ENHANCING UNDERGRADUATE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

The USC Aiken Passport to Research Opportunities in Biomedicine (PROBe) program is funded by the National Institutes of Health through the South Carolina IDeaA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE).  The PROBe program is a multi-pronged strategy to expand and enhance biomedical research on the USC Aiken campus.  The primary strategy of the program is to

1. enhance current research activities by formalizing the identification and recruitment of freshmen/sophomores into our biomedical research laboratories;
2. create/manage Stage One (Primer award) and Stage Two (Extension award) competitive research grants for entry level and continuing undergraduates; and
3. strengthen our research culture through the creation of a biomedical research forum as part of the USC Aiken Research Day activities.

PRIMER PROGRAM

The Primer Research program represents stage I of the PROBe program.  Students in their first year of biomedical research (primarily freshman and sophomores) are encouraged to apply for funding through the PROBe Primer award program.

Each Primer Award will be funded for up to $2000 to fund his or her research project. Competition for this award will be through submission of a research, scholarship, or creative project proposal developed in collaboration with a USCA faculty mentor. Selection is based on the project's educational and intellectual merit, the potential impact of the project, and the student's previous academic success.

There will be a call for proposals each fall semester. Successful proposals will have a start date of January 1^st. Primer funds can be spent over a period of 6 months.

EXTENSION PROGRAM

The Extension Research program represents stage II of the PROBe program.  Students in their second or third year of biomedical research (primarily sophomores and juniors) are eligible to apply for funding through the PROBe Extension award program. Extension awards are available to students with at least one year of biomedical research experience, regardless of previous PROBe funding.

Each Extension Award will be funded for up to $5000 to fund his or her research project. Competition for this award will be through submission of a research, scholarship, or creative project proposal developed in collaboration with a USC Aiken faculty mentor. Selection is based on the project's educational and intellectual merit, the potential impact of the project, and the student's previous academic success.

There will be a call for proposals each fall semester.  Successful proposals will have a start date of January 1st.  Funds can be spent over an 12 month period.  Students who perform their research during the summer can participate in INBRE organized Summer Enrichment Activities.

Graduating seniors are generally not eligible for Extension funding. Exceptions may be made, but require prior approval.

PROBe Proposals

The following links are provided to aid students and their mentors in developing PROBe proposals:

1. Primer proposal guidebook (2019-2020)
2. Extension proposal guidebook (2019-2020)
3. PROBe Budget form (Primer and Extension)

Apply for USC Aiken INBRE Funding

For Reviewers

The following Extension proposal rubric is an interactive PDF form. To complete your review, download, write-to, and save the form using the student's name (Lastname_FirstInitial) along with our Extension designation: Smith_RExt2016. Please email the completed reviews to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line Extension review.

1. Extension Proposal Review Rubric

INBRE Research Faculty