SURF Awards: Budget Policies and Samples

SURF Budget Guidelines

The maximum total amount awarded for a SURF Award is $5,500 composed of two parts - up to $5,000 stipend for the student awardee and up to $500 for consumables/research supplies associated with the research or creative project.

Part 1. There are three basic budget plans for the $5,000 component of a SURF award:

  • Plan AThe $5,00o SURF component is used as a stipend to cover living expenses during the time you are engaged in your research or creative project over the summer. You may request a maximum of $5,000 as a stipend. To request the full amount, students are expected to complete at least 360 hours of project work (~40 hours/week for 9 weeks or an equivalent commitment over a longer time period). Note: Students may propose a part-time SURF project as partial stipends for fewer hours of project activity are also allowable. Stipends for fewer than 360 hours of project work will be prorated accordingly.
  • Plan BThe $5,000 SURF component may be used to pay for domestic or international travel. Students should submit detailed travel costs (with prices current as of the date of submission), including airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, travel registration fee (for international travel), travel health insurance (for international travel), and any other costs associated with the travel. To request the full amount for travel, the travel costs must equal or exceed $5,000.
  • Plan CThe $5,000 SURF component may be used to pay for domestic or international travel AND a stipend for living expenses BEYOND the travel dates. Students should submit detailed costs (with prices current as of the date of submission), including airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, travel health insurance (for international travel), and any other costs associated with the travel. This plan would be used when total travel costs are LESS than $5,000. Students may request to use any funds remaining from the full SURF stipend amount (i.e., $5,000 less travel costs) as a stipend for project hours beyond the travel dates. The prorated stipend amount will be calculated based on the number of project hours beyond the travel dates; these project hours should be detailed in your timeline.
    Note: A Plan C budget is not appropriate for students whose travel expenses are restricted to commuting costs to a local research site as travel dates will encompass all project weeks. For these students, a Plan A budget is likely more appropriate.

Part 2. Students may request up to $500 in research expense funding to cover consumables and/or other expenses associated with their proposed SURF project. Expenses may include:

  • laboratory materials and supplies
  • art supplies
  • participant incentives or compensation (as approved by the IRB)
  • photocopying charges
  • poster printing expenses ($50; for Frontiers or other confirmed presentation opportunities)
  • postage charges
  • books (only if an explanation of why borrowing from the library is not feasible is provided)
  • audio recording device (only if an explanation of why this is required for data security is provided)
  • data storage device (maximum $100; only if an explanation of why this is required for data security is provided)
  • software (if unavailable through AnyWare or other campus computing resources)
  • fees charged for time on shared equipment (e.g., cloud computing, microscopy time) or equipment rental

You must provide exact costs for these items in your budget.

The following expenses should not be included in your research expense budget as they cannot be covered by our funding sources:

  • travel expenses, including parking and mileage (these should be included in a Plan B or Plan C budget for the $5,000 component of the award)
  • membership fees (Note: exceptions to this policy will be considered if a membership is required in order to access a data set needed for the project)
  • purchase of durable equipment (e.g., camera, computer, microscope)
  • transcription services
  • payment to individuals for services rendered (other than participant compensation as described above)
  • tuition for any instructional program

Tips for Building Your SURF Budget

Please review the guidance below in order to build an appropriate and fundable itemized budget for your proposed project. 

  • Include your name in your SURF budget document (not just in the file name).
  • Indicate which budget plan (A, B, or C) you are using to construct your SURF budget request.
  • For a Plan A or Plan C budget, your itemized budget should NOT address the SURF stipend. The stipend amount will be calculated by OUR based on the number of project hours entered in the budget form. This number of project hours should be consistent with your timeline.
  • For a Plan B budget, your itemized budget should detail your travel expenses.
  • Regardless if you are applying for the full $500 or a partial amount in SURF research expense funding, your itemized budget must include a detailed listing of costs associated with your research, including the items name, quantity, unit cost, and total cost. Take time to review the sample research expense budgets on this page.
  • Make sure that your budget figures are as accurate as possible. This often will involve meeting with your faculty supervisor to discuss the necessary supplies and how to best estimate the quantities needed.
  • Seek out economical options and compare prices across vendors.
  • If your travel plans include driving a privately owned car, that expense should be based on the university's current mileage rate for the distance you will be traveling rather than an estimate of fuel costs.
  • Consult with your faculty advisor to obtain pricing information for university suppliers of consumable products you need for your project.

