The Harbaugh Undergraduate Research Assistantship is Requesting Proposals

The College of Agricultural Sciences Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program is calling for project proposals from researchers in the college who are engaged in the process of advancing research with commercial potential and who also seek to have an undergraduate involved. The Harbaugh Undergraduate Research Assistantship (HURA) with the support from Earl & Kay Harbaugh seeks to provide funding for exceptional undergraduate students engaging in research with a faculty primary investigator. A total of $4500 per student position is available for the 2021 trial program. Ninety percent of the funds must support student wages and fringe and remaining funds can be used to facilitate student involvement with the project (e.g., lab materials, minor equipment or travel). Virtual work proposals will also be considered.

The program is administered by Entrepreneurship and Innovation with support from The Office of Research and Graduate Education and The Office for Undergraduate Education in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The program goal is to place undergraduate students with exceptional innovative faculty who are working on research with commercial potential to provide direct mentoring and hands-on experience in advancing research into practice. In other words, we seek to engage, develop, and empower tomorrow's leading innovators in agricultural sciences.

HURA Assistantship Requirements and Expectations

• Assistantship positions are only available to faculty and current students enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. Commonwealth Campus faculty and students are encouraged to participate and have access to identical program resources.
• The research project must have evidence of solid application in commercial practice, whether through intellectual property licensing or potentially providing commercial value in practice for a venture start-up or an existing enterprise.
• Faculty mentors must be willing to commit a reasonable amount of their time for student mentoring and development.
• Students must formally apply to awarded posted positions and provide a recent resume in the Penn State Wage Payroll System.
• Students are expected to have significant involvement with the project and opportunity to develop and reflect upon their own learning, innovative skill development and future potential.
• Faculty are required to jointly craft the HURA wage position job description, generate 2-3 student learning/professional development goals at project inception and be willing to share and discuss progress with the E&I leadership team.
• Current and former RAIN grant recipients are encouraged to participate.
• The student and faculty mentor will be required to hold a project kick-off meeting at project inception and end of project progress meeting with the E&I leadership team.
• The student will be required to meet with the Harbaugh Entrepreneur and Innovation Faculty Scholar to discuss project progress once at a minimum and provide a two-page project learning reflection summary at the end of each semester. All Meetings are expected to be an hour in length.

Important deadlines

• Proposal due date July 12, 2021.
• Award notifications by July 23, 2021.
• Earliest date for student funding August 23, 2021 administered from the E&I Office - pending Penn State Human Resources wage appointment approval.

Read more about HURA and download the application here.

Future HURA program offerings may be announced pending trial program results.
To apply, please complete the proposal form.