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  3. Doctoral Research and Travel Grant Program

Doctoral Research and Travel Grant Program

The Doctoral Research and Travel Grant Program supports UL Lafayette doctoral students in carrying out research that advances their progress toward degree completion.

Specifically, these grants are intended to defray costs associated with conducting and disseminating clearly defined research projects and creative works directly connected to the dissertation or synthesis project. 

Eligibility

Doctoral students are eligible to apply for a Doctoral Research Grant if:

  • they are a doctoral student in good academic standing and admitted/enrolled in a UL Lafayette doctoral degree program
  • the proposed research project, activity, and/or expenses directly relate to and help advance progress toward dissertation or synthesis project completion

Pre-candidacy doctoral students are eligible for grants up to $1,500. Doctoral candidates are eligible for grants up to $2,500.

Doctoral students may receive one Doctoral Research Grant per academic year and may be awarded no more than three grants during their doctoral studies.

Eligible and Ineligible Expenses

While not an exhaustive list, eligible expenses include:

  • Attending a conference to present doctoral dissertation/synthesis project research (e.g., registration fees, travel costs, lodging expenses)
  • Research-related expenses (e.g., subject fees, access to specialized data sets, purchase of archival materials or images, laboratory supplies that will be consumed in the course of the research project)
  • Research-based travel not associated with a course or conference (e.g., off-campus data collection, access to libraries, archives, historical sites, grant agencies)
  • Off-campus study of specialized methodologies or techniques needed for research
    (Note: Proposals will be considered only if instruction in the methodologies and/or techniques is not available at UL Lafayette. The relevance of the methodologies and/or techniques to the student’s research must be addressed in the proposal.)
  • Off-campus study of foreign languages needed for research
    (Note: Proposals will be considered only if the instruction is not available at UL Lafayette. The relevance of the language studied to the student’s research must be explained in the proposal.)
  • Payment of Article Processing Charges (APC) required authors of scholarly articles during the publication process in an open access (OA) model for those who are first author only; submission fees for creative writing journals for Ph.D. English students pursuing the creative writing concentration

Ineligible expenses include:

  • Previous research, travel, and/or conference expenses
  • Personal emergency situations
  • Research that has already been completed, with research expenses incurred prior to the submission date
  • Travel or other research expenses associated with a course or a course related project taken for academic credit
  • University of Louisiana at Lafayette tuition or fees
  • Normal living expenses such as rent, car repairs, child care, and utilities
  • Books that are available through the University of Louisiana at Lafayette library or inter-library loan
  • Computers, computer equipment, cameras, or camera equipment
  • Materials to prepare for program requirement or milestones (e.g., courses, orals, preliminary examinations, qualifying examinations, comprehensive examinations)
  • Copying, binding, presentation expenses associated with final submission of a dissertation or synthesis project for degree completion
  • Research unrelated to the graduate program, or conducted following the completion of degree requirements
  • Research assistance or transcription of notes or recordings will not normally be allowed unless there is a compelling explanation as to why the student cannot accomplish the task


Application Process

To apply, a doctoral student must complete the online application form and upload a research proposal, budget, and one letter of verification from the graduate program. Supplemental documents that strengthen the application (e.g., conference acceptance, publication agreement with APC charge) should be included with the application. 

  • The research proposal is limited to 1,000 words and should include description of the research/travel being requested to fund and relationship to dissertation/synthesis project. If related to conference travel, conference details including dates, location, and website must be included.
  • The research budget should be itemized and match the activities described in the proposal. It should explain in detail the costs associated with each of the activities. If the anticipated costs are greater than the funding limits, explain what other resources will support the remaining expenses. If funding is being requested from (or provided by) multiple sources, identify those sources.
  • The letter of verification must come from the student’s dissertation/synthesis project chair, faculty advisor, or graduate coordinator affirming relevance of request and/or appropriateness of conference, publication, publisher to discipline.
  • Supplemental documentation such as conference acceptance, publication agreement with proof of APC or creative writing submission fee requirements, etc. should be included. While funding may be considered without these items included at the time of application, the competitiveness of the application will be improved significantly with inclusion and, if awarded funds, documentation will be required prior to reimbursement (or direct payment when possible) of the expense(s).


Application Deadlines and Award Timeline

Applications will be accepted two times in the Fall/Spring semesters and once in the Summer session.

The Fall 2024 application will open on September 16th. 

Applications will be reviewed on a competitive basis by a committee of graduate faculty reviewers. Processing time varies depending on the volume of applications. Applicants should anticipate at least four weeks before receiving a decision.

Grants will be made as long as funds remain available.


Additional Financial Considerations

For students who qualify for need-based financial aid, receipt of this grant may reduce the original loan amount or subsidy. Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid for help evaluating your individual circumstances.

Funds awarded must be utilized during the current fiscal year. The fiscal year runs July 1-June 30.

Funds awarded may be expended only in ways that comply with University and state policies governing the expenditure of state funds. Because graduate students do not have access to LaCarte procurement cards or to the ChromeRiver expense management platform, support will be required from the department, faculty, and/or the Graduate School to ensure compliance with University and state purchasing and travel policies. While support will be necessary, it is the student’s responsibility to adhere to all University and state purchasing and travel policies. For example, if using these funds for travel, a Travel Pre-Approval is required and purchase of commercial airline tickets must be done through the state contracted travel agency. Whatever the expense, original invoices/receipts will be required. Please use the official expense template in your application found here. 

See https://purchasing.louisiana.edu/ for University and state purchasing and travel policies.

Applications for the Doctoral Research and Travel Grant are now open. Apply here.