Supporting Student Inquiry Beyond Campus Borders
“Not all who wander are lost” ~ Tolkien

The Lakers Venture Grant provides undergraduate students with up to $2,000 in funding for off-campus travel (DOMESTIC or INTERNATIONAL) to conduct immersive, student-driven, original, and independent research or pursue experiential projects in the arts.

The Lakers Venture Grant enables an undergraduate student to propose scholarly, research, or creative project to be conducted or created prior to graduation. The Grant is intended to support travel to and engagement in an independent research/inquiry experience that could not be accomplished on campus. The Grant also provides opportunity for academic engagement in a research question or creative work that is exploratory, exciting, and 'venturesome' (while also being grounded in one's intellectual interests, prior coursework, and future plans). This is about exploration! It should lead to discovery – and help open doors to future possibilities (for graduate school, fellowships, and more). 

Award will be made based on the quality of the proposals (see the rubric for specifics). Each award includes up to $2,000 for travel costs and incidentals directly associated with the project (for example: museum passes, least-cost short-term accommodation at the research site, transportation to the research location, etc.).

About the Award

How to Apply

Grantee Responsibilities

Frequently Asked Questions 

About the Award

The Lakers Venture Grant program at GVSU provides students with up to $2,000 in funding for off-campus travel (DOMESTIC or INTERNATIONAL) to conduct immersive, student-driven, original, and independent research or to pursue experiential projects in the arts.

The Lakers Venture Grant award is a travel grant intended to support travel to and then engagement in an independent research/inquiry experience that could not be accomplished on campus. More specifically, this Grant is intended to provide opportunity for academic engagement in a research question or creative work that is exploratory, exciting, and 'venturesome' (while also being grounded in one's intellectual interests, prior coursework and future plans). This is about exploration! It should lead to discovery - and also, at its best, help open doors to future possibilities (for graduate school, fellowships, and more). 

Award
The Lakers Venture Grant Program provides the following support:

• $2,000 for travel costs and incidentals directly associated with the project
  • Some examples of incidentals are: museum passes, least-cost short-term accommodation at the research site, transportation to the research location, etc.

Eligibility
The program is available to full-time GVSU undergraduate students in good standing who have not yet completed the requirements for graduation. Successful students will have demonstrated a record of academic success in their discipline. Awarded recipients must continue enrollment at GVSU as full-time undergraduates for at least one full semester of study beyond the period of the award (i.e. the following Fall semester).

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How to Apply

You will need to have TWO faculty endorsements and submit your completed proposal. Send the following link to your faculty recommenders: www.gvsu.edu/cuse/faculty

Proposal Overview
The proposal must include: a research/creative question, overview of significance, background literature survey if appropriate, sketch of preparation for success through prior coursework, internships or research, and projected outcome and dissemination plan, plus budget with documented estimates (for plane or train tickets, for example).

Limiting parameters include, but are not limited to: the award cannot go toward activities associated with a credit-bearing course at Grand Valley or elsewhere; the award cannot go toward the cost of a private language tutor, a dance instructor, or other private lessons; the award cannot go toward the transportation cost of a return to one’s hometown or country of origin.

Proposal Requirements
The Application Form will include the following items:

• Applicant Information (part of online form)
• Proposal (uploaded as part of online - follow the detailed Proposal Requirements when writing your proposal)
  • Project Goals/Scope
  • Project Feasibility
  • Student Preparation and Motivation
  • Commitment to Project
  • Dissemination Plan
  • Budget Worksheet (template is in the Proposal Requirements document)
  • Unofficial Transcript
• TWO Faculty Recommendations/Endorsements (submitted online by faculty at www.gvsu.edu/cuse/faculty)

Proposal Review
Proposals will be reviewed by a faculty committee using a modified Student Summer Scholars rubric (setting aside the Mentorship/Apprenticeship Plan as not relevant to this independent research grant program). We encourage you to review the rubric carefully as you develop your proposal.

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Grantee Responsibilities

Each student Lakers Venture Grant recipient is responsible for the quality of their research project and for their conduct as a representative of Grand Valley State University at all research locations. They need to be self-directed in their research, mature, courteous, ethical in every aspect of their research program and aware of the impact of their actions within the communities and organizations they visit.

Student Scholars Day
Funded students will be required to participate in the Student Scholars Day (SSD) that falls within the academic year that the grant was awarded, and must submit their SSD abstract to GVSU's Institutional Repository, Scholar Works.

Budget Tracking
Students are responsible for monitoring their budget and initiating any reimbursements. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship will reimburse the costs associated with the project up to the amount awarded. Please see the Budget and Reimbursement Information web page on the OURS Summer Scholar Programs website. We will follow the same process for Lakers Venture Grant recipients as we do for our summer scholars. We do not order supplies, make travel arrangements, etc. If you make purchases through another GVSU department, we will reimburse that department through inter-department OnBase transfer requests. Purchases should be processed through the faculty mentor's department first, then the department will request a transfer of funds through OnBase. The transfer request must include receipts showing the purchase(s).

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