Sample Budgets

Sample Budget for a Plan A SURF Project

Include a note indicating that you are proposing a full-time SURF project and indicate your total project hours. This number should match the project hours listed in your SURF Timeline.

Sample Budget for a Plan B SURF Project

(Note: Figures below are for illustration only and may not represent current travel costs)

Item Explanation Quantity Cost/Unit Amount
Airfare Boston to Heathrow, roundtrip (including checked bag fees) 1 $1,500 $1,500
Lodging YHA London Central Hostel 17 nights $95/night $1,615
Meals Meals for 15 full days 17 days $100/day $1,700
Transportation 7-day Travelcards for zones 1-5 2 $95/card $190
Travel Health Insurance Registration fee ($25) and insurance cost 2 weeks $50/2 weeks $75
TOTAL $5,080

Sample Budget for a Plan C SURF Project

(Note: Figures below are for illustration only and may not represent current travel costs)
190 project hours beyond my travel dates are described on my project timeline; stipend support is requested for that time in addition to the travel expenses listed below.

Item Explanation Quantity Cost/Unit Amount
Airfare Hartford to Seattle, roundtrip 1 $700 $700
Lodging HotelCorp Seattle Downtown 8 nights $140/night $1,120
Meals Meals for 9 full days 9 days $60/day $540
TOTAL $2,360

 

Sample Research Expense Budgets

    The SURF Award allows for students to request up to $500 as research expense funding to cover consumables and/or other expenses associated with their research project. Expenses may include:

    • laboratory materials and supplies
    • art supplies
    • participant incentives or compensation (as approved by the IRB)
    • photocopying charges
    • poster printing expenses ($50; for Frontiers or other confirmed presentation opportunities)
    • postage charges
    • books (only if an explanation of why borrowing from the library is not feasible is provided)
    • audio recording device (only if an explanation of why this is required for data security is provided)
    • data storage device (maximum $100; only if an explanation of why this is required for data security is provided)
    • software (if unavailable through AnyWare or other campus computing resources)
    • fees charged for time on shared equipment (e.g., cloud computing, microscopy time) or equipment rental

    You must provide exact costs for these items in your budget.

    The following expenses should not be included in your research expense budget as they cannot be covered by our funding sources:

    • travel expenses, including parking and mileage (should be included in a Plan B or Plan C budget for the $5,000 component of the award)
    • membership fees (Note: exceptions to this policy will be considered if a membership is required in order to access a data source or set needed for the project)
    • purchase of durable equipment (e.g., camera, computer, microscope)
    • transcription services
    • payment to individuals for services rendered (other than participant compensation as described above)
    • tuition for any instructional program

      Sample Research Expense Budgets

      (Note: Figures below are for illustration only and may not represent current costs)

      Example 1

      Item Explanation Quantity Cost/Unit Amount
      Participant compensation IRB-approved compensation for participation in interview study 25 participants $15/participant $375
      Data storage device 1TB portable external hard drive. Per approved IRB protocol, audio data and other identifiable data can only be transported between the research sites on an encrypted data storage device like this in order to ensure data security. 1 $75 $75
      Poster printing Poster printing at Document Production Center for Frontiers $50
      TOTAL $500

      Example 2

      Item Explanation Quantity Cost/Unit Amount
      Microcentrifuge tubes Fisherbrand Premium Microcentrifuge Tubes, 0.5 mL 500-pack $75 $75
      Microcentrifuge tubes Fisherbrand Premium Microcentrifuge Tubes, 1.5 mL 500-pack $75 $75
      Antibiotic treatment Kanamycin sulfate antibiotic 15 g $75/5 g $225
      ABI Sequence analysis Sequencing of samples from all test conditions 200 samples $1/sample $200
      Poster printing Poster printing at Document Production Center for Frontiers t $50
      TOTAL $625

      Note: Costs above the $500 supply budget limit will be covered by the Husky Lab.

      Example 3

      Item Explanation Quantity Cost/Unit Amount
      Coverslips To mount tissue samples 100/pack $35/pack $35
      Slides To mount tissue samples 100/pack $90 $90
      Aqua polymount To mount tissue samples 20 mL $75 $75
      Advanced Light Microscopy Facility time Unassisted use of Leica SP8 Spectral Confocal Microscope 12 hours $15/hour $180
      Antigen Gephyrin - mouse monoclonal, to detect splice variants 100 μg $300 $300
      TOTAL $680

      Note: Professor Doe has agreed to cover lab supply costs that exceed the $500 supply budget limit.