Students standing in a classroom listening to an instructor deliver a presentation

Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants

Challenge your students to develop their research skills through course-based projects. Get support from our office to do it.
Recipients of Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants incorporate a larger assignment that challenges students to develop their research and creative skills, receive $500, and get support from the Center through workshops and advising.

Apply for a Research Intensive Course Grant

General Information

We hold two Research Intensive Course Mini-Grant application cycles each year: one each fall for spring courses and one each spring for fall courses.

Spring 2025 course application deadline: Application is now closed.

Fall 2025 course application deadline: March 14th, 2025

Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants provide support to instructors interested in incorporating more intensive research and creative projects into their undergraduate classes.  Class projects envisioned by instructors should push students further in the Research/Creative Cycle than would normally be expected of the typical student enrolled in the course. These could be semester-long research projects, or shorter, more focused, units of a class that build research skills.  The goal of this program is to increase the number of students who have the opportunity to have a research experience at KU, as well as to provide professional development opportunities for faculty interested in expanding their teaching toolbox.

Grant recipients will participate in an online workshop prior to the start of the semester, and will also do some prep work before that meeting.  Recipients will be required to submit an assignment or teaching tool that will be available to other instructors after teaching the course.  See the "Expectations" tab below for more details.

Program Details

Grant recipients will receive $500 at the beginning of the semester that could be for the instructor's own personal use or to support the course itself.  Funds can be processed through payroll or transferred to a departmental account. If the instructor decides to use the funds for the course, funds could be used for things such as:

  • supplies for the project

  • a class trip to visit an archive, field site, etc.

  • paying a graduate or undergraduate research consultant to assist with the class and guide students on their projects.  The grant recipient would select these students and hire them as hourly employees to assist with the course.

Additional funds may be available for courses that are taking on more intensive research and creative projects.  If you are interested in applying for additional funding for your course, email us to set up an appointment.

Tenure-track faculty, career and specialty track faculty, and full-time lecturers (Lawrence or Edwards campus) are eligible to apply for a Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grant. 

Eligible courses can be online or in-person and must enroll primarily undergraduate students.  The course must be offered during the fall or spring semester. Please apply the semester before you plan to offer the course.  Instructors teaching classes from across the disciplines of sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and professional schools are encouraged to apply.  Undergraduate classes of any size, and at any level (introductory to advanced), are eligible. 

If you are unsure if you or your course qualify, please email curf@ku.edu to inquire about eligibility.

  • Participate in a one-hour workshop prior to the start of the semester in which they receive the award. There will be 1 to 2 hours of prep work to complete before this workshop. Workshops typically occur in early August for fall courses and early January for spring courses.

  • Use the Research/Creative Cycle to frame their assignment for students. By using this image with students, we are hoping to provide a common framework that students can use to connect their research experiences across classes.

  • Require students to present their research or creative projects at the Fall Research Showcase (for fall courses) or the Undergraduate Research Symposium (for spring courses).

  • Provide a copy of a teaching tool and/or course assignments that can be shared as an Open Educational Resource (OER) through KU Scholarworks. The Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships and KU Libraries will work with grant recipients to select appropriate Creative Commons licensing for their materials.

Application Directions

Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants are offered for the fall and spring semesters.

Applicants should submit the online application form prior to the deadline.

The application consists of questions about your plans for revising a pre-existing research/creative component or creating a new research/creative component for your course. For an overview of the application questions to help you prepare, please review this document: Application Questions (.docx)

Advising and Questions

If you have any questions about Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grants or would like assistance generating ideas for a class that you will be teaching curf@ku.edu.  Center staff will be happy to meet with you to discuss plans for your class and help you develop a strong application.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications for a Research-Intensive Course Mini-Grant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Merit and impact of the proposed course revisions.  Courses can demonstrate an impact in different ways.  A large class may have a smaller research component yet reach a large number of students, whereas a smaller course may be able to provide a more in-depth research experience.  We encourage applications from all types of courses.

  • Degree to which students would be challenged beyond normal research requirements for students at that level or in that major and the incorporation of the Research Cycle.

  • Feasibility and sustainability of the proposed course revisions.

Priority will be given to applicants who have not received a Research-Intensive Course Grant in the past.