Graduate Student Research Support Program

The Spanish & Portuguese Department’s Graduate Student Research Support program provides funding to graduate students for specialized research expenses that contribute to academic progress and promote general professional growth. Strong preference is given to work directly related to the dissertation or potential publications.

We are pleased to announce the continuation of the Graduate Student Research Support program into the 2024-2025 academic year. It’s important to highlight that while the department remains committed to offering this funding annually to as many students as possible, it is limited and subject to budgetary constraints.

ELIGIBILITY

The department will provide research funding up to $1,000 total at any time through the graduate student’s seventh year in the doctoral program. Funding is approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), in consultation with the Graduate Affairs Committee as needed.

  • Awards will be granted only to students in good academic standing.
  • Doctoral students may or may not be advanced to candidacy at the time of application.
  • Students must consult with and obtain the signature of their faculty advisor before submitting the request(s).
  • Students must be registered/enrolled in a minimum of 12 units during the academic term in which the research/professional activity takes place and for which funding is being requested. For summer funding, students must be registered/enrolled in the previous Spring quarter and subsequent Fall. In-absentia registration is acceptable.
  • Students on Filing Fee and Leave of Absence are not eligible.
  • Students requesting “human subject” funding must obtain a certification in research with “human subjects.” There is an online course where completion results in a certificate.
  • All student research that may result in publications may be closely monitored by UCLA’s Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS).

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

This funding is specifically for specialized and higher-cost expenses. You may request funding for the expenses outlined below:

  • Research-subject participation incentives for approved IRB research
  • Archive-related expenses, such as digitizing materials
  • Specialized software not covered by UCLA for a digital humanities project
  • Specialized equipment such as audio or recording devices (all equipment purchased with University funds belong to the department and must be returned after completion of project or separation from department)
  • Tickets to performances
  • Books/Films that libraries, including ILL services, will not or cannot obtain

Important Note: All expenses are subject to UCLA’s policies. DO NOT pay for expenses out of pocket without consulting the Department Coordinator and Fund Manager BEFOREHAND, as not all expenses are reimbursable. Work with the department staff to make the purchases on your behalf, charged directly to your approved funding. This will ensure purchases are UCLA-policy compliant and will avoid long reimbursement delays.

These funds cannot be used for travel expenses, expenses that can be addressed or purchased through other sources of funding, and/or equipment/books that can be borrowed. Funding for Conference Travel should be requested through the department’s separate funding opportunity.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit the Application for Graduate Student Research Support to the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for approval.

Please submit all requests at least 3 weeks* in advance of when funding is needed. This will ensure that the department staff are able to complete all necessary paperwork to process the funding. If you submit a late request, the department will not guarantee funding or reimbursement of funds paid out of pocket.

*Please note that certain items, such as gift cards and software, require additional UCLA approval and can take up to 4 weeks or more for approval and disbursement once your application is approved and paperwork is submitted to the appropriate UCLA central office. We strongly recommend that you submit your application as early as possible in case there are bureaucratic delays with purchasing items.

DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDING

Once your application is approved, please work with the Department Coordinator and Fund Manager on your purchases. Do not purchase or use funds until you have received department approval and have discussed next steps with department staff.

Expenses that must be paid for directly by the department and are NOT reimbursable:

  • Incentives (i.e., gift cards) for research-subject participation. Incentives must match what is listed in your IRB approval.
  • Software requests must be reviewed and approved by UCLA’s IT Department

Expenses that might be reimbursable (please still consult with department staff prior to making the purchases as many of these items may be purchased directly by the department):

  • Archive-related expenses, such as digitizing materials
  • Specialized equipment, such as audio or recording devices (all equipment purchased with University funds belong to the department and must be returned after completion of project or separation from department)
  • Tickets to performances
  • Books/Films

If you are authorized to purchase the item directly and a reimbursement is needed, submit the following documents to the Department Coordinator within 15 days after incurring those expenses.

  1. Reimbursement form with original itemized receipts
  2. Copy of the bank statement, credit card statement, and/or transaction detail of the purchases mentioned in the original receipts (all irrelevant information can be blacked out for privacy)

Reimbursement will be processed within 7-14 business days of receiving all completed paperwork. UCLA’s Reimbursement processing times range from 1 week to 2 months.

AFTER COMPLETION OF PROJECT

Once your project is complete and funding is used, the student is responsible for providing the following:

  1. Written report of research activities and expenditures to your Faculty Advisor and the Graduate Student Advisor within one month of the proposed dates listed in the application.
  2. Presentation on research activities to faculty and graduate students within one quarter.