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Cougar Investigator Challenge Grant (Students Only)

Applications Open January 13th, 2025

SPF FINAL FLYER

CURF presents the Cougar Investigator Challenge Grant

Hey Cougars, What will you Discover?

Do you have a research idea that will:

  • Improve the student experience at Kean University?
  • Advance social justice in urban communities?
  • Help to combat climate change and create a sustainable future?
  • Address a community public health issue?

CURF is looking for relevant research project ideas for consideration in a grant challenge competition, where the winning team will receive a $10,000 investment!

Step 1. Undergraduate and Graduate students can submit an application outlining their research proposal (Application Opens on January 13th, 2025)

Step 2. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of faculty and staff

Step 3. Selected applicants will be asked to give timed pitches limited to 5 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of active conversation with the “Sharks” (a panel of judges made up of researchers and administrators from Kean)

Step 4. Sharks will grade each project and pitch, and winners chosen. Evaluations will be based on the strength of the pitch, and relevance, significance and validity of the concept of the research proposal

Step 5. The top three research proposals will walk away with an investment prize, mentoring opportunities, and in-kind services totaling $30,000

Eligibility:

  • All full-time undergraduate students and graduate students currently enrolled in Kean University are eligible to apply for this grant. Students must have at least one year left of their academic studies.

  • A full-time tenure-track faculty member must serve as a faculty research mentor on the project. Proposals must be developed under the guidance of this faculty research mentor and a letter of endorsement from the mentor should be submitted along with the application.

  • Faculty research mentors can coach more than one team

  • All PIs and Co-PIs will be eligible for only one award during any academic year and may apply for only one seed grant per year.

  • Only collaborative proposals and pitches will be accepted – from teams consisting of a minimum of 2 students and a maximum of 4 students. Teams may consist of a combination of undergraduate and graduate students.

  • Teams must submit a proposal for a specific piece of research or the collection of pilot data that will be completed within 12 months of the grant award and is feasible with the $10,000 in funding.

Application Link

Application Opens on January 13th

2025 Application Timeline

  • We will begin accepting applications on January 13th

  • The application deadline is midnight on February 28th

  • 6 teams will be selected and notified by March 28th

  • Shark Tank style presentations will be held during the week of Research Days 2025

  • The 3 winners will be announced during Research Days 2025

 

Cougars, Do you have what it takes to take home the top prize?

Grant Objectives

  • To stimulate the development of innovative research in a key area of importance to Kean University

  • To impact academic and career development of student investigators and to motivate them to contribute to their fields of research

  • To generate preliminary data for future funding from state and federal sources

 

The Cougar Investigator grant challenge competition is designed to give Kean students real-world experience with pitching research ideas and pursuing research in one of two categories:

Seed Funding or Early Stage

Grant Applications Should:

  • Address an existing issue or problem

  • Propose a new practice, treatment, tool or approach that has the potential to improve the identified problem

  • Define key steps or milestones on a critical pathway from the present level of research knowledge to the practical application

  • Identify discrete barriers to this progress and strategies to overcome them

  • Adopt a unique perspective and employ innovative research methods

  • Include plans for evaluating the process and outcome of the research effort

  • Consider ways to disseminate lessons learned or new best practices

  • Collaborations involving multiple disciplines are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED

Selection Process

  • Applicants will submit a two-page proposal outlining their research proposal. This should be written in language that is understandable to a non-specialist. The proposal and should include:

    1. Description of the type of research (Are you proposing basic science, action research, a qualitative study, cross-sectional research or some other type?)

    2. Background and relevance of the research question (i.e., What unmet need are you addressing? What knowledge gap are you filling? Why is it important? How will you demonstrate that it works? What is your budget?)

    3. Specific aims of the research proposal (What will you do exactly?)

    4. Expected outcome and next steps, including plans for future study and funding requests (What do you hope to accomplish or achieve? How might you use your progress to seek addition support? What funding agency might support this type of work?

  • Based on a review of all abstracts, 6 teams of applicants will present their proposal to the Cougar Shark Tank made up of Kean Researchers and Administrators. This panel of experts will scrutinize the plans of the selected applicants.

The presentation will take the following format:

  • A 5-minute presentation using no more than 3 slides. Applicants should view this as an “elevator pitch.” The goal is to get the panel interested in the applicant’s idea and highlight the importance of project. Applicants must be sure to outline exactly what the grant will fund.

  • 10 minutes of questions from the “Sharks”. During this period, the research proposal will be scrutinized in more detail, and applicants will be expected to think on their feet and defend their proposals:

Presentations will be scored in the following criteria:

  1. Quality and clarity of the research proposal and presentation

  2. Importance of research

  3. Feasibility

Award

  • Successful teams will be expected to submit an itemized budget prior to release of award. A progress report will be expected once every six months. Successful teams will also be expected to present research findings and outputs (e.g., as publications, new collaborations, funding applications) at future Kean University Research Days to and submit a final report at the conclusion of the award period.

*Note: The number and size of awards will be based on the number of qualified applications. At the conclusion of the Grant period, an assessment will be measured of the published results.

For Questions

Please email curf@kean.edu