Advanced Research Grants

There are two Towson University summer research grant experiences for undergraduate students — one for sophomores and one for advanced researchers in their junior and senior years.

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry (OURCI) also offers grants that provide rising juniors and senior students with an opportunity to pursue advanced undergraduate research projects during the 12 weeks of the summer months, with or without credit. The advanced summer research awards program seeks to emphasize:

  • Individual curiosity and initiative
  • Intellectual ambition
  • Scholarly work conducted individually or in groups
  • New in 2026 funding for Cardin Summer Scholars (see info in FAQ below)
  • Applications material may be submitted here.
  • Students who apply for Advanced Research Grants will potentially be eligible for college level awards from Fisher College, College of Business and Economics and College of Liberal Arts.  
  • Please note the new deadline is March 3 for the 2026 Summer Award. 

Each project requires a TU faculty mentor. Stipends of $5,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis to students whose applications demonstrate a sound conception of the proposed work and evidence of the interest and ability to complete the project successfully. Faculty mentors will receive a stipend of $500 for their work advising and overseeing the project. Based on availability of funds, a small (up to $500) budget for materials and supplies necessary to complete the project may also be supported.

Advanced Research Grants FAQ

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry (OURCI) in collaboration with the Ben and Myrna Cardin Center for Civic Engagement and Civil Discourse will offer up to six additional summer research awards to undergraduate students as part of the Cardin Summer Scholars Program (CSSP).

These new CSSP awards are in addition to OURCI Advanced Summer Research Awards, which will be funded at the same level. Students may apply for both CSSP and Advanced research grant awards, but are only eligible to win one award per academic year.

Award Specifics 
Winners of the CSSP award will receive a $5,000 stipend and their faculty member will receive a $750 stipend to supervise the project (individual CSSP awards are funded at the same level as the Advanced Summer Research Awards). Student winners and their faculty mentor will each receive $500 in research funds that can be used for travel or other expenses.  

Additional Responsibilities 

Student winners must also agree to attend the Cardin Center’s Annual Forum, which this year will take place June 8th from 5 to 8pm. Students will also work with Cardin Center staff to help plan the event in the Spring 2026 semester. Faculty mentors are encouraged, though not required to attend the forum. Otherwise, responsibilities mirror those of the Advanced Summer Research Award.  

Application Process 

Students can apply to the CSSP award and the Advanced Summer Research Award with a single application (linked here) with a deadline of March 3rd. Students interested in applying to the CSSP award will answer an additional short essay question (up to 400 words) about how their project contributes to the mission of the Cardin Center (see below). 

Cardin Center’s Mission: “To promote meaningful and constructive dialogue on critical societal issues by nurturing a culture of civil discourse, civic responsibility and community leadership within Towson University and beyond.” 

Faculty mentors may only sponsor one student project per award  (Advance Summer Research Award or both the CSSP). Faculty may support two different students if each only applies for one award.   

Creative and Research Subjects  
The CSSP encourages creative projects (e.g. Paintings, Dance, Music, and Creative Writing) for awards that connect with the Cardin Center’s Mission. Creative and research projects are encouraged to include plans to provide community outreach to foster civil discourse around issues related to the research.  

Review Process   
Applications for the CSSP program will be reviewed, and winners selected by a committee of TU faculty and staff of the Cardin Center.  Specifically, nominating faculty will be asked to serve on the committee and will vote on awards except in their own college.  

The CSSP program will award up to one winner in each academic college based on the faculty supervisor’s college. We expect to notify award winners in late March.  Students who win a CSSP award will not be eligible for Advanced Summer Research Awards in the same year.  

Questions and Feedback 
Students or faculty with questions should email . OURCI staff may be able to provide feedback on proposal drafts if received with sufficient time to review. 

Currently enrolled undergraduate students working toward a bachelor’s degree who will be enrolled at TU in the fall and who agree to meet all responsibilities of the award are eligible to apply.

The project may not be a class assignment though it could build from a project which originated in a regular course offering.

Students working as a group need to clearly delineate individual student roles and expected contributions. An additional paragraph describing each member of the group’s role, including faculty if it’s a faculty-led project, must be submitted with the application.

 Applications can be submitted via Microsoft Forms

Applications will include 

  • a one-paragraph project summary statement

  • narrative description of the project (indicate sources, data, materials, strategies to be used, student’s background for project preparation, schedule plan, description of the report to be provided at the end of the project) — limit to 1,000 words; description should be written for a general audience (not experts)

  • Cardin Summer Scholars should include an additional 400 word description of the link between their project and the Cardin Center's mission.

  • if funds for materials and supplies are requested, the narrative description should contain an itemized budget

  • faculty mentor letter assessing the project and student’s ability to complete it

  • evidence of IRB or IACUC approval or status (if applicable)

The summary statement and the narrative description are the most important parts of the application; compose them well with the guidance of your faculty mentor.

Applications should contain all the elements above. The students are encouraged to ask questions and may discuss drafts of their applications with the Director of Undergraduate Research. The director can be reached at the email at .

  • Applications should be submitted by March 3, 2026 via Microsoft Forms 

  • Faculty mentors may submit their recommendation letters separately to by the deadline date.

The students are expected to devote at least 300 hours to the project during the summer; there are some reporting requirements as well. For a full list of conditions, please see Award Description.