How can I obtain funding to support summer research with undergrads?

  • Many institutions offer stipends or internal grants to support student-faculty summer research.
  • The NSF-sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program “supports intensive research by undergraduate students in any NSF-funded area of research. REU Sites engage a cohort of students in research projects related to a theme.” REU sites fund a cohort of students to work with one more more faculty members, typically 10 students per cohort, half of whom come from other schools. “REU Supplements engage students in research related to a new or ongoing NSF research award,” funding a small number of students from your institution. Participation in both NSF REU programs is restricted to students who are US Citizens or US Permanent Residents.
  • The CRA-sponsored Distributed Research Experiences for Undergraduates (DREU) “is a highly selective program that matches students with a faculty mentor for a summer research experience at the faculty mentor’s home institution.” “The objective of the DREU program is to increase the number of persons from populations underrepresented in computing including women, Black/African American, Native American/Alaskan Native/ Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latinx, LGBTQAI+, Persons with Disabilities, and Veterans.”
  • Consider adding undergraduate research stipends to any grant proposal. If you already have a grant, it is often easy to reallocate existing grant funds for undergraduate research stipends.
  • You may also be able to support undergraduate research assistants with your startup funds or annual research allowance.
  • Google’s exploreCSR awards have supported institutions to design and host research-focused workshops during the academic year that expose new students, retain existing students, and build community in computing research.”