Apply for URC

Where do I submit the University Research Committee grant application?

All University Research Committee grant applications are submitted through EMORY's INFOREADY URC ONLINE APPLICATION PORTAL

All documents pertaining to the URC grant application will be uploaded to the online application template.  (See RFP for detailed application instructions.)

Are multiple submissions permitted?

No. One application per applicant per cycle year, regardless of role (PI, co-PI, or Investigator).

Can URC awarded funds be budgeted to support the salary of the PI and co-PI (if applicable)?

No, URC funds cannot be used to pay the salary of the PI or the co-PI; however, funds may be used to buy course release time.

No. Letters of Support are not required by any of the URC committees.

• Individuals requesting course releases should include a maximum of $12,500 per course within the proposed URC budget. Up to two course releases may be requested, with a maximum of $25,000 in course release funding requested.
  o The proposal must include official approval from your school’s Dean for the requested course release(s). The format for documenting Dean’s approval is left to each of the participating schools. In addition to obtaining Dean’s approval, faculty who request course release(s) are also responsible for coordinating with their department head/chair, as appropriate.
          o Proposals that include a request for course release funds but that lack official Dean's approval will not be considered.
• If the budgeted amount in the proposal 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 for finding other (non-URC) funds to fill the gap.
• Course Release funds are designated to cover expenses associated with teaching needs related to a faculty member’s course release time;
• Course Release funds may NOT be used to pay the salary of a full-time faculty member to whom URC funds with a course release designation are awarded;
• A transfer of awarded course release funds will be made directly from the URC to the relevant school and will be designated for the compensation of substitute/temporary personnel to teach while the awarded faculty member is on course release leave.

Interdisciplinary research is a mode of investigation by teams, or individuals, that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, methods and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance the fundamental understanding of a topic, or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice (adapted from a National Academies’ report, 2004). 

In a given funding year, Emory can fund up to two primary co-investigators per project proposal, and the role and contribution of each investigator must be clearly defined.  This is the only URC grant open to pairs of collaborating investigators in which up to $40,000 (per application) may be requested.  In the case of a single investigator who submits a proposal classified as Interdisciplinary, the maximum award remains at $30,000.

• Each investigator must make a substantial contribution to the research in her/his academic discipline.
• At a minimum, collaboration must innovatively bring together two disciplines that are traditionally considered distinct, or different from each other (e.g., sociology and history) or schools (e.g., medicine and business), or otherwise justified as articulated here.
• Proposed research cannot be adequately addressed by a single discipline or approach; however investigators need not be from different departments or units, as long as they meet the other criteria for interdisciplinary work.
• Single investigators may also apply as long as the application makes clear how the research innovatively draws upon approaches from distinct disciplines.