Congratulations on your Project funding! Before UROP can transfer any funds to you, you must satisfy all pre-funding requirements as listed below.
Complete 1-2 by filling out and submitting the online forms. Complete 3-7 by submitting the requirements via email by “replying all” to the UROP Project Funding Decision email.
Deadline for 1: Spring: 5 pm, 4/17; Fall: 9 am, 11/30
Deadline for 2-7 (all other requirements): Spring: 5 pm, 4/27; Fall: 9 am, 12/12
If you have any questions, contact UROP at urop@hawaii.edu.
- Sign Up for a UROP Funding Recipient Orientation
The orientation will consist of networking with fellow UROP funding recipients and a detailed explanation on the funding process, the successful steps to completing your project, available resources, and project completion requirements. Attendance is mandatory for all UROP Project funding recipients. - Complete the Funding Acceptance Form
The form asks funding recipients to confirm their funding disbursement semester and enrollment status at UHM to ensure funding eligibility. - Submit Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
The MOA outlines UROP’s conditions for funding. This is a formal agreement between the funding recipient, faculty mentor, and UROP. The MOA must be signed by the funding recipient and the faculty mentor. - Complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training
See Required Training & Research Compliance. - Submit a Safety Checklist
See Required Training & Research Compliance. - (If applicable) Research Compliance Requirements
If the UROP Project Funding Decision email indicated any research compliance requirement for your project, submit relevant documentation showing compliance. See Required Training & Research Compliance. - (If applicable) Submit Revisions/Clarifications
If UROP requested any revisions/clarifications on the budget or the application via the UROP Project Funding Decision email, funding recipients must make satisfactory revisions and resubmit. When making revisions, turn on the track changes function (on Word or equivalent). When providing clarifications, please email UROP.
All prior Project funding recipients must submit all outstanding UROP Project completion requirements as outlined under the Project Completion page prior to the deadline before any new funding is released.
When presenting, showcasing, or displaying your UROP project in any format, please remember to acknowledge UROP support and include the UROP logo in the presentation slides or poster and acknowledge UROP verbally and/or in writing. Please consider using the following verbal/written acknowledgment or a similar variation:
“This work was supported in part by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program, Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship (OVPRS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.”
Please see the Funding Disbursement Procedure page on what to expect before UROP transfers your funds to you and how UROP transfers your funds to you.
Please see the Tax Information page for all tax-related concerns, including information specific to international students.
Purchasing Items
Recipients may start making purchases after receiving their official funding disbursement email from UROP with the subject line: “UROP Project Funding Disbursal Notification”. This email confirms that UROP scheduled the funding disbursement. Recipients may not use the funds to reimburse themselves for items purchased prior to receiving this email from UROP. All receipts documenting purchases should be saved and organized for submission to UROP at the end of the project, except for stipend and Meals & Incidental Expenses (M&IE) charges associated with travel.
The acquisition of required items is the responsibility of the recipient and mentor (i.e., UROP does not make purchases for recipients). In some cases, research or creative work involves materials which recipients are not able to purchase directly (e.g., hazardous materials). In this case, recipients should work closely with their faculty mentor and/or department to obtain the items and arrange reimbursement to the purchasing party.
Scope & Budget Change
Working on a research or creative work project may involve unforeseen changes to original plans. Recipients do not need to communicate with UROP on all changes they implement. For example, if the timeline is delayed for a week, please work with the mentor to stay on track – UROP does not have to be notified. If the price of a particular item has changed slightly (e.g., price fluctuation on flight, lodging, materials and supplies, etc.), UROP does not have to be notified prior to purchasing. Please note that UROP does not consider budget increase and stipend increase requests.
On the other hand, if recipients need to make a “significant” adjustment to the original plan, recipients should first discuss and confirm with the mentor. Significant adjustments include:
- A change in the completion semester
- A change in the travel plan (e.g., no longer traveling, traveling in a different semester than originally planned)
- A need to purchase an item over $100 with UROP funding that was not in the original budget
Once the mentor confirms that a significant adjustment is necessary, send an email to UROP with the mentor copied and explain the situation. Also, please ask the mentor to confirm that the adjustment is necessary.
If recipients need to purchase an item over $100 with UROP funding that was not in the original budget, they should open the most recently approved budget by UROP and turn on the Track Changes function and update the rows that contain:
- Items no longer needed. Edit the cost to $0
- Items with price increases/decreases. Edit the cost accordingly
Then, add the new item by creating a new row. The new row should be the last item in the corresponding category (Materials/Supplies, Travels, Outsourcing, etc.). Once the new row has been created:
- Populate all cells (Item #, Item Name, Quantity, Cost per Unit, Cost, and Justification)
- Update all corresponding subtotal and total rows
- Save the file as [LastName]_[FirstName]_BUD_[YYYYMMDD]. For example, the file name should look like the following if the recipient’s name is Elise Keoni and the date is June 29, 2020: Keoni_Elise_BUD_20200629
GROUP: Use the main applicant’s name and not one of the co-applicants for consistency
Send an email to UROP with the new budget attached and the mentor (and group members, if applicable) copied to explain your situation. Also, please ask your mentor to confirm that you discussed the request by using “reply to all” and confirm with UROP via email
Withdrawal from Project
UROP strongly encourages all UROP Project funding recipients to work with their faculty mentors and group members, if any, to complete their project and consider alternatives (such as extending the timeline of the project or adjusting its scope). If any funding recipients do need to withdraw from their project, please follow the guidelines below.
For Individual Projects
Email UROP with their faculty mentor copied and include:
- An explanation of why the individual needs to withdraw
- Acknowledgement that withdrawal from a project prior to completion may require the return of UROP funding in full
For Group Projects
The group member intending to withdraw must email UROP with all group members and the faculty mentor copied and include:
- An explanation of why a group member needs to withdraw
- Acknowledgement that all members who withdraw from a project prior to completion may be required to return their portion of UROP funding in full
Please note that UROP will review group member withdrawals on a case-by-case basis and may rescind funding for the entire project if the project is no longer deemed feasible. UROP does not allow addition of a new group member. UROP does not allow reallocating a withdrawing member’s UROP funding to any continuing group members unless the reason for the withdrawal is due to medical reasons or equivalent, in which reallocation of funding to another group member would be reviewed on a case-by-case scenario.
If the rest of the group members plan on continuing the presentation, include the following additional details in the email and ask the faculty mentor to confirm the revisions:
- Revised budget that reflects the loss of the withdrawing member’s funding
- Revised proposal and/or plan that indicates how the remaining members intend to complete the presentation with fewer group members and potentially a reduced funding amount
UROP is here to help you through your research/creative work. Please email us at urop@hawaii.edu with any questions or concerns. You may also schedule an online or in-person meeting, or drop by Moore Hall Room 107 or 108 during in-person office hours. See the Contact Us page for more details.