URSA funding

Innovative Technology & Education (ITE) Awards

Undergraduate students, graduate students, staff, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty requiring technology-related equipment and/or software for student-based instruction and/or research are invited to apply for an URSA Innovative Technology and Education (ITE) Award.

Award at-a-glance:

  • Award amount:
    Up to $5,000
  • Timeline:
    Applications will open February 9, 2026 and will close at 11:59 pm on March 15, Award recipients will be notified via email on April 13, 2026. Funds will be available to awardees in early May.
  • Important:
    Funds must be spent by June 1 of same academic year to meet fiscal year-end deadlines.

 

Overview

This award is an opportunity for undergraduate students to work with a community partner to explore a community need or problem through research or scholarly activity. Awarded proposals will clearly describe a project with a desire to collaborate with a community partner who is willing to support undergraduate student involvement.

 

Award information

Details, eligibility and requirements

General Eligibility

  • Degree-seeking UAF undergraduate students, graduate students, full time faculty, post-doctoral researchers, research staff and staff from all disciplines and UAF campuses are eligible to apply. Regardless of applicant status, the project must support undergraduate learning.
  • UAF ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓÆµes Include: Bristol Bay, Chukchi, CTC, Troth Yeddha’, Interior Alaska, Kuskokwim, Northwest
  • Applicants may only submit one proposal for each request for proposal (RFP).
  • ITE funds may be awarded in addition to other URSA awards in any given academic year. ITE awardees may only receive an URSA ITE award two out of every three years. This policy allows for a greater number of students to receive awards with limited URSA funds.

 

Undergraduate Student Eligibility:

  • Must be a Degree-seeking undergraduate student
    Students of any year of study, from any UAF-affiliated campus, working toward an Occupational Endorsement, Certificate, Associate's Degree or Bachelor's Degree in any discipline are eligible to apply for and participate. Middle ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓÆµ students, graduated undergraduate students and graduate students are not eligible to apply.
  • Registration:
    • Fall and Spring Awards: Students must be enrolled in at least 6 credits at any UAF-affiliated campus for the funded semester.
    • Summer Awards: Students must be enrolled for at least 6 credits during the spring application semester and must plan to enroll in at least 6 credits for the fall semester following the award. Students who graduate in the spring term when the Summer Award opens are not eligible to apply.
  • GPA of 2.3 or higher
    Students with a GPA lower than 2.3 are not eligible.
  • Students that have received full funding from another UAF program for the same project are not eligible for additional funding from URSA (for example INBRE, EPSCOR, Alaska Space Grant Program, amongst others) .

 

Mentor Eligibility:

  • Faculty, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students, and staff may serve as URSA mentors and apply for the ITE award.
  • Mentors must confirm their participation via the URSA Mentor Confirmation form prior to the award deadline.
  • Mentor applicants must have at least one eligible undergraduate project participant identified prior to awarding. 
  • Awarded funds must be spent by June 1st of the awarded fiscal year. 
  • Mentors must complete the URSA Mentor Confirmation form prior to the application deadline.
  • Awardees must complete a Reflection Form by the end of the award period. 
  • Final products to be submitted with the reflection form include: 
    • 2-3 high resolution pictures of awardee and undergraduate students engaging with ITE funded-materials
  • IMPORTANT: Failure to submit a final evaluation or to submit final products will make the awardee ineligible to receive future URSA funding.   

This award is for technology/education-related EQUIPMENT AND SOFTWARE only.

Equipment is defined as any item which will retain its usefulness beyond one year.

Software proposals will be required to seek  prior to purchase.

Ineligible expenses include: fellowship/ salary, travel, services, tuition,  registration fees and supplies (materials that are project specific and expendable).

For any given round of URSA funding, 25–70 proposals are submitted.

With limited funding we award between 8 and 12 proposals in each call. The competition is high.

  • When an application period ends, ITE proposals will be distributed to the Dean of the applicant’s listed discipline for review.

  • Deans will evaluate the applications submitted from their ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓÆµ/School, score the proposals, and provide comments.

  • URSA funds submitted proposals in ranked order until the allotted amount of funding is distributed.    

Award selections will be based on:

  • Written quality of the proposal and purpose of the equipment/software.

  • Direct benefit to the educational experience of undergraduate students (including the number of students benefiting from the equipment/software).

  • While the subject and results may contribute to an individual faculty member’s program of instruction, research or creative scholarship, the use of technology-related equipment/software must involve undergraduate and/or graduate students.

  • Implementation schedule (all  equipment/software will be the property of the awardee’s department; therefore, the overseeing department must be identified in the proposal).

  • Detailed list of equipment/software with specifications and costs (a copy of the cost estimate from the manufacturer/supplier must be provided).

  • Maintenance plan for the equipment/software.

Apply & manage award

Application and reporting links

Use the links below to download the current request for proposals, submit your application materials, complete mentor confirmation requirements, and access award reflection or reporting forms. Be sure to review all eligibility requirements, required documents, and submission deadlines before applying.

Get a head start on your project proposal today!

Download the Request for Proposal (RFP) questions for the current award cycle.

All URSA Awardees are expected to complete an award reflection where they will also submit their final products.

ITE reflection deadline is Sept. 21.

Apply for award
Applications are currently closed.