Current Students

Research Guidelines

• Meet your URECA supervisor at a reasonable frequency as agreed with the supervisor.
• Work with your URECA supervisor's other students in a team with good initiative.
• Plan your time and inform your URECA supervisor of any major concerns as early as possible.
• Discuss your URECA project consumables purchase needs with your URECA supervisor and submit your purchase order pre-approval in URECA system.
• Submit your individual URECA deliverables (research poster, abstract, research paper and reflection) as per URECA assessment guidelines by the specified deadline.
• URECA deliverables should be plagiarism-free from other students’ research works.
• Attend 3 workshops conducted in either semester 1 or 2, and complete 3 quizzes.
• Complete online anonymous URECA Programme feedback at the end of your project through Student Intranet.

All research conducted by NTU staff and students involving the use of human subjects (or human participants) must be reviewed and approved by the School-level Ethics Review Committee (SERC) before they are conducted. You may seek guidance from your URECA supervisor who is the PI of the research project on IRB application/ review/ approval related matter or contact NTU-IRB ([email protected]) for advice.

All URECA students are assessed and graded according to URECA-OBTL-Course Outline.

The URECA programme is a 4 AUs to fulfil Broadening & Deepening Elective (BDE) / Unrestricted Elective (UE), which is part of the General Education Requirement (GER) curriculum. The subject "Undergraduate Research" will be reflected as a 'Pass' or 'Fail' grade in all successfully registered URECA students' transcripts in the following academic year (August). Pass/fail grade will not have any bearings on the computation of students' GPA.

URECA grading is not applicable to FYP-URECA students. There is no additional AUs from URECA for FYP-URECA project as AUs are awarded by respective students' schools.

URECA course registration will be done by URECA office.

 *Students who have exhausted their AUs for UE courses, may request for overloading from their school before the URECA course registration commences.

 URECA student's degree audit will reflect as "In Progress" if the registration is successful.

The workshops offered by URECA are mandatory for URECA students to attend as these are necessary to develop skills and knowledge in research. Each workshop will only be conducted 4 sessions between Semester 1 and Semester 2. Students are strongly encouraged to plan their schedule and attend the earliest session where possible to avoid last minute unforeseen event and miss the workshop. 

*Please note that quizzes are conducted at the respective workshops. You are required to attend at least 45 minutes for all online workshops (Full participation for physical classroom workshops) and completed the quizzes for your quiz marks to be counted towards your URECA Assessment. Workshop registration links are available in NTULearn on 1 Oct onwards only for students who are registered to URECA Programme.

Students who have completed the quiz but did not attend at least 45 minutes of the online workshop, are required to attend the same workshop in the next available session.

*Marks from quizzes and video assessment of the workshops 4 to 6, will not be counted towards the overall URECA grading for first time URECA students who attended any of the workshops 4 to 6. First time URECA students are only required to attend workshops 1 to 3.

URECA provides small project consumables fund to cover the expense of low-cost equipment, materials or resources required for conducting research and consumed completely in the course of research project duration within current Academic Year (August to June).

The URECA project consumable fund should be used on consumables which are directly related to URECA research project and are used completely in the conduct of the research project. Each URECA, IDR-URECA and FYP-URECA project may claim up to a maximum of $500 (excluding GST) per academic year. Purchases must be made during the period of URECA programme from August to May.

Note: CLRI-URECA project consumables are required to be purchased through the respective school/research labs/centres.

URECA students can apply for conference funding to attend conferences to broaden their research experience through exchange of ideas, current findings, anticipate developments, networking in similar fields of research, etc. The conference funding is available to current URECA / FYP-URECA student, or former URECA / FYP-URECA student who has successfully completed at least one academic year of URECA / FYP-URECA Programme to attend a conference to present their URECA / FYP-URECA research projects.

The application is subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and approval of URECA Conference / Publication Sub-committee based on multiple factors including student performance, and the quality of the proposed conference (e.g., conference organiser, conference paper rejection rate, etc.).

Eligibility

• Registered NTU student at the time of submitting the conference funding application. Student who has successfully completed the FYP-URECA Programme earlier and registered as an NTU postgraduate student must submit the conference funding application within 1 year of the completion of undergraduate studies.
• Student must have a full paper/abstract accepted for oral/poster presentation at a conference.
• Student must be the main author of the paper/abstract/poster accepted for presentation at a reputable conference. Confirmation email on the main authorship from URECA supervisor is required only if the authors are listed in alphabetical order.
• Student must be the sole presenter (not accompanying the presenter in a co-authored paper).
• Student must present in the main conference main session. Presentation in PhD session will not be eligible for URECA conference support fund.
• In the case of a joint presentation with another URECA student, the funding will be shared.  

Acknowledgement

1. Conference Paper/Poster - Student must acknowledge URECA Programme in the published paper/poster. One of the following statements must appear in the published paper/poster under the subtitle "Acknowledgement".
   
   (a) I/We wish to acknowledge the funding support for this project from Nanyang Technological University under the URECA Undergraduate Research Programme.
   
   (b) This project was supported by Nanyang Technological University under the URECA Undergraduate Research Programme.
   
