Support for Graduate Students (SGS) Awards
Purpose
The Support for Graduate Students (SGS) program will provide funds to graduate students (Master’s or Doctoral) to assist with the research or creative scholarship activities required by their degree programs. Funded projects may include scientific, interpretive, creative, historical, quantitative, or qualitative scholarship.
Eligibility
The SGS program is open to faculty and students across all colleges at NAU.
Faculty who are both (1) NAU regular employees (i.e., benefit eligible) and (2) eligible to serve as Principal Investigators/Project Directors on extramural grants may choose one eligible graduate student to sponsor for the SGS program (one student per faculty member). The faculty member and student collaborate to complete the application, however, it is expected that the student will be the primary author of the project narrative.
In order to be eligible for support through the SGS program, the graduate student applicant must be:
- In good standing (at the time of application and the time of award).
- Making good progress toward degree completion in a graduate degree program that requires independent research/scholarship, including those culminating in a theses or dissertation.
Funding detail Accordion Closed
Award Information
SGS applicants can request up to $4,000.
Award Period
The award period for 2023 will be January 21, 2023 through August 21, 2023.
Examples of allowable* uses of SGS funds include:
- Compensation for student assistants (hired as Student Workers) paid hourly wages
- Travel costs associated with fieldwork
- Costs associated with collecting or analyzing data, including outside consultants
- Purchase of specific project supplies
- Other activities that directly support the student’s research project
*All expenditures must be in accordance with NAU financial and purchasing policies and guidelines.
The SGS program does not fund:
- Reimbursement of costs incurred outside of the award period (e.g., student may not use the SGS funds to reimburse themself for supplies purchased before the start date of the SGS grant)
- Laptops, computing equipment, or other general electronic devices
- Travel for the applicant to attend conferences
- Costs associated with the faculty sponsor’s research, including (but not limited to) travel
Mechanism of award Accordion Closed
Purchases of goods and services (including payroll expenses) in support of SGS projects will be made through the awardee’s department business office. The department business officer will subsequently submit a transfer request to the SGS Program Coordinator, who will arrange to reimburse the department for the SGS expense.
Regulatory assurances and compliance Accordion Closed
Projects involving the use of human subjects, vertebrate animals, biohazardous materials/recombinant DNA, or radioactive materials/X-rays must be reviewed by the appropriate review committee or board to ensure compliance with federal regulations and with guidelines established in the NAU Faculty Handbook.
Projects involving the use of export controlled material/technology, hazardous chemicals or field work may also require training and/or review. For forms or more information, see Environmental Health and Safety. If you need assistance with any assurance and compliance issues, contact the Office of the Vice President for Research at ovpr@nau.edu. Awards cannot be activated until all necessary regulatory compliance approvals have been received.
As the purpose of the SGS program is to provide funds to support ongoing graduate work required by degree programs, it is assumed that all regulatory assurance and compliance requirement approvals will have already been secured for most applicants. Documentation of review and approval from IRB (internal and external), IACUC, Radiation Safety, or IBC must be submitted as part of the application materials by the application deadline.
When to apply Accordion Closed
For 2023
Application Deadline -February 3, 2023
Award Decisions (by email) – March 30, 2023
Award Start Date/Activation – March 31, 2023
Award End Date – March 2024
How to apply Accordion Closed
SGS Application Guidelines
Applications for SGS funding must be submitted electronically. The Face Pages (Sections I-VI) and Narrative (Section VII) should be combined into one PDF document and emailed to ovpr@nau.edu.
The PDF document must be saved as follows: SGSYEAR_Last name of applicant_First name of applicant, e.g., SGS2023_Smith_John
The Subject of the e-mail must read as follows: SGSYEAR Last name of applicant, First name of applicant, e.g., SGS2023 Smith, John
Selection criteria Accordion Closed
Priority will be given to meritorious proposals that articulate the most clear and strong plan for work, with particular consideration to those contributing to a thesis or dissertation. Preference may be given to students who are not currently supported through a research assistantship or graduate fellowship. Program review will be done by the Graduate College.