Departmental Honors Research Grants

Priority Deadlines for Fall 2024

• DHRG Student Application - Sunday, September 8, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)
• DHRG FACULTY ENDORSEMENTS - Sunday, September 15, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)

Non-Priority Deadlines for Fall 2024

• DHRG Student Application - Sunday, October 13, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)
• DHRG FACULTY ENDORSEMENTS - Sunday, October 20, 2024 (11:59 p.m.)

Priority Deadlines for Spring 2025

• DHRG Student Application - Sunday, January 19, 2025 (11:59 p.m.)
• DHRG FACULTY ENDORSEMENTS - Sunday, January 26, 2025 (11:59 p.m.)

Non-Priority Deadlines for Spring 2025

• DHRG Student Application - Sunday, February 16, 2025 (11:59 p.m.)
• DHRG FACULTY ENDORSEMENTS - Sunday, February 23, 2025 (11:59 p.m.)

Grant applications submitted after the priority deadline will be funded only upon availability of funds; grant applications submitted after the non-priority deadline will not be funded.

1. An applicant must be a member in good standing of the Clemson University Honors College.
2. To receive funding, students must be enrolled in an honors course included as a requirement of an approved Departmental Honors Program.
3. Preference is given to students engaged in a two-semester independent study or research experience as part of their Departmental Honors requirements. Also, preference is given to proposals that provide evidence of cost-sharing by other funding sources.
4. Funding is normally given only for individual research projects, not for field trips, class projects or other activities that are part of general course requirements.
5. Normally, students may receive funds for a maximum of two semesters. Only under exceptional circumstances and depending on availability of funds will a student be eligible for a third semester of funding.
6. Students have 24/7 access to their Departmental Honors Research Grant application via the ApplyWeb application status portal (Departmental Honors Research Grant section). No reminders are distributed regarding missing faculty endorsements. It is applicant’s responsibility to be aware of and follow-up concerning missing endorsements. Endorsements submitted after the semesters final deadline are not considered.

To get started with the Departmental Honors Research Grant application process you must visit the Application Menu page to CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT (ApplyWeb user ID and Password — not your Clemson ID and password)

If you ever forget your ApplyWeb ID and Password you may return to the Application Menu page and get help with that under Manage Your Account.

After creating your ApplyWeb ID and Password, click on this Research Grant Application link. It will ask for the ID and Password you just created.

1. To get started with the Departmental Honors Research Grant application process you must first CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT (ApplyWeb user ID and Password, not your Clemson ID and password) on the Online Admissions page. If you ever forget your ApplyWeb ID and Password, you may return to the Online Admissions page and get help under Manage Your Account.

2. The Departmental Honors Research Grant application consists of the following sections:

   1. Objective/problem statement

   2. Research/project summary

   3. Assessment plan

   4. Budget (including matching funds)

3. IMPORTANT: The research/project summary must be written by the student in a manner that can be understood by reviewers from diverse academic disciplines. Proposals laden with jargon, technical terms or complicated formulae will be rejected.

4. In cases where an individual project is part of a research program involving others (honors students, faculty, etc), the project summary should clearly explain its relationship to the team endeavor.

5. The budget form must itemize all anticipated expenses. Projects that request lump sums for unspecified or insufficiently justified expenses will not be funded. (see Expenditure Conditions)

6. In cases where the student is requesting a second semester of funding the proposal must include a brief summary of what was accomplished the previous semester.

7. An online endorsement form completed by the student’s principal research advisor must be submitted in support of all student grant applications. When the student application is submitted, an email is automatically generated to the research advisor identified within the student application. The email will contain the URL for the Faculty Endorsement Form.

   1. Faculty returning to the Departmental Honors Research Grant Form system will be greeted by their name and asked to log in to their account. New users will be prompted to create an account by choosing a password before proceeding to the recommendation form.

   2. The Faculty Endorsement Form requires a 23-digit account number as well as the name and email address of the department accountant for financial transactions. This information is necessary to transfer grant funds to the academic department upon approval of grant funding. Grant requests accompanied by a faculty endorsement providing an invalid or incorrect CUBS account information will be automatically disqualified for funding consideration.

In situations where the research project requires Institutional Review Board approval the applicant/student will be asked to submit an IRB Approval Information form. This form will be automatically generated to the student by email upon submission of the Departmental Honors Research Grant application and the receipt of the Faculty Advisor Endorsement form.

The student will need knowledge and access to the following information to complete the IRB Approval Information form:

1. IRB approval status
   1. Not yet submitted
   2. Submitted (not yet approved)
   3. Approved
2. IRB approval request date
3. IRB approval anticipated date
4. IRB approval date (can be left blank if approval has not yet been received)
5. IRB approval number (can be left blank if approval has not yet been received)

When IRB approval is received the applicant/student is also asked to submit a digital copy of the IRB approval notification by uploading it to the ApplyWeb Departmental Honors Research Grant Checklist.

In most instances research grant funding will not be released to the academic department until the IRB Approval Information form has been submitted and the digital copy of the IRB approval notification has been uploaded to the ApplyWeb Departmental Honors Research Grant Checklist.

IRB approval documentation must be received in the same semester as the grant application. IRB approval documentation that is received after the end of the award semester will not be considered, and the student shall be required to re-apply for funding in a future semester.

1. If funds to purchase equipment are requested, the proposal must clearly explain the purpose of the items and how they will be used. All non-perishable items are to remain in the department’s possession following the completion of the student’s research. Normal supplies (e.g., typing paper, notebooks, pens, drawing pads) should not be requested.

2. Funds may be provided for project-related travel. Funds may not be used for conferences. Students that need conference attendance funding should apply for Conference Travel Grants.

3. Funds may not be used for photocopying, printing and binding.

4. Funds may not be used to compensate faculty or consultants for services rendered.

5. Awarded funds must be expended by the end of the academic year in May, unless permission has been granted for use during the summer. Students who anticipate doing their research in the summer should apply for funding in the preceding spring semester.

1. Proposals are reviewed and evaluated by faculty and staff members of the Clemson Honors College.
2. Proposals will be evaluated on quality of grant writing in addition to research merit.
3. Awards are made on a semester basis in fall and spring. Normally, grants may not exceed $500.
4. All Faculty Endorsement forms must be submitted with a valid and accurate 23-digit CUBS account number for use in transferring funds. Grant applications accompanied by endorsement containing an invalid or inaccurate CUBS account number will be automatically disqualified for funding consideration.

For questions about the grant process you may contact Melissa Hawkins at melisso@clemson.edu.