Proposal Process

Proposal Process Overview

The proposal process and schedule overview can be seen below.

Project proposals

UAH Faculty, Research Staff, and Librarians create a project proposal using the proposal form emailed out by Academic Affairs at the start of the project proposal period or the Submit a Proposal button below.  

Mentors may submit up to 2 proposals for the RCEU program and may mentor additional projects through the Honors Capstone Research program, but EACH proposal must be unique.

Student review and applications

Proposals will be posted on the current proposals page for student review at the beginning of the spring semester.

Students interested in participating in the RCEU program should carefully review the complete outline of regulations, eligibility and expectations before applying.

During this period students can review proposals and apply to projects they are interested in and meet the qualifications for.  Interested students are encouraged to reach out to proposing mentors with specific questions or to learn more about their proposed projects before applying.

The student application includes basic information, a letter of interest for the specific project being applied to, and certifications that the student meets project and program requirements. 

Students are encouraged to apply early as mentors may begin closing applications once they have found strong applicants.. Students must apply using the application links on the current proposals page in order to be official candidates for the program.

Ranking

After students are selected the UAH Faculty Senate’s Finance and Resources Committee will evaluate and rank all submitted proposals based, in part, on the following selection criteria.  (Mentors: please be aware that the following criteria and weights may be adjusted for the 2026 program.  We will update this ASAP with the final metrics).

The committee strives to provide an equitable distribution of awards between colleges and departments.

Awards

After ranking, proposals will either be accepted with funding, accepted without funding, or rejected. The number of awards available is determined by the level of program funding for the current year. The ranking of proposals and distribution of awards determines which accepted proposals receive funding. 

Proposals accepted with funding support the student through the program period with a stipend of $4,000. Please be informed that the stipend may impact the financial aid or other financial standings of the participant. The RCEU program is not able to fund mentors, supplies, or equipment.

Proposals accepted without funding are eligible to receive funding should another funded project not run for whatever reason. Funding will continue to be distributed based on proposal ranking & award distribution. If a mentor is able to fund their proposal that is accepted without funding through their own funding source, the supported student can be fully accepted to the program. Please email the Faculty Director of RCEU to discuss this further.

Mentors for projects that have been accepted with funding will contact their selected student for confirmation of participation.  Only students who officially applied to the program and were submitted with final proposals are eligible for participation in the program.

If the selected student confirms participation, the project mentor should let the Faculty Director of RCEU know and paperwork will begin.

If the selected student is unavailable, the project mentor should let the Faculty Director of RCEU know.  If no student is available to participate on the project, or a mentor can no longer run the project, funding will move to a project that is accepted without funding.

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