The NCAA Research Committee has issued a call for proposals for its 2009 Graduate Student Research Grant Program.

Open to graduate-level students only, the program awards four one-time grants of $5,000 annually. The grants are intended to support students who are conducting research for a doctoral dissertation, master’s thesis or external publication. Topics should relate to the general areas of student-athlete well-being and college athletics participation. (Proposals related to health and safety issues should not be submitted for consideration.) Proposals must be postmarked by May 1.

Grant applications should include a 250-word (or less) abstract, project timeline, project proposal (not to exceed seven double-spaced pages), copies of any survey instruments or other written materials that will be used in the study, reference letters, graduate transcript, brief outline of the project budget, biographical sketch of applicant and human participants certification.

Two hard copies of all required materials must be submitted (incomplete packets will not be considered). Electronic submissions also will be accepted. The grants will be awarded in August.

Established in 2006, the Graduate Student Research Grant Program is designed to stimulate research on college athletics, foster contributions to the empirical research on college athletics, provide financial support to college students interested in generating high-quality research on college athletics and provide the NCAA membership and the general public with access to research and researchers in the field.

For more information, contact Nicole M. Bracken, NCAA assistant director of research, at 317/917-6328 or nmbracken@ncaa.org.