Independent Student Research Grants

To be eligible for consideration, students must:

• have a cumulative GPA of 3.5, including the GPA from the fall term in the year of application
• your application must achieve a minimum score of 70% against the ISRG Evaluation Criteria

If your cumulative GPA is less than 3.5 and you still wish to be considered for an award, you may explain in your statement of preparation any medical or family issues which negatively affected your academic performance.

• Academic excellence (20%) — based on cumulative GPA from the most recent three semesters or equivalent (45 credits)
• Research potential (20%) — based on the quality of analytical skills, ability to think critically, and ability to apply skills and knowledge
• Academic preparation for the project and fit with the longer term goals of the student (20%) — based on relevant courses completed, relevant co-curricular activities, relevant extracurricular activities, and improvement in GPA over time

• Quality of the proposal (30%) — based on clarity, depth, and logic of the project, strength of research design and demonstrated facility with methodologies, originality and innovation, clear statement of the output and anticipated outcome, quality of the written material submitted, and student's independence
• Advisor/Mentor (10%) — based on evidence of an appropriate mentoring/training environment

A one-page proposal should include:

• the research question, objectives, rationale for the project
• relevant theory, methodology or creative approach to be used
• anticipated results (if appropriate) and implications of the research

You are encouraged to use in-text citations, if appropriate. An optional page to include bibliographic details or to list "works cited" is permitted. Note, only references should appear on this page - no additional proposal details.

Formatting requirements: minimum 3/4 inch margins all around, minimum 11pt font, Calibri or Times New Roman (or equivalent) preferred.

Use of Generative AI to formulate the Proposal or Statement of Preparation is not permitted and could constitute an offence against Mount Allison’s Academic Integrity Policy.

What is prohibited? Use of generative AI software to conceive, generate, condense, edit, refine content and title of any documents submitted as part of the ISRG application.

What is allowed?  Spelling- and grammar-checking tools embedded within word processing software (eg. MS Word) 

Tips for a good proposal

Must be a true research or creative practice experience.

• Not solely literature review/technical role.
• You are responsible for addressing a research question.

Research proposals must be sound and do-able.

• Ensure rationale is clear/identify the gap in knowledge
• Avoid casual and conditional language (e.g. my name is..., hope to...)
• Use active voice, first person
• Be realistic
• Be sure to state what the outcome/product will be

A one-page statement of preparation of your academic preparation, qualifications, and related experience for this project:

• courses
• research experience/employment
• other employment
• extra/co-curricular activities
• other

How this project fits with longer term plans, if appropriate:

• honours
• graduate studies
• employment

Formatting requirements: minimum 3/4 inch margins all around, minimum 11pt font, Calibri or Times New Roman (or equivalent) preferred.

To meet the requirements of the ISRG application, you will need to provide transcripts for all courses that you are using to meet your degree requirements at Mount Allison, with the exception of cegep, Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate courses): 

An unofficial Mount Allison transcript can be submitted to meet this requirement. Your unofficial MtA transcript can be accessed in MtA Self Service. Select the ‘Academics’ tab, and then the ‘MtA Unofficial Transcript’ tab. Save the output as a PDF file.

Transcripts from any other university or program for courses that will be counted towards your degree (transfer credits from another university, exchange program credits, summer program credits, courses taken on Letter of Permission etc.) must be attached to your application package. Unofficial transcripts from these sources will suffice.

Combine all transcripts into a single PDF and combine this file with your proposal and statement of preparation.

If your proposed project involves a creative output (such as poetry, a musical score, artwork, a play, etc.) you must have a research component that clearly explains how it will inform the creative output.

"An approach to research that combines creative and academic research practices, and supports the development of knowledge and innovation through artistic expression, scholarly investigation, and experimentation. The creation process is situated within the research activity and produces critically informed work in a variety of media (art forms)."  — SSHRC definition

When submitting your application, please check 'yes' for research-creation. Option: include a weblink to any supporting materials that you might wish the committee to see as part of your application. We cannot accept additional hard copies of materials.

