Internal Funding

Grants

Dodson
Research
Grant
Travel
Grant

Please review the Dodson Research Grant Guidelines carefully, as there have been important changes for 2023-24

The Graduate School manages a pool of Les and Harriet Dodson Endowment funds to support graduate student research. These funds primarily assist students actively working on dissertations, theses, or final projects.
We encourage applicants to consult with their mentors and consider Student Travel guidelines carefully when preparing Dodson proposals that include research-related travel.
A faculty committee will review proposals and make recommendations to the Dean of the Graduate School. Individuals may receive up to $3,000.

AY 2023-24 Application Period: November 9-December 11, 2023

More Information

Supported Activities

Funds may purchase useable materials or pay for processing directly related to graduate student research.

Awards generally cannot pay for the following:

equipment that will stay at the institution
wages to the applicant or assistants
personal items
publishing costs
travel to academic conferences

Note: Funding may support travel for the purposes of conducting research (e.g. collecting samples in the field, visiting archives, etc.). Being awarded the Dodson Research Grant from the Graduate School does not constiture approval for University-sponsored travel. Funds will only be made available if you sucessfully complete the Student Travel Authorization process.

Any items purchased with grant funds will be property of UTEP. For the purposes of this grant, equipment is defined as any tangible property with a useful life of more than one year and a purchase price of $300 and above (10% of the total maximum grant). Students requesting equipment purchases must directly justify the purchase in their grant proposal. General use equipment purchased with Dodson Research Grant funds may be required to be returned to the Graduate School upon completion of the grant.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program and show progress toward the degree.
Applicants must be able to expend all awarded funding by July 2024. Dodson funds cannot roll over from a prior fiscal year.
Students cannot receive more than two Dodson awards during their graduate career.
Previous Dodson recipients must disclose their prior award(s) and explain why they should be funded again in their proposal.
Applicants must apply as individuals, not as a team.
Applicants must comply with protocols associated with research on human or animal subjects. Students with projects undergoing IRB or IACUC review are welcome to apply.

Selection

Applications that are submitted late, do not follow submission guidelines, or are otherwise incomplete will not be reviewed.
A complete application includes 1) the student’s application 2) the student’s most recent Individualized Development Plan (IDP)
The student’s faculty mentor will be asked to submit a letter of support via QuestionPro. This letter should endorse the student’s work and describe its feasibility and significance. The faculty member may include other information they consider relevant to the student’s proposal. The faculty letter of support is due no later than one business week after the close of the Dodson Research Grant application. (The mentor will receive an email with instructions on how to submit their letter of support once the Graduate School has processed the student's application and verified it is complete)
The review committee will assess the quality of the narrative, budget, IDP, and letter of support to inform the allocation of funds.

How to Apply

The applicant submits the proposal (see below) as one PDF via the application portal: dodsonresearchgrant.questionpro.com

The student proposal portion (double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins) must have two components that count toward a 3-page limit:

Narrative description, to include:

Clear, non-technical explanation of the project that can be understood by non-specialists.
Description of the activities to be supported with approximate dates of completion.
Explanation of how this funding will contribute to completion of degree.
If a previous Dodson grant awardee, disclosure of prior award(s) and rationale for further funding.

Itemized budget, to include:

Table outlining all proposed purchases, including quantity and total estimated cost
Budget justification connecting research proposed and purchases
Estimated time frame in which purchases would be made.
Note: all funding must be utilized by July 2024. Dodson funds do not roll over to the next fiscal year, and unused funds will be lost.
Indication of any other sources of research funding and/or efforts made to secure support.

Note: Dodson Research Grant recipients are required to apply for at least one external funding opportunity to support their research during the term of their award. Applicants will be required to indicate the external funding opportunities they intend to apply for in their application. For the purposes of this grant, external funding opportunities are defined as a fellowship or grant awarded by an entity outside of UTEP. Departmental funding, program scholarships, or other UTEP institutional funding does not qualify. Grant funding secured by the student’s principal investigator also does not qualify. Learn about external funding opportunities here.

The student proposal portion may have two more components that do not count toward the page limit:

References (1 page max)–The applicant may have one page with essential bibliographic or endnote citations relevant to their study. No explanatory notes or other narrative is permitted.

IRB or IACUC approval–If relevant, the applicant should provide documentation indicating the state of IRB or IACUC approval. An email or screenshot is acceptable.

Note: We welcome applications for projects having requested but awaiting institutional review. We will not release funds until the IRB or IACUC review is approved. Provide evidence of status in the application and send that approval to dodsongrad@utep.edu as soon as possible.

The final component is required, but does not count toward the page limit:

All Dodson Research Grant applications must include student’s most recent IDP:

Include a copy of your Individualized Development Plan, signed by your mentor (This does not count toward the page limit.) The Graduate School has an IDP template link at the top of the Internal Funding webpage.

Submission:

Applicants should submit their complete application (including PDF upload) via dodsonresearchgrant.questionpro.com

Note: Order of the elements in the .pdf should follow the order in program details & instructions (see above “How to Apply”) and the .pdf File Name should be “[Applicant Last Name], [Applicant First Name] [semester] Dodson.”

We will notify applicants whether or not they have received the Dodson Research Grant and will make every effort to provide feedback. Thank you for your patience as we evaluate all applications with care.

Instructions if Awarded a Dodson Research Grant

Recipients must review and sign Awardee Guidelines, which outline compliance and reporting responsibilities by an indicated date. Failure to respond promptly or comply with these guidelines will result in forfeiture of award funds.

