TYDE

Graduate Student Grants

  1. Grant Timeline
  2. Requirements and Priorities
  3. Responsibilities
  4. Grant Proposal Instructions

Doctoral students can submit proposals to support dissertation research related to the TYDE initiative. Funding cannot be used for student stipends, but may be used to support research activities that students do not otherwise have funding for, including participant incentives, software, technology licenses, etc. Maximum funding: $5,000

Timing of Graduate Student Grant Proposal Cycles 

  • FALL CYCLE (for funding to begin at the start of spring semester): Proposals due October 10 at midnight, and award decisions made by end of October.)
  • SPRING CYCLE (for funding to begin at the start of fall semester): Proposals due March 10 at midnight, and award decision made by end of March. 

Requirements and Priorities for Graduate Student Grants

All proposals will be evaluated based on the following priorities: 

  1. The strength of the research design. In particular:
    • The methods are optimized for answering the research questions and/or building the digital intervention tool.
    • The approach balances feasibility and ambition and employs cutting-edge tools.
    • The project centers thoughtful youth participatory or user-centered design, or it has clearly played a role in the earlier stages of the project.
  2. Connection to TYDE focal areas and promise for contributing to the knowledge base on digital technology and healthy youth development.
  3. The graduate student and their advisor/faculty collaborator have the necessary skills, expertise, and resources to effectively execute the research activities. They have excellent track records for their career stages, as reflected in their CVs.
  4. The project would not be possible without the grant (e.g., the graduate student’s advisor does not have funds related to the proposed research) and/or the funding will allow for expansion of the student’s research into the area of digital technology and healthy youth development in a way that would not be possible without the additional funding.
  5. Potential to advance TYDE’s mission of diversity, equity, and inclusion, either through the members of the research team, the study participant population, the community impacted, or the work’s potential to address issues related to mental health equity.

Responsibilities of Graduate Student Grant awardees

In addition to completing the deliverables described in their proposals, grant recipients are expected to: 

  1. Submit a brief final report (300-600 words) describing project activities and outcomes.
  2. Present at a works-in-progress or other TYDE-related event
  3. Attend another TYDE event, such as a training workshop or talk 

Instructions for Graduate Student Grant proposals

Submit a proposal by emailing tydesubmissions@virginia.edu with the subject line “Graduate Student Grant Submission.”

Proposals are limited to 2 pages (1 inch margins, size 11 font; excluding references and CVs) and should include the following clearly-labeled sections:

  1. Title
  2. Overview and background: Provide an overview of the current state of knowledge related to your research topic. Identify significant gaps in the literature that your project aims to address and a clear explanation of how your proposed research will contribute to advancing the field. Ensure that the background section clearly articulates the relevance and importance of your study within the broader context of existing research, as well as its connection to TYDE’s mission. Include a description of how the funding will support a project or an expansion of the research that would not otherwise be possible. 
  3. Project description: Provide a detailed project description that includes the following: a clear and concise overview of your research objectives and how they align with the goals of this grant; a description of the methodology and key activities you will undertake to achieve these objectives; and an explanation of the expected outcomes and their potential impact on the field. 
  4. Brief budget and justification: Funds can support expenses for equipment, participant payments, materials, computing services, technical support (e.g., hiring a programmer), and conference travel to present the seeded research. Funds cannot be used for travel unrelated to disseminating the seeded research, graduate student stipends, or undergraduate student stipends. 
  5. Project team: Include brief qualifications of graduate student and any key collaborators, and how the qualifications put the team in a strong position to make progress on its stated goals. 
  6. CV for the graduate student should be submitted as a separate document.
  7. Advisor letter of support: A 1-page letter of support from the student’s advisor should indicate the qualifications of the student for undertaking the proposed work, the merit of the work in relation to the student’s field of research, the benefit of the funding to the student’s research, and the capacity of the student to complete the work according to the proposed timeline. Letters may be included in applicant package or sent separately by advisors to tydesubmissions@virginia.edu with the name of applicant as subject line.
  8. Letters of support: Brief letters of support from any faculty, external collaborators, or community partners who are essential to the success of the project. They should state that they are committed to providing the necessary resources and support to ensure the success of the project. They should NOT speak to the merit of the research or researchers–a brief paragraph should be sufficient. Letters may be included in applicant package or sent separately by supporters to tydesubmissions@virginia.edu with the name of applicant as subject line.