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Student Faculty Research Awards

Student Faculty Research Awards are used to advance the scholarship of graduate students and faculty working in partnership. Grants up to $5,000 are awarded to the selected student/faculty pairs and are intended to help support student research, scholarship, and creative activity; give students experience writing grants; and foster the mentoring relationship between faculty and graduate students. Every award requires a Student PI and a Faculty PI. The benefit to both should be evident in the proposal.

Proposal Instructions

Each proposal should be sent to the department head for review and evaluation before submitting the proposal. An endorsement letter from the department head is required when submitting the proposal. The deadline for proposals to be received in the Graduate School for fall 2023 is October 17, 2023, by 5:00 p.m.

Submit your proposal


A successful proposal must include the following elements. These requirements will form the basis for the proposal evaluation. Proposals that exceed the listed word limitations will be rejected. 

  • a narrative of no more than 1000 words (excluding references) describing the proposal 
    This should be written for an educated, nonspecialist audience and must include the significance of the project, as well as a clear explanation of methodology and expected outcomes
  • a statement of how the project will advance the professional development of the student PI (250 words or fewer) 
  • a statement of how the project is related to the faculty PI’s expertise and research agenda (250 words or fewer)
    • If the faculty PI has extramural funding, please address the independent nature of this work from funded research
  • an itemized budget for the amount requested (between $1,000 and $5,000) and a projected timeline for use of the funds
  • if applicable, documentation of an invitation or host institution support 
  • a document providing the name of the PI, source, title and amount awarded for any current support held by student PI and faculty PI from other university or external sources and any proposals under consideration by other university or external funding sources
  • CV of the faculty PI (2-page limit) and the graduate student PI (2-page limit) 
  • endorsement letter from the department head 

These materials should be submitted online between September 28, 2023 and October 17, 2023. Please direct any questions to the Dean of the Graduate School (gradschooldean@utk.edu). 

Evaluation 

A Subcommittee of the Graduate Council, along with the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School and a representative from the Office of Research and Engagement, will evaluate proposals and make awards. 

Reimbursement 

If you receive an award through this program, please use the Student Faculty Research Award Reimbursement Form to submit expenses to be reimbursed. 

Extension 

The SFRA One-Time Extension form should be used by awarded student/faculty pairs to request a one-time extension of your project.