URDF_PG | MRU

2024/2025 Undergraduate Research Dissemination Fund Program Guidelines

The URDF is designed to expand students' experience in disseminating undergraduate research by funding travel associated with these activities.

Competition Deadlines

*Applications will not be funded retroactively, therefore, events must take place during the following periods:

Competition Deadline	Event Dates
October 1, 2024	November 1/24 - May 31/25
March 10, 2025	May 1/25 - December 31/25

Applications must be completed by the student and submitted by the supervisor through the ROMEO Researcher Portal by noon on the submission deadline days. The URDF application will be available in ROMEO approximately one month before the competition deadline.

Competition results will be announced 4-6 weeks from the submission deadline.

Program Opportunities

Students may hold one URDF award in an academic year.

The maximum value of an individual URDF award is $1,500. If two or more students are attending in person or virtually the same conference to present on the same project, they must apply as a group.

The maximum value of a group award is $3,000 to be shared among the students listed in the group award application.

URDF awards are allocated through the reimbursement of actual expenses related to the applicants' attendance at the approved event or approved research-related travel. Expenses must be incurred in accordance with applicable Mount Royal University travel guidelines. Awards are not transferable to other students working on the same project.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be considered, applicants must:

Be enrolled in full-time studies (minimum 3 courses) at MRU at the competition deadline.
Hold a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Be working under the supervision of a MRU faculty member for the research project (thesis, independent research project, special project, assignment).
Have identified a peer-reviewed conference they wish to attend as a presenter of research via an oral presentation, roundtable, workshop, or poster. Proposals to attend a conference as an observer may be considered if a case is clearly made that participating in the conference dialogue is essential for the completion of your research project.
Be presenting research (poster or oral).
Have ethics approval in place to conduct and disseminate research (e.g. HREB approval) if relevant.
If there is more than one student from the same project applying for funding to attend the same conference, they must complete the application as a group. All members of the group must meet the eligibility requirements listed above.

Evaluation Criteria

The Undergraduate Research Working Group (URG), in participation with the Research and Scholarship Standing Committee (RSSC), will oversee all incoming applications and allocate funds according to the following criteria:

Completeness: are all sections completed as requested.
Ability to communicate the rationale for attending the identified conference or event.
Plan to bring experience back to the MRU community.
Clarity and focus in application: a clear indication of the importance of the particular conference or event within the discipline and the role of the student(s) in both the execution of the research project and the delivery of the conference presentation.
Budget justification (detailed, well thought-out, reasonable).

Things to Remember

Student applications will require MRU registrar-issued transcripts (non-official but issued by registrar is acceptable).
A copy of your event program is required. If a program is not available, please provide the website link.
Applications must be completed by the student and submitted by the supervisor. Students must register in ROMEO to jointly complete the application. Student applicants must be included in the Project Team tab. Applications where the student has not registered in ROMEO will be returned as ineligible.

Still have questions? Please contact research@mtroyal.ca for further assistance.