URC Policies and Guidelines


Thank you for looking to the University Research Committee to provide funding for your research. Below you will find important information regarding the current award cycle. Please be sure to note the submission guidelines.

Application Policies and Guidelines

Eligibility

Regular, continuing full-time faculty of Emory University are eligible to apply for a URC grant.  URC eligibility follows criteria for “full-time faculty” as defined within each school. URC eligibility follows criteria for “full-time faculty” as defined within each school.  Postdocs, Fellows, Adjuncts, and part-time faculty are not eligible. For full-time faculty in ECAS, more information regarding eligibility requirements can be found under "Leave Policies and Course Release" on the ECAS Office of Faculty website.

Submission of the End-of Award (EOA) report is required within 30 days following the end date of the URC grant. Non-compliant award recipients will be ineligible to apply for another URC grant until the EOA report is submitted and accepted by the URC. 

Grant Impact Survey. Grantees are responsible for completing an annual Grant Impact Survey each year for three years after the end of the award. The URC will email a link to grantees and requires completion within 30 days of receipt. Compliance with this request will provide data to support future allocations of institutional funds to the URC. 

Budget and Policies

Budget is not a criterion for assessing the scholarly merits of an application; however, reviewers may comment on the appropriateness of specific funding requests. Please ensure that all requested funding is appropriate for and aligned with the proposed research needs.

URC awards, available on a competitive basis, are short-term (12-month), non-renewable grants, capped at the amount specified in each category.  All fees and expenses should fall within the total dollar amount awarded, and should be spent within the 12-month award period.

Of Note

  1. Nothing that binds the University to a future expense or commitment is permissible;
  2. Nothing that could be construed as part of a faculty member's usual operating expenses is permissible (e.g., the purchase of a pc/laptop/tablet/cell phone; conference travel and/or attendance, regular salary/benefits, or any other regular operating expense not listed herein)

Allowable expenses

  • Course Release: Individuals requesting course releases should include a maximum of $12,500 per course within the proposed URC (or Halle-URC) budget, up to a maximum of $25,000 per application. The application must include a formal school-generated document designating approval for course release. It is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain formal approval for course release from your Dean, and, as appropriate, through your unit head (e.g., Department Chair). Applications including a request for course release funds that lack supporting documentation with a Dean’s formal approval will not be considered. If the budgeted amount in the application is not sufficient to support the school’s expectation for funding the requested course release(s), the applicant and the applicant’s Chair in consultation with their Dean are responsible to find other (non-URC) funds to fill the gap. The format for documenting Dean (and Chair) approval is left to each of the participating schools.
  • Direct expenses for the currently awarded project.
  • Subcontracts (with justification) are accepted only with the following Emory affiliated entities:
    • Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA)
    • Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Student Assistance. URC applicants may request funding for coworker assistance, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs. If you are including coworker support within your budget, please ensure that additional funding sources are available to cover coworker compensation beyond the 1-year period of URC funding (as needed).

All policies apply to currently awarded URC grants and are not retroactive.

Non-allowable expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • Purchase of equipment of a sort involving normal operations (e.g., personal computers, standard laboratory equipment in the field);
  • Purchase of books or computer software, subscribing to professional journals;
  • Publishing costs of any kind;
  • All costs for conference attendance;
  • First/business class airfare

No-cost Extension (NCE)

URC awards are small, non-renewable grants, designed to be completed within one 12-month time period, beginning to end. While it is not routine practice for the URC to grant No-Cost Extensions, on occasion additional time is needed due to extenuating circumstances that may have hindered the completion of the project within the standard 12-month time period. Upon approval by the URC faculty co-directors, one NCE is permitted for a project after the original 12-month award cycle.

The URC faculty co-directors will consider written requests for No-cost Extensions to include the following:

  • Requested NCE date range (up to 12 months, maximum).  Include the begin and end dates.
  • Research progress. A detailed timeline of progress made on the current project. Include the date research actually began.
  • A brief narrative stating the reason(s) preventing completion of the current URC project.  Include the awarded end date.  
  • A detailed justification for No-cost Extension request that includes a list of planned steps leading to the completion of the project by the end date of the NCE
  • If the original budget is reallocated or adjusted, include the new budget and a detailed justification for the budget changes.

Send the no-cost extension request to the attention of the URC Administrative Support at urcappl@emory.edu.

Questions or Concerns
URC Administrative Support:

The URC Grant Applications are accepted through Emory's InfoReady portal