FOR ADVISORS’ INFORMATION: CURA Program Application has been re-opened!
The Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) in the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Academic Programs is pleased to announce the re-opening of the application for the AY 2021-22 Chancellor’s Undergraduate Research Award (CURA) program. We have secured some additional funding to support some more awards.
Faculty interested in sponsoring an undergraduate student as a student research assistant through the CURA program are asked to complete an eligibility inquiry form to determine if the student qualifies for the program (i.e., to determine whether the student has demonstrated financial need). The inquiry form can be accessed at https://cura.uic.edu/information-for-faculty/.
******
The Chancellor's Undergraduate Research Award (CURA) is administered by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) to support undergraduate involvement in research and other creative and scholarly activities across campus.
The CURA program is intended to both assist UIC faculty members in the completion of research, scholarship or creative production and to provide a rich and rewarding educational experience for the student employee. You can read more about the program at https://cura.uic.edu/.
CURA supports faculty who work with students who have demonstrated financial need, as determined by criteria established by the Office of Financial Aid.
The CURA program affords an opportunity to hire an undergraduate student researcher at no cost to faculty or the sponsoring department.
To participate in the CURA program, you will need to identify the student(s) with whom you are interested in working. Then complete an online inquiry form, which the Office of Undergraduate Research will use to coordinate with Financial Aid to determine if the student qualifies for the program. The inquiry form can be accessed at https://cura.uic.edu/information-for-faculty/.
Faculty members will be notified as to whether a student qualifies for the CURA program. For students who qualify, a representative from the Office of Undergraduate Research will email a link to an online application for the program, which the faculty member completes on behalf of the student with whom they plan to work.
Awards are available for one semester or the entire academic year. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis in the order in which they are received. Each faculty member may apply to support up to three CURA students during an academic year.
CURA is not intended to be combined with other major campus-based research funding programs such as LASURI, Honors College research grants, etc., other than to the extent that such awards will meet additional expenses unmet by CURA.
UIC students are reminded to search in the UIC Undergraduate Research Experience database to find faculty supervisors and mentors. If you have not done so, please register yourself and your project(s) here: www.ure.uic.edu. If you are already registered, be sure your profile is up to date. You can mark your profile as active if you are returning from a leave or inactive if you are temporarily not recruiting students. Please do not remove your profile entirely unless you are leaving UIC permanently.
If you are interested in working with a student who does not have demonstrated financial need, have the student speak with an academic advisor or Director of Undergraduate Studies to find out about options for course credit or other funded or sponsored programs in the degree-granting college. For possibilities for earning course credit in connection with conducting research, you can also refer undergraduate students to the following webpage: http://ure.uic.edu/for_students_credit.php or they can email the Office of Undergraduate Research at our@uic.edu.
If you have questions of your own, please feel free to email us at our@uic.edu.
Thank you for your participation in the high-impact practice of undergraduate research, which contributes in a multitude of ways to positive educational outcomes for our students