Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards

For Students

For Students

Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards (UTRAs) provide undergraduate students from all disciplines in their first through fourth year unique opportunities to collaborate with faculty on research and teaching projects

Types of UTRA Awards

UTRAs support various types of projects between Brown students and faculty. While most students collaborate with professors on research during the summer months, they may also apply for grants to support the creation or revision of a course, international projects, and in some cases, research during the academic year.

Semester UTRA
Students may apply for a semester UTRA to conduct research and curriculum development projects during the semester.  Semester UTRAs take place in the fall and spring and are especially attractive for students who want to collaborate with faculty who are unavailable during the summer or who cannot themselves spend the summer in Providence. Shorter term projects, as well as those that require school to be in session (as in many education or psychology projects) are also appropriate for semester UTRAs. 

Summer UTRA
During the summer, students and faculty collaborate on research and teaching projects.  Depending on the nature of the project, this might include time spent in the laboratory, archive, or in the field. 

International UTRA
The International UTRA supports collaborative research or teaching projects abroad. Applications to work abroad will be considered only when both the faculty and the student are traveling and are on-site together.

Students may only apply for an international UTRA during the summer. Semester international awards are not permitted. Students who are interested in conducting research while abroad during the academic year should consider the possibility of a Global Independent Study Project (GLISP), sponsored by Brown's Office of Undergraduate Study Abroad.

Brown may, at its discretion, prohibit undergraduate study abroad or other university-sponsored undergraduate activity at sites where the severity of the U.S. State Department Travel Warning is particularly acute. 

Eligibility

  • All undergraduate applicants who are currently enrolled in Fall Semester and who will be enrolled in the upcoming Spring semester are eligible to apply (students who take a leave of absence during the current Spring semester, or plan to take a leave for the upcoming Fall semester will not be eligible to apply or receive funding).  
  • Undergraduates may not be on a leave of absence from Brown either in the semester they are applying or in the period when they would receive SPRINT funding. 
  • Students studying abroad during the upcoming Spring semester are eligible to apply, but must maintain an active, registered status at Brown. 
  • The SPRINT team will work with Brown’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to ensure that applicants are in compliance with conduct expectations.

UTRA focuses on forging new research and curriculum development collaborations between students and faculty mentors. If you have previously collaborated with a faculty mentor, please review the guidelines for collaboration when selecting opportunities to ensure that you are eligible for those opportunities. In addition, students must satisfy SPRINT Fellowship eligibility requirements.

 

UTRA focuses on forging new research and curriculum development collaborations between students and faculty mentors. If you have previously collaborated with a faculty mentor, please review the guidelines for collaboration when selecting opportunities to ensure that you are eligible for those opportunities. Students must adhere to the SPRINT Principles and Expectations, as well as the specific terms outlined below.

  • Semester Fellowships are significant co-curricular commitments. Semester Fellows are prohibited from registering for 5 course credits, and may not have concurrent jobs that exceed 10 total hours per week. Priority will be given to in-person, on-site experiences.
  • All undergraduate applicants who are currently enrolled in Spring Semester and who will be enrolled in the upcoming Fall semester are eligible to apply (students who take a leave of absence during the current Spring semester, or plan to take a leave for the upcoming Fall semester will not be eligible to apply or receive funding).  
  • Undergraduates may not be on a leave of absence from Brown either in the semester they are applying or in the period when they would receive SPRINT funding. Students studying abroad during the upcoming Fall semester are eligible to apply, but must maintain an active, registered status at Brown. 
  • The SPRINT team will work with Brown’s Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards to ensure that applicants are in compliance with conduct expectations

Required for all UTRA recipients who will be spending time outside the U.S. while working on their UTRA projects.

Application Process

Learn about the research and curriculum development opportunities available this summer in the Summer 2025 SPRINT|UTRA Opportunity List (or access a pdf version). You can also use the SPRINT Search Tool to search for opportunities. 

UTRA focuses on forging new research and curriculum development collaborations between students and faculty mentors. If you have previously collaborated with a faculty mentor, please review the guidelines for collaboration when selecting opportunities to ensure that you are eligible for those opportunities. 

For each UTRA opportunity to which you are applying, you will upload:

  • a cover letter that describes the specific ways this experience will be impactful for you and also articulates how you hope to contribute to the project
  • a resume that describes your past experiences and skills

Students must follow the SPRINT Fellowship application process. 

For UTRA, this includes two parts:

To apply to multiple opportunities, you will submit the Google Form application multiple times. You can submit up to five SPRINT applications, inclusive of Brown-Generated and Student-Generated opportunities.

Please take care when completing the application form to ensure that you are attaching the correct materials for the specific opportunity to which you are applying. You will be able to edit your application(s) until the deadline by following the link in the confirmation email you receive after submitting each application. Your application will not be complete until BOTH required parts are submitted.

The application deadline is 11:59pm EST on Sunday, February 2, 2025.

Your SPRINT application will not be reviewed unless you complete and submit BOTH the UFunds registration AND at least one Google Form application.  

Resources

This section gives students access to relevant tools or information to enhance their undergraduate research experience.

Spring 2025 Student Collaborator Guide

SUMMER 2025 STUDENT COLLABORATOR GUIDE

VIDEOS