicants must be current first-years, second-years, juniors, or first-term seniors in the College of Arts and Science. A DURF grant may be used to support the purchase or rental of necessary equipment, travel to conferences or collections, or any other reasonable and justified expense (including income lost because of reduced hours at a current or continued place of employment). DURF grants may be expended during the fall, spring, or summer terms.

COVID-19 Considerations:

• Projects should be either fully remote or fully remote ready to account for both present and any changing conditions:
  • In-person lab work is permitted on a case-by-case basis as labs reopen and PIs obtain appropriate permissions to have undergraduates in the lab;
    
• Travel funding:
  • Travel outside NYC will not be funded;
  • Travel within the 5 boroughs can be funded if other criteria laid out here are adhered to;
• Fieldwork should be limited to site visits (e.g., libraries, special collections, archives, museums) within the 5 boroughs and in accordance with site-specific guidelines (e.g., reserved entry, timed visits);
• In-person participant work may only be conducted with IRB approval and/or under the auspices of a lab;
• Students must at all times adhere to City, State, and University health and safety guidelines when planning and conducting their research.

Applications can be submitted for (see below for application deadlines):

• Individual Research Grants which are open to all students including freshmen and sophomores who have developed the skills to undertake an independent research project (apply for an Individual Research Grant).
• Team Research Grants designed for projects in which the individual strengths of the collaborating team members are essential for attaining the project’s goals (apply for a Team Research Grant).
• First- and Second-Year Training (FAST) Grants that are specifically designed for freshmen and sophomores to provide funds needed to learn fundamental research skills (apply for a FAST Grant). Please note students may not apply for both a FAST and Research Grant for the same project.
  
• Conference Grants for students to attend national or international meetings to present their work (apply for a Conference Grant).

All applications require a project proposal, a proposed budget, and an assessment completed by the mentor. The entire proposal must be submitted online. Please click on the links above to access individual applications which detail specific requirements. For advice on writing an effective proposal, reaching out to mentors, or any other concerns related to the DURF, please contact 212-998-8140.

Students are encouraged to pursue their own independent research projects. However, projects that are offshoots of ongoing faculty research will also be considered for funding. If a project emerges from topics examined in a course, the research for which a DURF is awarded must not fulfill regular course or seminar requirements, but rather involve directed research, honors thesis, independent study, internship, or some similar course of study.

All grant recipients are required to participate in the spring CAS Undergraduate Research Conference (for which a separate application must be submitted). In accepting a grant, the student also gives the College permission to publish the abstract online and in print in Inquiry, the College’s undergraduate research journal, and to share information with the donor of the particular research grant. Recipients must submit a Grant Report to the Dean’s Office by the end of the semester after they receive their award (i.e., students receiving a grant in November must submit a Report by the end of the following spring semester). 

Deadlines for the DURF application for the 2020–2021 academic year:

Fall 2020

• Application Deadline (all materials including mentor assessment): Friday, November 6 (11:59PM)
  
• All selection committee meetings (Humanities, Social Science, STEM) take place the third week of November

Spring 2021

• Application Deadline (all materials including mentor assessment): Friday, April 2 (11:59PM)
  
• All selection committee meetings (Humanities, Social Science, STEM) take place the third week of April

(Conference Grant applications are accepted throughout the year on a rolling basis.)

If you have any questions, please contact the Assistant Dean for Students, Joel Ward at 212-998-8140 or email cas.durf@nyu.edu