Welcome to the application page for IDEA Grants. 

Is there a creative endeavor you want to undertake, or an original research project you would like to conduct? Do you want to develop or evaluate a product idea, entrepreneurial venture, or a service initiative? IDEA Grants fund research, creative projects, and the development or evaluation of new or existing ideas. This is your chance to flex your creative muscles, innovate, and explore.

FSU undergraduate students in all majors can apply for an FSU IDEA Grant (formerly URCAA, MRCE, PRSF). Selected applicants will receive a summer stipend of UP TO $4,000 (or up to $6,000 for groups) to fund their self-designed work on a topic, project, problem, artistic product or performance, or other entrepreneurial or creative idea. Projects must last 8-12 weeks and be under the mentorship of a supervising faculty member. The project does not need to be tied to a student’s major or minor, but it should be guided by a student’s academic goals and future plans. Funds may be used for living expenses, materials, lost income from not working during summer, and/or travel. Projects must be culminated in oral, poster, or creative presentation at the annual President’s Showcase of Undergraduate Research Excellence. Your IDEA Grant project will be your central research endeavor during the summer semester. Completing other research-focused programs and internships such as NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates is not permitted.  

To complete the application, an individual applicant or team must provide the following:  

• Letter of recommendation, submitted by the project's supervising faculty mentor 

• Personal letter of recommendation for each applicant or team member, submitted by a separate faculty member or previous research mentor 

• Personal statement 

• Project proposal 

• Budget proposal  

• Proposal of how the project will deal with human subjects, if applicable (i.e., IRB approval) 

Examples of previously funded IDEA Grant applications can be found on the IDEA Grants webpage here. 

To formally complete each task you must press the green "Mark as Complete" at the end of each task. To submit your application you must complete all required tasks and press the green "Submit" button on the left side of your application screen.

IDEA Grant applications are due February 1, 2025, and are available here by signing up and logging in to the right.

ELIGIBILITY: All undergraduate students are eligible to apply (with a supervising professor) provided that they:

• Are enrolled at FSU at the time of application

• Will have completed at least 12 credit hours at FSU before accepting an IDEA Grant

• Will return to FSU as an undergraduate Fall 2025 following the summer IDEA Grant work

Selection criteria include the student’s academic record and achievement, initiative, expression of academic and career interests, the project’s feasibility and intellectual merit, and the possible benefits of the project to the community in question (if applicable).  

We are grateful for the generous donors who have sponsored the following IDEA Grants:

• David B. Ford Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Award
• Dezso and Fanny Julius Undergraduate Research Award
• Robert and Mary Frappier Undergraduate Research Award
• Nancy Casper Hillis and Mark Hillis Undergraduate Research Award
• Helen Louise Lee Undergraduate Research Award
• Steve Madden Undergraduate Research Award
• Phi Eta Sigma Undergraduate Research Award
• Dr. Lisa Scott Endowed Undergraduate Research Award
• Tyler Center for Global Studies Undergraduate Research Award