Researcher-Initiated Student Employment (RISE)

RISE provides matching funds at a rate of three times the mentor’s contribution (up to $3000) to support research and creative scholarship through the creation of temporary paid positions for UMN undergraduate students. Mentors do not need to hire undergraduates majoring in their discipline or even in their college, but they must hire a UMN degree-seeking undergraduate student in good standing (not on academic probation). If the project takes place during the Fall or Spring semesters, then the student must be enrolled for at least 6 credits during each semester over which the position occurs. No enrollment is required for RISE student researchers working over the Summer, but students must not have already graduated. These temporary paid positions may extend over more than one semester. The RISE program can be used to support established lines of research or develop new projects. We are particularly interested in supporting researchers and programs that have not mentored significant numbers of undergraduates in the past and are striving to increase the number of undergraduate researchers in their field or discipline. 

Faculty, research staff, and post-doctoral scholars are expected to work closely with their undergraduate researchers and provide a supportive and welcoming mentoring experience. OUR maintains resources on best practices in undergraduate mentors. These positions are meant to advance research and creative scholarship, while also providing students with valuable skills, experience, and networking opportunities.

At or near the conclusion of the temporary paid position, each undergraduate student researcher funded through the RISE program must publicly present their research. From the annual UMN Undergraduate Research Symposium to publishing work in MURAJ, RISE students have many opportunities to share their work on and off campus.

Write a 1-to-2-page project proposal. Successful proposals will have a clear research question and activity plan and will explain clearly how the undergraduate researcher will contribute to the project and the skills they will acquire. All undergraduates hired must have a stake in the research from collecting and analyzing data to helping draw conclusions. This is not meant to be a generic undergraduate research assistantship, but rather a meaningful research experience. The proposal must also include an itemized budget that quantifies the mentor’s contribution and how it will be spent. 

Project Proposal Template

Fill out the online application:

RISE Application

Application deadlines are firm, and extensions are not allowed under any circumstances. Applications are reviewed by by peers in the mentor’s college, as well as Office of Undergraduate Research (OUR) staff, who will make the final decisions. The entire process takes 4 weeks and decisions will be conveyed through email.

The ending date of your project and the date that your ending requirements are due will be listed in your award letter. For a mentor or their research group to be eligible for a future RISE award, they must ensure that both parts listed below are completed. This MUST be done prior to the student’s graduation. 

All undergraduate student researchers supported through a RISE award must submit a completion form that includes: 

• A small final report and evaluation of your experience (see guidelines and instructions)
• Verification of your public presentation.

See Student Evaluation Form
 

All mentors must complete a short evaluation form that describes the outcomes of the RISE award and its impact on the supported student(s), their research output, and their professional development. 
 

See Mentor Evaluation Form

Research projects may be undertaken in any academic discipline in any college. We consider research to be any scientific, scholarly, or creative activity that leads to the production of new knowledge, original theory, creative works, unique analysis, and/or interpretation.

• You are a faculty member, research staff, or postdoctoral scholar on any UMN campus.
• You have written a project proposal that outlines how an undergraduate researcher will help propel your research forward.
• Your project includes a budget that clearly describes your financial contribution, as well as how requested RISE funds would be used.
• Your proposal states the beginning and end dates of the project. Projects do not need to be completed within a single semester and can extend across a maximum of one academic year.
• You have reviewed the RISE application requirements and completed the application in its entirety by the submittal deadline.
• You are submitting only one RISE application per application round.

• Your student worker is NOT receiving course credit for the work.
• Your student worker is NOT being supported simultaneously by another UMN program supporting undergraduate research (e.g., UROP, DFRACS, etc.)
• You provide a supportive and welcoming environment for your student worker.
• You agree to help your student worker complete the RISE program ending requirements.

If your student is interested in doing research for credit, please ask them to consider Directed Research/Study.

If your student is already supported by another program such as DFRACS, UROP or a GIA-UROP, then they are not eligible for a RISE project.

Projects without a specific research question, methodology, and analytical component, including, but not limited to basic lab work, data entry, and literature reviews.

Here are some reasons that a proposal may be declined:

• Unclear research question and/or area of focus
• Methodology is too ambiguous for timeline or lacks details
• Proposal doesn’t follow requirements and is poorly edited
• Unclear what role the student will contribute to the broader mentor-driven project.
• The mentor or a member of their research group received a RISE award in the previous year.
• The mentor or a member of their research group has supported significant numbers of UROP students in recent years.