Dodson funds may only be used for items and activities listed in your accepted proposal. Email dodsongrad@utep.edu cc’ing your faculty advisor, to request clarification or modification or to report any changes.

Awardees must expense funds and submit a closeout report by the end of the grant period or upon graduation (whichever occurs first). Unused funds will be returned to the Graduate School. The closeout report must be submitted through QuestionPro to https://dodsongrantcloseout.questionpro.com and addresses the following:

An update that describes the current status of your research.
An updated timeline for degree completion and immediate post-graduation plans (job search, postdoc, etc.).
A list of any publications in progress, submitted, or accepted that resulted from your funded research.
A list of any conference presentations that took place during the grant period that involved your funded research.
At least one and up to three pictures of you “in action” during the funding period (for example, working in a lab, conducting research in the field, or presenting your work.)
An itemized statement of how you spent your Dodson funds uploaded as an excel file, including both your original budget proposed and the actual use of funds.
An explanation of how the funds specifically contributed to your progress and to your future academic/professional goals.

Please direct all questions regarding the disbursal or management of funds to your program’s administrative assistant or college business center.

Direct other questions about the grant program to: dodsongrad@utep.edu

The Graduate School is committed to supporting the professional development activities of its students. The Travel Grant can assist students in covering some costs associated with academic conferences, professional organization meetings, internships, and other specialized professional development opportunities. Fundable experiences can be in-person or virtual. Seeking additional support from the applicant’s program is strongly encouraged.

The Travel Grant is a competitive award. The Graduate School funds the highest quality proposals up to $850. Funding may be applied to specific eligible costs associated with the activity. There are three opportunities to apply for this grant each year:

Fall Cycle: November 15-December 15, 2023

Spring Cycle Anticipated: March 2024

More Information

Supported Activities

Applications are reviewed by a committee within the Graduate School. All applicants will be notified of their status in the process (awarded or not awarded) once the committee completes their review. We appreciate your patience while applications are under review.

Fundable Expenses with university Travel Authorization* and receipts:

Conference Registration
Hotel costs from a recognizable hotel chain
Ground transportation during the experience

Non-fundable Expenses:

Airfare
Per Diem
Professional organization membership dues
Equipment needed in order to participate in a virtual experience

Funding is provided through reimbursement only.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program during the application cycle in which they apply and must show progress towards their degree. Professional development activities that take place post-graduation will not be considered.
Applicants must have an acceptance notification from the conference, meeting, internship, or other specialized professional development experience at the time of application in order to be considered.
Applicants can only secure funding once per academic year.
Generally, only one applicant will be funded to present a given paper or presentation.
Applicants must comply with academic department and UTEP Student Travel guidelines.
All university policies relating to academic integrity and scholastic dishonesty are applicable to student applications for internal funding. Plagiarism, or other forms of scholastic dishonesty, will result in an application being removed from consideration and referral to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution.
Students are expected to maintain absolute integrity and a high standard of personal conduct during any university sponsored travel. Further information on UTEP’s standards of conduct can be found in the University Handbook of Operating Procedures.
For Summer: Travel Grant documentation must be submitted via Peoplesoft by the awardees' department administrative assistant or staff member processing the travel cost reimbursement no later than July 26 in order to meet the end of year fiscal processing deadline. Failure to adhere to this deadline may result in the loss of funding.

How to Apply

Students must submit a complete application by the deadline for a given cycle in order to be considered. A complete application includes:

Application form submitted through via https://travel-grant.questionpro.com including the contact information for the student’s faculty mentor
2 page proposal (uploaded as a PDF with application form, via QuestionPro link)
The student’s most recent Individualized Development Plan (IDP) (uploaded as a PDF with application form, via QuestionPro link)

What to include in your 2 page proposal (double spaced, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins):

In clear, non-technical language, provide details for your planned professional development activity. Include information on the organization hosting the activity, whether or not you are presenting, and how participation may impact/elevate UTEP’s reputation within a scholarly or professional community.
Explain how participation in the professional development activity will contribute to your progress toward degree completion.
Outline your future career goals and articulate how this professional development activity will help you advance toward those goals. Also discuss what professional skills you will be able to refine by participating, and how you intend to do so.
Provide a simple, itemized budget that includes the total dollar amount expected for the professional development activity. Be sure to note specifically for which items you are requesting Graduate School support while being mindful of eligible expenses and maximum awardable funds. An Excel table with explanatory paragraph inserted into your proposal is recommended. Requests for non-fundable items and/or non-specific requests for funding that exceed the maximum allowable award will not be considered.

How to Prepare if Awarded the Travel Grant

Reimbursement of Graduate School Travel Grant award funds must be arranged with your department’s administrative assistant or your college’s business center. In general, you should:

1. Complete the Student Travel Authorization with the assistance of your department’s administrative assistant or your college’s business center (if you will be traveling as part of your professional development activity).

2. Keep all receipts associated with reimbursable expenses:

Conference Registration
Hotel costs from a recognizable hotel chain
Ground transportation during the experience

3. Work with your administrative assistant or college business center to process reimbursements for approved expenses listed in your award letter.

Note: Being awarded the Travel Grant from the Graduate School does not constitute tacit approval for University-sponsored travel. There are very specific travel policies that UTEP employees and students must follow to be in compliance with state-wide regulations. Before you travel, it is extremely important that you contact your department’s administrative assistant to learn about the proper process for arranging your travel as well as the Dean of Students Office’s Student Travel Authorization process.

*Guidelines subject to amendment and update

Direct questions about the grant program to:
gradtravel@utep.edu