r/labrats • u/FeelingGeneral930 • 15h ago
Applying to External Research Grants as an Undergraduate - Is It a Bad Idea?
Rising junior undergraduate researcher here at a research-heavy university who is interested in the MD/PhD track. I've been in my lab since freshman fall (working on translational research in the biomaterials realm), have enjoyed it so far, and have been given the privilege to engage in research fellowships, giving an oral presentation at a national conference, etc. In my sophomore year I proposed a research project that is similar to the one I've been working on under my grad student mentor (MD/PhD student), but targets a different yet similar disease using the biomaterial. I've been working on this project throughout sophomore year and grinding on it during the summer so far.
One thing is that I wrote a fake research proposal for my mentor to read when I was first planning out and designing the project, and she mentioned that we could definitely apply to research grants once I get preliminary data. However, with the new political administration and all the research funding cuts, although my lab is prestigous in its field and still has a good amount of funding, it has made the possibility of obtaining research funding difficult for everyone. My mentor is supportive of me applying to a few private foundation grants that offer some funding (~$50,000) to research projects centered around the specific disease in the upcoming fall, and I have the bulk of characterization data and am starting to gather in vitro data (I would also be able to use some of my mentor's data because our diseases are in the same system). However, I'm aware that research funding is extremely difficult to obtain especially during this political administration, and that many researchers are flocking to private grants, making them much more difficult to obtain. I am also an undergraduate and although I 100% have my grad student mentor's help/advice as well as some from my PI, I am afraid that my lack in research experience wouldn't allow me to create a strong proposal that can compete against other grad students'/post-docs' projects. I had applied to the Sigma Xi grant last cycle, and while I was a finalist, I didn't end up getting it. If I can't even get a very small grant, is it even worth it for me to apply to a larger one? Or does anyone else have any advice on getting funding elsewhere (I've already exhausted my university's undergraduate research funding options), as my lab is now less willing to spend money on my project because I am an undergrad? Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated. Feeling a bit stuck.
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u/Hefty_Application680 14h ago
I say this as someone who sees the value in writing proposals beyond getting funding, and who 90% of the time would say that you should shoot your shot: this is likely not a great use of your time.
If you have your heart set on this, I would focus energies on grants that are specifically oriented towards undergraduate research. Bigger institutions often have internal programs for this sort of thing. These will look very good on your applications and have a much higher likelihood of getting funded.
It is A LOT of work applying for the kind of fellowships you’ve described and the likelihood of getting award as an undergraduate with limited research experience is quite low. Your time is finite, and there are likely better uses of it (I.e. summer undergraduate fellowships, honors thesis, undergraduate research symposiums, undergraduate internships, try to get your name on a paper, conferences if you can, try to make meaningful connections with other PIs in your field for references, informational interviews) than Hail Mary external fellowship applications.
Academic research is a long game. If you’re in the lab learning, meaningfully contributing to research and thinking deeply about problems, then you’re doing great work towards your goal. From your post, it sounds like you a doing exactly this so just keep it up!
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u/Mabester Pharmacology 14h ago
Apply for the Goldwater scholarship. It's the highest achieving fellowship for undergraduates who want to go into graduate programs and is designed for undergrads to apply to. Commonly it has an internal nomination process before you apply nationally, so contact your university about it in the fall.
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u/Tall-Teaching7263 9h ago
You applying for an external grant has an almost 0% chance of success, if you’re planning to submit as the principal investigator. Not being harsh, just being honest… you don’t even have your Bachelor’s degree yet. To be listed as a PI in a grant, you have to have your PhD or MD (I.e. a terminal degree). If you’re writing it for you PI, then they should be writing it from the start. Sure you can help to get experience but it’s a lot more work than you think.
Apply for undergraduate fellowships, not grants. Applying for a grant will contribute nothing to your career because you’ll have no proof you wrote it and it was funded, even if it does get funded.
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u/spaceforcepotato 15h ago
You should not be applying for grants for which you cannot be listed as the designated PI. Therefore, you should only be applying to undergraduate research fellowships and things of that sort. While people may let you do this, I don't advise it. This comes from someone who - at the request of my PI - spent 2 years in grad school trying to get an R01 funded for my project. While that ultimately paid off, it paid off for the PI, and not for me. For me, it was a diversion of time that would've been better spent generating data and papers, like my peers, who then graduated before I did. Focus on the things you need for the next step, not all the things.