2021-2022 SPARC Application Guidelines (pdf)
This guidelines document provides detailed information to guide SPARC applicants through the application process. It includes details on application requirements, proposal development and more.
Program Overview
Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Support to Promote Advancement of Research and Creativity, or SPARC, Graduate Research Grant is a merit-based award designed to ignite research and creative excellence across all disciplines at USC. The overall objective of the SPARC Graduate Research Grant is to provide support and to encourage outstanding students to pursue exciting research directions during their graduate career at the University of South Carolina. To achieve this end, the SPARC program provides the opportunity for eligible graduate students to secure funding up to $5,000 to support their research, creative or other meritorious scholarly project. SPARC funds can be used to pay for salary, supplies and other costs essential to completing and promoting funded projects.
A unique aspect of the SPARC program is the requirement that all applicants complete and submit a competitive grant proposal package. The experience students acquire through this process is invaluable as it doubles as training in grant proposal development, helping SPARC applicants build the skills and background necessary to make them more competitive in seeking national fellowship awards from federal and private funding sources.
SPARC Forms & Guidelines
Below are downloadable forms eligible students will need to complete their SPARC proposal packages, as well as guidelines documents to guide students through the SPARC application process, and help their faculty advisors better understand their role in the SPARC program.
2021-2022 SPARC Faculty Guidelines (pdf)
This document provides a checklist of required application documents and a guide to submitting the final SPARC application package via USCeRA.
2021-2022 SPARC Budget Form (docx)
Use this form to document and submit the budget details for your 2020-2021 SPARC proposal.
2021-2022 SPARC Current & Pending Support Form (docx)
Use this form to disclose other current or pending support you have secured, or for which you have applied, to support this project.
2021-2022 SPARC Authorship & GPA Certification Form (docx)
The applicant and faculty advisor must sign and submit this form with the SPARC application package, to confirm that the graduate student applicant was the primary author of the proposal.
2021-2022 SPARC Review Criteria (pdf)
This document provides a summary of the review criteria that reviewers use to evaluate SPARC proposals.
2021-2022 SPARC Terms and Conditions (pdf)
This document details SPARC post-award requirements and information for the 2020-2021 funding cycle.