Summer 2022 Research and Travel Awards

We are excited to announce a funding opportunity for all BU URBAN Trainees that supports research or participation in conferences, meetings, or symposia (referred to hereafter as “conferences”). All trainees are encouraged to apply. Trainees who participate regularly in program activities will be prioritized for funding.

Research Awards are made in support of interdisciplinary research that spans both Biogeoscience and Environmental Health in urban systems. For the Summer 2022 cycle, we encourage proposals for (a) up to $5,000 to pilot new projects or expand the interdisciplinary scope of existing projects, as in prior cycles; or for (b) up to $20,000 to embark on transformative and collaborative projects across disciplines.

Travel Awards are made in support of participation in a conference within 12 months to either (a) present trainee research; or (b) gain exposure to a field outside the trainee’s primary discipline (Biogeoscience, Environmental Health, or Statistics); Trainees are not required to present to obtain funding for this latter award. We will likely fund up to $1,000 for Travel Awards.

The application deadline is Friday, July 15, 2022 at 5 pm.  Please send your proposal, budget, and CV as one PDF to Evan Kuras (URBAN@bu.edu) with “URBAN Trainee Award Summer 2022” as the subject of your email.

Trainees are encouraged to seek editorial input from peers and their advisor prior to applying. Trainees are also welcome to discuss ideas with the Program Manager (URBAN@bu.edu) over the phone or Zoom up to 24 hours before the application deadline. In addition, we will dedicate two Office Hours to answering trainee questions about Research & Travel Awards (check back for specific dates). A faculty committee will evaluate the proposals and we will announce award decisions by late July.

Required Format for Proposal, Budget, and CV

Please read and follow the instructions below carefully. Applications that do not follow the requirements below will not be considered.

Proposal

  • Proposals should be single space in 12-point Times font. Travel proposals are limited to one page. Research proposals are limited to two pages if applying for up to $5,000 and three pages if applying for more than $5,000. Page limit includes References Cited.
  • Please include the following in all proposals:
  • A title with your name(s) below it
  • Type of proposal below:
    • Research, or
    • Conference with presentation, or
    • Conference without presentation
  • Research
    • Provide a background for your study and describe the novelty and importance of the proposed research and how it advances the fields of both Urban Biogeoscience and Environmental Health. Be specific about your experimental and/or study design and be sure to explicitly include any testable hypotheses and/or objectives.
    • Proposals beyond $5,000 must include two or more trainees and/or faculty from different disciplines within URBAN.
  • Trainees may request funds to pay for Research Assistant (RA) time (hourly rate of $15-20+ depending on the level of skills/experience required). If budgeting funds for an RA, be sure to justify the expense, rate, and hours needed. Note: Proposals will be ranked more highly if they include requests for funds that support trainees directly, rather than paying the cost of hiring someone else.
  • Conference Participation in which you will present:
    • Include the conference name, date, location, and website, as well as the session that you have submitted an abstract or will submit an abstract to.
    • Provide a background for your study and describe the novelty and importance of the work you will present at a conference and how it advances the fields of both Urban Biogeoscience and Environmental Health.
    • Explain how the experience will strengthen your interdisciplinary training and/or career goals.
    • Please include a copy of your submitted abstract as an additional page. If you have not yet submitted your abstract, please include your draft abstract instead.
  • Conference Participation where you will not present:
    • Include the conference name, date, location, and website.
    • Explain how the experience will strengthen your interdisciplinary training and/or career goals.
  • Note: Trainees are welcome to apply for “travel” funds to participate in remote conferences, even if no travel is involved.

Budget (required for all proposals)

  • On a separate page, include a budget table that clearly provides the details of all of your expenses, how much you are requesting from BU URBAN, and how other funds will be obtained, if applicable. Please include all costs in case we have additional funds available, even if they exceed the values named above.
  • For research applications: Include specific information about all budget items, including manufacturer’s name, model number, etc. We recommend including the following budget categories, as applicable: personnel (RA time), supplies, fees and services (e.g., transcription services), travel costs, and training costs.  Provide the date by which you expect to spend awarded funds.
  • For travel applications: We recommend including the following budget categories, as applicable: registration or abstract fees, ground or air travel, lodging, and food. Per NSF restrictions, BU URBAN cannot pay for membership to professional societies.

CV (required for all proposals)

  • There are no page limits or formatting requirements for your CV.
  • For collaborative proposals, include CVs of all trainees involved.

Your proposal, budget, CV, and all accompanying files (e.g., conference abstract) should be sent together as one PDF. Please use this file name format: “2022-Summer-Application-LastName.pdf” (e.g., 2022-Summer-Application-Kuras.pdf)

Final notes:

  • Awarded funds are intended for the projects described in your application. If research or travel plans change from the initial application, please email Evan Kuras with a request for a re-purposing of funds along with a justification. If it is deemed that the re-purposing of funds remains aligned with the original application, your request will be approved.
  • For all award types, funds must be spent within 12 months of receiving the award (by July 2023).
  • For Travel Awards, reimbursements must be submitted within one month after the dates of your meeting. Note that trainees can apply for funds to participate in only one conference in each call for proposals.
  • For reference, BU URBAN offers three cycles of Research and Travel Awards each year: spring (March deadline), summer (June/July deadline), and fall (October deadline).

Please reach out to Evan Kuras (URBAN@bu.edu) if you have any questions.

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