Academic Senate - University of California, Santa Barbara

Funding for the Academic Senate Faculty Research Grants Program is graciously provided by the chancellor. The aim of these small grants is to support faculty research efforts, as well as faculty development, across the campus.

Any member of the Academic Senate Santa Barbara Division may apply. Proposals with budgets up to $20,000 will be considered. Funding is competitive on the basis of scholarly excellence, with priority given to:

Early career faculty with a clear need for funding;
Projects for which no extramural funding source can be identified;
Requests for seed monies with high potential for impact or graduation to extramural funding;
Requests that extend/augment work currently supported by extramural funds, in particular, to prepare extramural renewal proposals.

The current grant application cycle has closed. Please check again at the end of Fall quarter for information about the next grant application period.

The chart below summarizes expenses that are considered eligible and ineligible for funding. Please see the Faculty Research Grants Policy for details.

Category	Considered	Not Considered
Research and Clerical Assistance	Undergraduate and graduate student appointments must be on an hourly basis and less than 24% time during the academic year Recently graduated students in a limited appointment	Student appointments of 25% time or more during the academic year Student tuition, fees, and insurance Postdoc appointments Faculty salary
Equipment	Project specific specialized equipment that cannot be obtained from departmental or facility funds, or is not readily available elsewhere on campus.	Major equipment items should be requested in the regular departmental budget process
Computing	Project specific computer time, programming services, computer software, and databases; Computing devices that are primarily used for performing, e.g., field research in the project.	Computers and hardware used for routine tasks including managing and tabulating data, writing/editing documents are generally considered administrative costs; Personal computer used solely for the preparation of a manuscript is not an allowable expense
Supplies	Expendable research supplies that are not normally provided by the department Justified, project-specific, reasonable copy charges	General office supplies
Field and Travel Expenses	Costs related to field research and field assistance Visits to museums, archives, and libraries Domestic travel to conduct research (actual, reasonable costs incurred) Foreign travel to conduct research (actual, reasonable costs incurred, not to exceed Federal Maximum Per Diem Allowances)	Travel to conferences for the purpose of presenting research results or creative work should be requested through the Faculty Travel Grants program
Publication Charges	Payments related to publication preparations including, but not limited to, copyediting, typesetting, proofing, printing, binding, image copyrights, and subvention	Cost of preprints or reprints Cost of journal fees; for publishing in Open Access journals, applicants are encouraged to seek funding from the library.
Conferences	Research funding to conduct conferences is given very low priority; however, significant professional conferences held locally that enhance or promote UCSB research programs may be considered with justification Travel costs for principal invited speakers, not to exceed $100 per day for each day the conference is in session	Conference registration fees, including for students Honoraria
Books, Archives, Periodicals, Microfilm Copies...etc.	Under exceptional circumstances and with verification of the Library's inability to purchase the items, requests of this category may be considered; all such physical materials purchased become property of the University and must be turned over to the Library when the immediate research need has been fulfilled (licensed content cannot be transferred). Commissioning digital copies of rare documents or manuscripts may also be considered. When such copies are designated by the seller as intended for personal use only, then the faculty is not required to turn them over to the library upon completion of their research.	Generally not considered

Faculty Research Grants Policy
Sample Application Form
Recent Sample Proposals
*Please note that guidelines are reviewed annually and thus samples from past years may not reflect current application requirements.

My Faculty Research Grant History

Frequently Asked Questions

Administrative Coordinator: research.grants@senate.ucsb.edu