About

UROP provides merit-based scholarship funds to UHM undergraduate students who successfully propose a faculty-mentored research or creative work presentation. For example, undergraduate students can apply for funding to fund part or all of travel-related costs to present at a professional conference or perform at a professional venue. A presentation can take various forms depending on the field of study. UROP welcomes and encourages undergraduate students in all disciplines of study to submit an application.

Following directions, paying attention-to-detail, and ensuring high quality content are important components of a competitive application. All application content should be adequately described and justified in a convincing manner to application reviewers. Most importantly, applications should be reviewed and approved by the faculty mentor before submission to give yourself the best chance of receiving funding.

Please review this About section and the following Application Resource section thoroughly before applying as they contain important details regarding the application process. Once you are ready to apply or would like to preview the Presentation Application Form, please go to the Apply section. Do not hesitate to reach out to UROP with any questions that you have by emailing urop@hawaii.edu.

01oct5:00 pmPresentation Application Deadline

  • Enrolled as a classified undergraduate student at UHM
  • Plan to graduate from UHM
  • Be the presenting author(s) of the work
  • Accepted to present at a conference or other event

UROP requires Presentation funding applicants to have a faculty mentor who meets at least one of the following criteria, and who is willing to submit a Presentation Recommendation Form on your behalf prior to the application deadline:

  1. Tenured/tenure-track faculty at the UHM (including the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) and the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center)
  2. Regular or Cooperating Graduate Faculty (at any level) at UHM classified by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Graduate Division.
  3. Have submitted and been granted a Faculty Mentor Eligibility Petition

Students should check with their current/potential faculty mentor to ensure that they meet at least one of the eligibility criteria.

While an applicant’s UROP faculty mentor could be affiliated with any UHM department, please note that the application reviewers consider the faculty mentor’s expertise and its relevance to the applicant’s presentation when making a funding decision. Therefore, UROP highly recommends applicants to find a faculty mentor whose expertise aligns with their research or creative work interests as expressed in their presentation application.

Up to $2,000 per individual presentation (1 applicant), up to $4,000 per pair presentation (2 applicants), and up to $5,000 per group presentation (3 to 10 applicants). UROP encourages applicants to request funding for all allowable and well-justified, presentation-related expenses (e.g., materials and supplies, travel, stipend). UROP may decide to fund a presentation fully, partially, or reject funding. UROP does not accept or review applications requesting over the maximum amount.

For detailed budget guideline, see Itemized Budget with Justification.

UROP offers monthly Presentation application cycles throughout the year. All application materials must be submitted by 5 pm (HST) on the first day of each month (note that application deadlines could be on a weekend/holiday) prior to the date of the event that the applicant is proposing to attend. UROP does not accept or review incomplete or late applications. UROP strongly encourages interested students to apply at least two months prior to the event date to allow for processing and if accepted for funding, receive their UROP funds prior to making purchases.

The processing and review of applications by UROP take approximately one month. UROP notifies each applicant with the funding decision via email.

If accepted for funding, you will receive your funding in the middle of the following month of your application once all pre-funding requirements are met. UROP disburses funding to students via myUH. The funding is considered a “scholarship” and subject to the following Financial Aid regulations:

  • You must be enrolled in at least one credit in the semester of disbursement (including summer) to receive UROP funding
  • All UROP-funded travel must take place in the semester of disbursement

You may not request a stipend for your time spent on satisfying coursework/academic credit (but may request stipend funding for hours in excess of that needed for coursework/academic credit. See #4 under “Eligible Items”/”Itemized Budget with Justification”)

All applicants must indicate in their Presentation Funding Application if their research or creative work they are presenting involved one or more of the following and if applicable, submit documentation that shows compliance with applicable ethical standards.

Should UROP decide to fund a presentation, funding will be withheld until the applicant submits all documentation that show compliance. If necessary compliances are not met within a reasonable timeframe after UROP’s funding decision, UROP may rescind the funding offer

UROP encourages leveraging funding across multiple sources. In the Presentation Funding Application, applicants must disclose all outside sources of funding (in-hand or pending) for the UROP presentation that is being proposed, and must show how both UROP and external funds would be used (regardless of funding status). This includes both pending and received funds for the presentation at the time of application. Additionally, applicants must disclose to UROP if they receive any additional funding for the UROP presentation after submitting a Presentation Funding Application. This is necessary to ensure that no applicants receive funding for the same item or task.

Note: IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) funding recipients cannot receive funding from both INBRE and UROP for the same presentation. If funded by both INBRE and UROP, the recipient will have to choose one source of funding. Please contact INBRE for further information.

Please note that any funding you receive from UROP should be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as it may be subject to taxation depending on the overlap between your UROP project/presentation funding and any course requirement. For example:

  • Non-stipend funding originally intended for and spent towards a UROP project/presentation that is also required by a course (i.e. you are receiving academic credit for it) may not be taxable.
  • Non-stipend funding spent towards a UROP project/presentation that is not required by a course may be taxable.
  • Stipend funding obtained to work on a UROP project/presentation, regardless of any course overlap, is generally taxable.

Please note that these examples may not apply to you depending on your exact circumstances. Additionally, any changes in the amount you receive from UROP at the completion of UROP project/presentation may change your potential tax liability. Please consult with a tax professional for more information.

All information above applies to international students as well. In addition, international students must submit UH Form WH-1 (two pages) to Donnie Feng, UH Disbursing and Payroll (808) 956-6067.

Please review the Application Resource section to find additional information relevant to the Presentation Funding Application, including the Presentation Rubric, Itemized Budget with Justifications, Presentation Budget/Receipt Report Samples, and how to obtain a STAR combination transcript. Additionally, UROP encourages applicants to attend an Information Session, work closely with your faculty mentor, and contact UROP at urop@hawaii.edu anytime with any questions.

Also, please preview the Presentation Funding Application and review all application questions. You can also find the Presentation Funding Application in the Apply section.

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