2025 Award Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions for awards made in 2025 were outlined in the award letter and linked to the URC policy page.  Template award letter language provided below for reference only. See your award letter for details that may be unique to your award. 

This award is conditionally approved, as detailed below. Upon URC award acceptance (i.e., use of URC funds), the URC Awardee acknowledges and agrees to the funding conditions outlined here. All URC policies and guidelines apply to this award.

Award Period: 12-months; June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026

Reporting Requirements:

  • Acceptance of URC awards requires the submission of a series of annual reports. These reports provide URC with needed insight into both the progress of work and the post-completion impact of each award made through the program.

URC awardees are required to submit four annual reports as follows:

  • Annual Report 1 – due 30 days following the end of the standard URC grant project period noted above
  • Annual Report 2, 3 & 4 – due annually in June; required for three full years following the end of the URC cycle’s project period*

*Awardees who are approved for no-cost extensions (NCE) will be required to submit each report above, as well as additional annual reports as triggered by the NCE date. This extended reporting requirement ensures that the URC program can meet its criteria for collecting three years of follow-on reporting for each award issued.

Change Notice Required:

  • The Awardee must promptly notify the URC program coordinator if funding received from another source overlaps with the aims and allocated expenses of this award. In such instances, it may be necessary to relinquish all or part of URC funding.
  • A 10% budget modification of the proposed use of awarded URC funds is permitted without approval from the URC; however, budgetary changes must adhere to the URC Policies and Guidelines.
  • Other changes to the awarded application, such as significant changes in scope, require that the URC Awardee contact the URC program coordinator, XXXXXXX, via email at urcappl@emory.edu for coordination of prior approval.

Additional URC Funding Conditions

  • Course release is not equivalent to a leave or sabbatical. ECAS faculty who receive course release(s) through URC funding are expected to be in residence and to participate fully in all faculty service responsibilities including department and committee meetings, student advising, etc. Course release is not equivalent to a leave or sabbatical.

NOTE: ECAS faculty who are eligible for a semester leave in a given academic year (pre-tenure leave, post-tenure leave, banked leave, etc.) are not eligible for additional course releases through the URC mechanism in the same given academic year. Please contact <dean_of_faculty@emory.edu> if you have any questions.

  • Specialty equipment purchased with URC funds becomes the property of the University.
  • Abstracts, publications, presentations, creative works, and similar products arising from the work funded by the URC program should cite the appropriate funding source: Emory URC Research Award or the Emory URC - Halle Institute Global Research Award.
  • Any portion of awarded funds not utilized by the end of the 12-month award cycle will automatically revert to the University Research Committee.
  • URC awardees are required to serve on the URC review panel for a period of three (3) consecutive years beginning with the award period immediately following their award cycle. This service includes: review and scoring of URC proposal submissions, as well as attendance at the associated review panel meeting. (Details of review panel commitment will be provided later.)
  • No Cost Extension (NCE) requests are due no later than March 31, 2026.

The following language reflects the URC policies and conditions outlined on the website for the subject award years. These terms and conditions apply to awards made during this period.

The Awardee must promptly notify the URC program coordinator if funding received from another source overlaps with the aims and allocated expenses of this award. In such instances, it may be necessary to relinquish all or part of URC funding.

 

Project Reports

Awardees are required to submit four annual reports for URC awards. These reports provide the URC with needed insight into both the progress of work, the post-completion impact of each award made through the program, as well as supporting future allocations of institutional funds to the URC.

Non-compliant award recipients will be ineligible to apply for another URC grant until all the reports are submitted and accepted by the URC.

No-cost Extension (NCE)

URC awards are 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.

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

  • Nothing that binds the University to a future expense or commitment is permissible;
  • 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

  • Direct expenses for the current proposed project.
  • Subcontracts are accepted ONLY with the following Emory-affiliated entities and must include justification:
    o Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA)
          o Georgia Tech Department of Biomedical Engineering
  • Student Assistance - funding for undergraduates and graduate students
  • Co-worker Assistance - funding for post-docs and staff, as appropriate and with justification
    NOTE: If included, applicants should ensure that additional funding sources are available to cover the student and post-doc compensation beyond the 1-year period of URC funding (as needed).
  • Course Release(s) - 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.
  • 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.
  • All policies apply to currently awarded URC grants and are not retroactive.

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

  • Purchase of equipment that supports standard day-to-day operations (e.g., computers, standard laboratory equipment in the field)
  • Purchase of books, computer software, and/or subscriptions to professional journals
  • Publishing costs of any kind
  • Costs for conference attendance
  • First / business class airfare
  • Expenses or commitments beyond the award’s period of performance
  • Faculty salary support or benefits
  • All other regular operating expenses not listed herein