Graduate Research Assistantship

Each year the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Office of Graduate Studies issue a request for proposals (RFP) in support of graduate research assistantships. Each assistantship is for $10,000 and is funded jointly by ORSP and the college to which the award(s) is made. Proposals are to be authored by one or more graduate faculty members, and the awards are meant to support new, highly qualified graduate students that work collaboratively with a faculty member. Proposals will be evaluated by the University Grants and Research Team through a peer-reviewed process. Each $10,000 award will be used to support a Graduate Student Research Assistantship in the form of a 9–12 month stipend (funds can only be used to support graduate student salaries). Each student receiving an award will conduct research that supports the supervising faculty member’s project. The faculty member and student are encouraged to develop a portion of the project, or some ancillary project, for use as the student’s graduate thesis or capstone scholarly experience.

All proposals must be submitted following the Guidelines for Proposal Preparation (see below) and be accompanied by an Internal Approval Form and Checklist (see below). In addition, the applicant should submit a cover letter and letter of support from the college dean outlining the willingness of the college to support the proposal, if awarded, via matching funds. The completed application package should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies by the application deadline identified in the RFP.

• Guidelines for proposal preparation

• Internal Approval Form and Checklist

Research-Related Graduate Assistantship

Each year the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Office of Graduate Studies issue a request for proposals (RFP) in support of a limited number of Research-Related Graduate Assistantships in support of graduate faculty research. A Research-Related Graduate Assistantship provides assistance to a graduate faculty member to fund part-time employment of a graduate student. Each award is for $3,000 per year and requests can be made for multiple awards per project. The application is to be completed by a graduate faculty member; however, the completed application package must be submitted by the college dean. As funding is limited, deans may be asked to prioritize requests coming from each college. The completed application package should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies by the application deadline identified in the RFP.

Student Travel Support Program

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) supports enrolled FGCU students who wish to attend conferences, workshops, symposia, or special events that enhance the students' education experience andprovide personal and professional development. These ORSP student travel awards are limited to no more than three students per conference and are provided on a first- come, first-serve basis and for as long as funding is available. Funds are provided for presentation of scholarly work at events related to the applicant's field of study. Funds may be used to cover registration, transportation, lodging, and meal allowance costs in accordance with Florida Statute. ORSP staff will work with awardees to complete necessary paperwork. Within thirty days of travel completion, all awardees are required to submit a one-page report to ORSP describing the benefit of the award and the overall experience. Awardees are required to participate in the annual ORSP Research Day event held at the end of each spring semester. For details, visit the ORSP website (http://www.fgcu.edu/ORSP/InternalPrograms.html).