COMPLETE THE APPLICATION FORM

1. In ROMEO, select Apply New (upper right hand corner)
2. In the Student Internal Grants & Scholarships section, select Independent Student Research Grants
3. Anything marked with a red * is a mandatory field

NOTE: You should regularly 'Save' your work by clicking on Save in the upper left corner. You can exit any time and your saved work will be saved, and then return at a later time to work on the application.

Project info tab

1. Title: Provide a title for your research/research-creation project
2. Start Date: May 1 (current year)
3. End Date: August 31 (current year)
4. Keywords: this is optional; do not feel obliged
5. Related Certifications:
   • If your research involves animals, check Add New, choose Animal Care, then Save. No “notes” are required. It is just an administrative placeholder/reminder.
   • If your research involves human participants, check Add New, choose Human Ethics, then Save. No “notes” are required. It is just an administrative placeholder/reminder.

Project team info tab

1. Principal Investigator: This will automatically auto-populate with your information.
2. Other Project Member Info: Scroll down to this section and select Add New.
   • Do NOT type any information in any of the boxes.
   • Choose Search Profiles.
   • Type in the last name of your proposed advisor.
   • Select Search.
   • When the name(s) appear, choose Select for your advisor. All of their information will automatically auto-populate.
   • For Role in Project, change the setting to Supervisor.
   • Save.
3. If you will have a co-supervisor, repeat to add a second faculty member. For Role in Project, change the setting to Co-Supervisor.
4. If your Advisor is not in the ROMEO system list of profiles, they will need to register with ROMEO, first. (All tenured and tenure-track faculty members should already be registered in the system.)

Project sponsor tab

1. Select Add New
2. Agency: Type in Mount Allison in the name, and search, then select Mount Allison
3. Program: Select Independent Student Research Grant
4. Start Date: May 1 (current year)
5. End Date: August 31 (current year)
6. Scroll down to “Generate New Disbursement table...”.
   • Select “Generate”
   • Start Date: May 1 (current year)
   • End Date: August 31 (current year)
   • Requested Cash: type in 9000
   • Save.
7. Save.

Independent student research grant tab

EDI Self-ID Survey

1. Please review the information provided. All questions must be completed, but you may select "prefer not to answer" for any/all questions.

Academic Background sub-tab

1. Total credits: refers to all credits from year one to end of April current year, for most people this should be 90
2. Graduation: for most people this will be mid-May 2026 (exact date TBD, enter May 15, 2026)
3. Degree program: if a joint program, select the individual degree program most closely associated with the project
4. Academic disciplines: at a minimum, include your major; anything else is optional

Eligibility sub-tab

1. Research-creation: for most people this will be No
2. Weblink: only if you checked Yes for research-creation

Acknowledgement and Checklist sub-tab

1. Please read and then check Yes once all of your materials are uploaded and proxy access has been granted in Sefl-Service.
2. Include your MTA student number to allow Office of Research Services staff to access your MTA transcript.

Attachments tab

There is only one attachment (consisting of three files combined into one), read the formatting instructions carefully — maximum one page for each of proposal and statement of preparation (with an optional page for cited works - a 2-3 page document, combined). Minimum 3/4 inch margins all around. Minimum 11pt font, Calibri or Times New Roman (or equivalent) preferred. Save as PDF.

1. Prepare your proposal and statement of preparation document(s) first. Combine into a single file and save/export/scan to PDF.
2. Assemble your unofficial transcript(s). Your unofficial MtA transcript can be accessed in MtA Self Service. Select the ‘Academics’ tab, and then the ‘MtA Unofficial Transcript’ tab. Save the output as a PDF file.
   • If you have academic credits that will be counted towards your degree from any other university (transfer credits from another university, exchange program credits, summer program credits, etc.), you MUST attach those. (These can be unofficial as well.)
   • Combine all transcript documents into a single PDF
   • If for some reason you exceed the allowable file size, attach as separate documents, or contact the Office of Research Services for assistance
3. Combine everything into a single file, in this order: proposal, statement of preparation, transcripts.
   • Browse and upload
   • Doc agreement: Select ISRG Proposal
   • Add attachment

Submission

1. Save
2. Submit
   • If you get an Error message, check the Error Tab to see what needs to be fixed.
3. A “Submit” dialog box will appear to complete the process. Type in the word “complete” in the box, and press Submit.
4. You will receive an auto-message from the system confirming that you successfully submitted your application.

