APU Internal Opportunities

Support for research and scholarship at Azusa Pacific University is demonstrated by the variety of opportunities for faculty and students, some of which are highlighted on this page. View a summary of institutional resources (PDF) available to full-time faculty to promote productivity in scholarship.

Faculty Research Council (FRC) Grants

Each year, the Office of the Provost provides the Faculty Research Council funds to disburse toward faculty research projects. The council makes two calls for proposals resulting in competitive cycles: UG/master’s faculty in fall and doctoral faculty in spring. The UG/master’s competition has $80,000 to disburse, with maximum awards ranging from $6,000-$10,000, depending on the numbers of PIs on a given application. The doctoral competition also has $80,000 to disburse, with maximum awards at $10,000. Both programs include options to fund student research assistants, subvention assistance for faculty, and planning grants. Direct additional inquiries to Stacy Kula, chair of the Faculty Research Council, at frcgrants@apu.edu.

Scholarly Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Award

The SURE Award program emphasizes the value of faculty mentoring undergraduate students as they engage in excellent research endeavors. The program identifies and funds eight UG student-faculty research partnerships each summer, granting up to $1,500 to each pair. Deans recommend student-faculty teams for consideration of SURE Awards based on research proposals and budgets the teams provide. Final awardees are determined by the director of undergraduate research, Anupama Jacob. Learn more about the SURE award , and forward additional inquiries to Anupama Jacob or Yvonne Rodriguez, executive director of the Office of Research and Grants.

Undergraduate Student Travel

Undergraduate students who participate in research and have proposed presentations accepted at local, regional, or national conferences are eligible to apply for travel support to the director of undergraduate research. A total of $20,000 is dedicated each year for this purpose; the individual level of support depends on the cost of travel and the availability of funds, with maximum awards being $500. Awarded funds can be used for the costs of transportation, meals, and lodging while on travel, and conference registration. Learn more at the Undergraduate Research website, or send an email to [email protected].

Graduate Student Travel

Graduate students who have research presentations accepted at local, regional, or national conferences are eligible to apply for travel support to the Office of Research and Grants. Funds are set aside each year for these students grants. No more than $400 can be awarded to each student per calendar year. The individual level of support depends on the cost of travel, the availability of funds, the stature of conference, and the professional rigor of the research presentation. Awarded funds can be used for the costs of transportation, meals, and lodging while on travel, and for conference registration.

Limited funding is available for the 2023-2024 academic year. Please send an email to [email protected] to inquire if funding is still available.

Faculty Writing Retreats

Each summer, APU provides opportunities for faculty to participate in three-day writing retreats at the Serra Retreat Center, an idyllic retreat campus in the Malibu hills. These retreats provide faculty a unique environment in which to focus on their personal scholarship; as such, the retreats are lean in scheduled activities, but exceedingly rich in time and motivation for faculty to advance their own research projects. Retreat dates are announced in the fall for the following summer. Invitations to apply are announced in early spring. For more information, contact the Office of Research and Grants at (626) 815-2082 or org@apu.edu.