Application deadlines for the Eagle SPUR Program are March 15 and October 15 for projects that begin the following semester. The program supports all aspects of undergraduate research and creative activity, including community-engaged work, at Southern Miss with grants of up to $1,000 (up to $1,500 if travel funds are requested) for one- or two-semester projects and activities. You are expected to devote at least 150 cumulative hours to your project during the funding period and must complete your SPUR project no later than the semester of your graduation. Grant money may be used for domestic travel (e.g., to present at a conference, perform at a show, visit an archive, etc.), small equipment, supplies, a stipend that allows you to devote time to your research project, etc. If you are interested in applying for funds to attend a conference, you may need to apply before you know whether your abstract has been accepted. (If you are awarded a DCUR grant but not accepted to the conference, your DCUR travel funds simply will be returned.) Please note that your faculty mentor must be a permanent (i.e. not adjunct or visiting) member of the USM faculty. This program is supported by generous contributions from the Southern Miss Vice President for Research.

Only complete proposals that include completed mentor and budget support forms on the templates that are provided (i.e., MS Word format) and proof of completion of the CITI Common Course for USM Undergraduate and HON 300 Students (Word or PDF format) will be reviewed.

You may not use Chat GPT or other AI tools to generate text for this application.

Evaluation Criteria for Your Proposal

Completeness of your proposal and adherence to all required content, format, and use of sources. This includes submission of all required proposal documents.

Quality of your writing (including grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation) and organization of the proposal text.

Thoroughness and clarity of your project description, including your in-text/bibliographic citations in the objectives and significance section of your application.

Articulation of your project’s relevance for your scholarly or professional development.

Detail and feasibility of your proposed project plan (approaches, methods, timeline).

Appropriateness of length and timing of the requested funding period for the scope of your project.

Appropriateness of your travel plans (venue, location, transportation), if applicable, and consideration of cost sharing opportunities (note: cost-sharing is not a prerequisite for an award but is a consideration in grant programs administration).

Detail of your proposed budget and appropriateness for your project.

Strength and detail of your mentor’s support statement.

Your overall understanding of your proposed project.

General advice for your application:

Remember that you are applying for a competitively awarded grant; your writing should be formal, careful, and professional. While your tone should be professional, the proposal review committee, which will evaluate the merits of your request for funding, consists of a group of faculty members from different academic disciplines. Since reviewers may not be experts in your specific area, you should explain concepts and define acronyms clearly for a general collegiate audience.

Follow the instructions for each section of your application carefully.