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Faculty Research Assistants Funding (FRAF)

The Office of Undergraduate Research offers Faculty Research Assistants Funding (FRAF) to support faculty members interested in hiring actively enrolled UTK undergraduate students to assist their research endeavors. This funding supports faculty and student engagement and collaboration while pursuing original faculty-led research. Selected faculty will receive funding, via an end-of-semester reimbursement, to compensate the student researcher(s) at a recommended $15 per hour of project time (hourly amount to be determined by the department and compensated in accordance with UT policy) and a stipend for materials via our Supplies Reimbursement Request Form.   

Funding Schedule 

  • Academic Year – First Day of Fall Semester to Last Day of Spring Semester Finals   
  • Fall Semester – First Day of Fall Semester to Last Day of Fall Semester Finals
  • Spring Semester – First Day of Spring Semester to Last Day of Spring Semester
  • Summer – Mid-May to Mid-August  

Funding Amount 

  • Academic Year – up to $1500 + $250 for materials, per semester  
  • Fall Semester – up to $1500 + $250 for materials  
  • Spring Semester – up to $1500 + $250 for materials  
  • Summer – up to $1500 + $250 for materials  

Application Links

Applications for Summer 2025 and the 2025 – 2026 Academic Year will open February 1, 2025 and close on March 3, 2025, at midnight. 

Application Schedule

Next Application Period: February 2025   

  • Summer 2025: Due on March 3, 2025 
  • Academic Year 2025-26: Due on March 3, 2025 
  • Fall 2025: Due on March 3, 2025 
  • Spring 2026: Due on March 3, 2025 

Award notifications are made 3-4 weeks after submissions close.

Application Review Process 

  • All applications will be reviewed by faculty and staff committees made up of the Undergraduate Research Advisory Council (URAC) members. 
  • Priority will be given to new proposals during each submission period, though previously awarded proposals will still be considered, especially when new students are selected.   
  • Priority will be given to faculty who plan to hire a student who previously has not held a research position.  
  • This is a competitive process. Please invest time in the application. Please note that some Academic Year FRAF requests will be funded in full, some may not be funded, and some may be changed to a single semester grant as funds allow. 
  • Faculty must submit original applications. If faculty are working on a joint project, they must acknowledge the joint effort in their project description (which may be shared), but all other aspects of the application must be original. Students hired for FRAF must be currently enrolled undergraduate UTK students and may not come from other universities. 

Requirements

Faculty Applicant Requirements:

  • Faculty may only submit one project abstract per term. Faculty may apply for EITHER an academic year grant OR a single-semester (Fall/Spring) grant. Faculty may also apply for a summer grant, regardless of whether or not they apply for an academic year or single-semester grant. Faculty can only hold one FRAF at a time. 
  • Faculty members who apply for the program must have a teaching or research appointment (either full or part-time). Tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty are eligible.  

Faculty Recipient Requirements:

  • Faculty members must complete the Office of Undergraduate Research & Fellowships acceptance form.  
  • Faculty members must follow all steps laid out by URF for hiring their FRAF student within their own departments. 
  • Faculty members accept that FRAF payments are a reimbursement for hours worked and distributed after payroll distribution reports are submitted to URF.  
  • Upon acceptance of FRAF funding, Faculty must list the position in Handshake for a minimum of one week.  
    • Handshake is the UT undergraduate employment database. 
    • For additional help posting the position to Handshake you can use our guide or the CCDAE-recommends a help document offered by Handshake on how to post a job. 
    • If you need further assistance posting to Handshake, contact urf@utk.edu.   
  • Work must be completed within the allowable time frame for the grant period. 
  • FRAF recipients agree to judge research projects at the Exhibition of Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement (EUReCA) held each spring.  
  • FRAF recipients agree to serve as a reviewer for a PURSUIT article.    
  • FRAF recipients agree to share and enforce the student employee requirements (below).  

Student Employee Requirements:

  • Students hired by FRAF faculty must be enrolled full-time as undergraduate students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  
  • Students hired by FRAF faculty agree to present their research within a year of completing the FRAF position at either the annual fall research exhibition, Discovery Day, or the annual spring research event, EUReCA.  
  • Students hired by FRAF faculty agree to complete the FRAF Canvas course.  
  • Students hired by FRAF faculty agree to attend an URF workshop. 
  • Students hired by FRAF faculty agree to attend an URF advising session. 

View Recent FRAF Recipients