Can I do a project that is less than 14 weeks?
Yes, but it must be a meaningful project and well-justified, and agreed to by the advisor.  If the ISRG Committee decides to award your project, the value of the grant will be pro-rated accordingly.

Can a sessional instructor be my advisor?
No, only those people who have a continuing appointment over the time of the grant period may be an advisor.

Can I do my project at another university?
Maybe. It depends. You need an advisor from MtA. There needs to be a full justification for why you need to do the project at another university, and the advisor must agree. Sometimes, some of the work can/needs to be done at another university (access to lab resources, special resources, etc.).

What are the start and end dates?
This is up to you and your advisor, but the level of effort should be equivalent to 14 weeks of full-time activity doing this project, estimated at the equivalent of 32.5 hrs/week. You should start no earlier than May 1 and end no later than Aug. 31. You can schedule your time as you see fit, in agreement with your advisor.

Can I hold multiple Mount Allison awards (eg. a summer internship award and an ISRG) at the same time?

No. While the distribution of research activity expected for an ISRG project is variable depending upon student, advisor, and research needs, the expectation is that ISRGs are a full-time commitment. Therefore, other Mount Allison awards that provide a stipend and also expect a full-time commitment cannot be held concurrently. Students may be eligible to concurrently hold certain awards of limited duration and scope (eg. Travel awards) pending consultation with the Office of Research Services. These awards must be disclosed at the time of award acceptance to be considered eligible.

J.E.A. Crake Student Summer Fellowships for Creative and/or Research Projects are Independent Student Research Grants supported by The Crake Foundation.  Applicants who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below are automatically considered for these awards as part of the ISRG application process.

The Crake Foundation, established by the late J.E.A. Crake, Josiah Wood Professor of Classics and Head of the Classics Department from 1946 to 1976, offers Fellowships to enable Mount Allison students to engage in creative and/or research projects in the Humanities during the May–August period.

Terms and conditions

1. The Fellowships will be awarded by the Senate Committee on Research and Creative Activity following established policies and procedures for such fellowships.
2. The student must be registered in a program in the Humanities which is understood by the Foundation to include Canadian Studies, Classics, Drama, English, Fine Arts, History, Modern Languages, and Literatures, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.
3. Other terms and conditions for the Fellowships will be consistent with those set by the Senate Committee on Research and Creative Activity for such awards.
4. Each fellowship holder will be supplied with a copy of the biographical information available at jeacrakefoundation.org/
5. The Fellows are required to acknowledge the J.E.A. Crake Foundation in any publications or other works (including art works, musical compositions, plays, conference presentations, lectures, etc.) arising from the award received. In addition the Foundation would appreciate being informed a week in advance of any public presentation/performance resulting from the award.

Procedures

1. The Provost will by May 31 provide the Foundation with the following information which has been received from the Senate Committee on Research and Creative Activity and the Controller, for each Fellow:

With regard to projects completed the previous summer

1.1. The name of the student, with a statement from the Financial Aid office of the degree program (including major area of study), the course load in the previous academic year, the session GPA, the cumulative GPA.

1.2. A brief outline of project

1.3. The name of supervising faculty

1.4. A one-page summary by each Fellowship holder of work undertaken with the aid of the grant. The report should include information concerning how to gain access to the outcome of the grant.

1.5. A statement from the Controller verifying that the funds in this account were spent in accordance with the terms and conditions stated, and the status of the account as of May 1.

2. The Foundation will inform the University by January 2 of the amount of funding that will be provided for the J.E.A. Crake Student Fellowships for Creative and/or Research projects for the period beginning May 1.