Teams

Guidelines for URECA Teams

The URECA Team program is designed to involve 2-4 students in intensive, high quality research or creative project experience.  Successful applications will describe a well-thought out approach in which each team member has a defined role, yet benefits from teamwork. The projects should include significant faculty participation with a strong mentoring component. 

Here are the key elements of the new team structure:

• Teams applications are available each semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer).
• Teams may consist of undergraduates with varying levels of experience.  For example, a team could include (1) Assistant level student, (2) Silver level students, and (1) Gold level student, or some variation thereof.  Or, all team members can be at the same level (all Assistant).  
• The application process is a collaboration between the mentor and team members. Faculty Mentor submissions are uploaded as a single PDF document. Note: Student applications are uploaded as separate components to ensure all sections are submitted.
  • The mentor will complete the application first and submit the following components of the proposal in 12-point font, single-spaced, (3) page maximum*:
    • Introduction & purpose
    • Proposed team structure including meeting frequency, check-ins, etc.
    • A brief justification of why you selected the individual students and what you intend for the individuals to gain from the experience
    • Budget request, if applicable, $500 max per team – please justify your budget items, the cost including screenshots, and why the items are necessary to completion of your project.  
    • IRB/IACUC status (if applicable)
    • Letter of support for students who are seeking a Scholar level grant (Silver, Gold or Platinum), if applicable  (*not included in 3-page max)
  • Each undergraduate team member will submit the following components of the proposal
    (page requirement depend upon the level at which the student is applying – Assistant/1-2 pages; Silver/Gold/Platinum/3-5 pages). Note: Student applications are uploaded in InfoReady as separate components to ensure all sections are submitted.
    • Connect how the project’s outcomes align to your major and/or career goals
    • In your own words describe your individual role, responsibilities, and contributions to the project 
    • Background related to your specific role within the project in your own words
    • Methods
    • Personalized timeline outlining project milestones
    • Unofficial transcript. Click HERE to view detailed instructions about how to find and add your unofficial transcript to your application.
    • Travel funding request, if applicable, $300 max per student. This is to support travel necessary to carry out the research project or creative activity.  For example, if you are collecting kudzu samples and need to travel to various locations in TN, we can help with mileage reimbursement. This is NOT for conference travel. Please see the “Conference Travel” tab for available funding.

*Team applications must be filled out by the faculty mentor. The mentor will upload their portion of the application and will list the names and emails of the individuals who will be working on their team. Then, the application will be routed to each of the students. Students will first complete the eligibility section before proceeding to fill out their portion of the application.

After completing this section, you will immediately see whether you are eligible to apply before continuing with the application. Applicants who do not meet the listed eligibility requirements may not be considered for URECA funding during the current cycle. If you have any questions, contact Casey Penston, Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu. 

The following items will be asked in the eligibility section: 

• Enrollment Status: Are you currently enrolled full-time in an MTSU undergraduate degree program and remain full-time during the award period? 
• Academic Standing: Are you in good academic standing and actively pursuing an undergraduate degree. 
• Graduation Timeline: Will your proposed project conclude before your graduation date? 
• Course Credit Restriction: Will this project avoid receiving academic course credit during the award term, or, if it will receive credit, can your faculty mentor provide written justification that the URECA-funded effort exceeds normal course requirements? 
• Application Limit: Do you acknowledge that only one URECA application may be submitted per funding cycle? 
• Previous URECA Awards: Have you completed all prior URECA award requirements? 
• Faculty Mentor Requirement: Do you have an eligible MTSU faculty mentor who agrees to endorse your project and do they have expertise in the discipline relevant to your project? 
• Funding Restrictions: Project Completion: Has the proposed project for which you’re requesting URECA funds already been completed? 
• Funding Restrictions: Duplicate Funding: Are you seeking or receiving duplicate funding for the same project expenses from another source? 
• Budget Limits: Are your supply budget requests and/or travel budget requests WITHIN the allowable limits listed below?  
  • Supply budget is not to exceed $300 for individuals or $500 for teams.  
  • Travel budget is not to exceed $300 for domestic travel or $400 for international travel. 

Faculty mentors overseeing a Gold or Platinum-level project may request compensation for their effort. Please note compensation for summer effort will be awarded as summer workload limits allow.

The application will be submitted electronically through InfoReady.

After submission, proposals are reviewed by the URECA committee and funded by the Undergraduate Research Center.

How do I apply for a URECA grant?

Submit your URECA application with help from InfoReady, a proposal management system. This system consolidates application and document collection, routing, reviews, notifications and reporting into a centralized web-based platform. Prospective applicants will now submit all materials through InfoReady, not Dynamic Forms and Award Force.

NOTE: The Spring 2026 URECA Deadline is Thursday, January 22nd at 4:30 pm!

Review Criteria

Applications will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of how well the instructions are adhered to and the degree to which the application meets the outlined criteria. These criteria include a 50% score allocation to the faculty component of the application and a 50% score allocation to the student component.