Purpose:

The purpose of the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Fund (UROF) is to support third- and fourth-year undergraduate research projects that are being conducted in partnership with a community partner within a municipality. Each application can request up to $1,000 to support eligible project costs.

The UROF is meant to foster undergraduate students’ interest in research and support them in experiential learning under the supervision of a Lakehead University faculty member. The UROF is administered by the Office of Research Services. 

Project Requirements:

Research projects must be developed in partnership with municipalities, social service organizations, not-for-profit and/or health service organizations in close proximity to where Lakehead University campuses are located (e.g., the City of Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, Simcoe County, or Barrie). Funds will be awarded to a Lakehead University supervising faculty member who will be responsible for ensuring expenditures meet the eligibility criteria for the award. The project may be carried out as part of a regular course, independent study, or other research/academic project and include specific deliverables as agreed upon between the student, supervisor, and partner. The project must be completed within a year of the project start date.

At the start of the project, the student and their faculty supervisor must know and agree to their respective responsibilities through a collaboration agreement. This collaboration agreement must be completed and submitted to the Office of Research Services before funding will be released. At the end of the project, the student and faculty supervisor must submit a project outcome report to the partner organization(s) and the Office of Research Services.

Value of Award:

The fund will provide up to $1,000 CAD per project to support eligible project costs (see eligibility section below for more details).

Eligibility:

Partners:

• Municipalities, social service organizations and/or health service organizations in close proximity to where Lakehead University campuses are located (e.g., the City of Thunder Bay, Northwestern Ontario, Simcoe County, or Barrie)
• Partners may be new or existing

Students:

• Current third- or fourth-year undergraduate students registered in a degree program who are working on a research project with an eligible partner or will be starting a research project with an eligible partner within the next 2-3 months following the submission of this application
• Students must be in good academic standing (no minimum grade point average is required)

Faculty Supervisor:

• Regular, full-time faculty members (tenured, tenure-track, or limited-term appointment), professors emeriti, or adjunct professors who have been actively conducting research within the last year
• Registration with the Faculty of Graduate Studies is required to be able to supervise graduate students

Eligible costs:

• Travel (e.g., to conduct research or for dissemination to community partners)
• Meeting costs (e.g., refreshments, parking, etc.)
• Supplies and materials
• Dissemination materials (e.g., posters, reports, etc.)
• Other costs directly related to the research project (e.g., Elders’ honoraria, translation services, etc.)

Application Process:

Applications must be submitted by the faculty supervisor through the ROMEO research portal. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. To access the application, log in to MyInfo at https://erpwp.lakeheadu.ca/, click the grid icon in the top right, and select “Romeo Research Portal”. Once logged into the portal, click “Apply New” in the top right and then select the “Undergraduate Research Opportunity Fund (UROF)” application form under Awards.

Application packages must include the following documentation:

A. Research Project Description

A two-page (maximum) PDF document written by the faculty supervisor that includes:

• A description of the proposed project, including the research question(s), objectives, and deliverables
• A description of the research approaches and methods that will be used
• A statement indicating whether Research Ethics Board approval has been obtained or is required
• Project relevance to the student’s program of study and area(s) of interest
• Proposed experiential learning outcomes and targeted skills or competencies
• An explanation of how UROF will contribute to the project’s feasibility
• Demonstration of alignment with faculty or department research priorities

B. Statement of Interest 

A two-page (maximum) PDF document written by the student that includes:

• Why the student is interested in the proposed project
• What strengths or experiences the student brings to the project
• How this experience will support the student’s academic, professional, and experiential learning goals
• How UROF would help the student attain their goals

C. Budget 

• Upload a 1-page (maximum) PDF document listing proposed costs and justification 

D. Letter of Support

A one-page (maximum) letter of support (in PDF format) written by a representative from the partner organization that includes:

• Relevance and significance of the project objectives for the organization
• Exact nature of the involvement of the organization throughout the project
• Expected outcomes that the organization wants to achieve 

Evaluation Criteria:

A Selection Committee will be established to review submitted applications. The Selection Committee will include representation from the Office of Research Services, full-time faculty members, and municipalities. 

Applications will be evaluated according to the following three criteria:

1. Relevance of the research project and experiential learning activities (40%)
2. Quality of the statement of interest (30%)
3. Relevance of the research project to the partner organization (30%)

Contact:

For any questions about the UROF, please contact Nicole Westlund Stewart, Research and Knowledge Mobilization Facilitator at 807-343-8010 ext. 8862 or sshrc.research@lakeheadu.ca.

Last updated: September 24, 2025