   
2. Conference Abstract - Student must include one of the above acknowledgement statements in his/her presentation materials such as presentation power point slides. 
   

Please note that paper/abstract/poster submitted without the above acknowledgement will not be supported.

Funding Value 

The URECA conference funding is awarded to one conference held overseas and one conference held in Singapore per student per academic year subject to approval.

Local Conference Funding
The terms of financial funding for International Conference held in Singapore is up to 100% of registration fee.

Overseas Conference Funding 

The terms of financial funding:

• Reimbursement of actual economy-class return airfare based on the approved lowest airfare quotation;
• Up to 100% of registration fee;
• Accommodation and transportation expenses are subject to approval.
• The total financial funding is subject to a maximum quantum of funding cap as shown in the below table. 

Guidelines for Financial Assistance

The following details are served as a guide to help students plan their funding request to cover essential conference expenses, as well as to obtain relevant quotations for review and evaluation.

Application Procedure via Student/Staff Intranet

1. Student completes and submits online conference funding application together with supporting documents (in one PDF file) for URECA supervisor approval in URECA system (access via Student Intranet).
   
   Important points to note when fill in the 'Financial Assistance' section:
   
   (a) The amount of funding request for each expense is to be based on the most economical/cost effective as set out on the above guidelines.
   
   (b) The total amount of funding request to cover airfare, conference registration fee, accommodation or transportation must be within or up to the respective funding caps.
   
   
2. URECA supervisor reviews and supports the conference funding application.
3. URECA Office checks all documents are in order. Application with incorrect details/missing supporting documents will be returned to student for amendment. Online resubmission for URECA Supervisor approval is required once again.
4. Chair nominee (Assoc Chair/Head of Department) reviews and supports the conference funding application.
   
5. URECA Conference / Publication Sub-committee reviews and evaluates the application and recommends the level of support. 
6. Student receives notification email on the application outcome.
   
   Note: For former URECA student, please email [email protected] to request for application form.
   

Supporting Documents Required

1. Conference brochure/official handout on conference.
2. Correspondences from organizer pertaining to participation or invitation to the conference and grant of financial assistance, if applicable.
3. Correspondence regarding the acceptance of paper/abstract.
4. Copy of the accepted conference paper showing the acknowledgement or copy of the accepted abstract with presentation slide showing the acknowledgement.
5. Presentation schedule showing the student's name (if available at the time of application). Otherwise, to be submitted together with supporting documents for claim after returning from conference.
6. Document showing details of registration fee to be paid.
7. Approved Short Leave of Absence (LOA) from the School is required for conference held during teaching weeks. For non-teaching weeks (e.g. vacation, exam periods, etc.), student is required to notify the School on the conference trip (conference venue & duration of travel) via email. The notification email will serve as supporting document.
8. Three airfare quotations based on official conference travel period*, including one from NTU Appointed Travel Agent and two from other sources (online source or travel agents outside NTU) for price comparison purpose. 
   
   If you intend to travel outside official conference travel period, please also provide a 4th quotation based on the intended travel period.
   
   *Official conference travel period refers to one day pre-conference and one day post-conference.
   
9. Document showing single room rate of the designated conference accommodation, if applicable. If student choose to stay at an accommodation that is not a designated conference accommodation, a document showing single room rate of the accommodation must also be provided for review, if applicable.
10. Document showing transportation cost for travelling from overseas airport to conference venue and/or back to airport, if applicable.
11. Any other relevant documents, why you may deem useful in supporting the application.
    
    Note: please also refer to Conference Funding Claim guidelines set out in the next section for more details which may be useful for planning your conference expenses.
    

Application Deadline

The online URECA Conference Funding Application Form must be submitted with all supporting documents at least 8 weeks before the commencement of the conference, or at least 8 weeks before the date that registration/other fees need to be paid (if applicable), whichever is earlier. 

Application submitted after attending the conference will not be accepted for review and evaluation by the URECA publication sub-committee.

Entry VISA Application

If a formal invitation letter is needed for entry visa application, please obtain it from the school. URECA Programme Office is not authorised to issue letter for entry VISA application. Visa application fees are to be borne by the applicant.

Overseas Travel and Declaration

The University has also put in place a Travel Registry System to capture travel information of students. This would enable the University to respond timely, especially in facilitating communication with the affected members, in the event of an emergency. FYP-URECA and URECA students travelling outside Singapore for conferences are required to fill in the NTU travel declaration prior to their departure.

Insurance

FYP-URECA and URECA students travelling outside Singapore for conferences are required to hold a minimum level of travel insurance. Please refer to Student Travel Insurance page on the NTU website.  Travel insurance fees are to be borne by the applicant.

Disclaimer: URECA programme office is not liable for the coverage of death, any form of disability, hospitalization, medical and any other costs arising from any such event when travelling overseas for conference.

Students who have already obtained the approval for their conference funding application, may proceed to submit their conference funding claim for processing after returning from the conference. 

Guidelines

The URECA conference funding claim is made on a reimbursement basis whereby original documented evidence of presentation schedule, expenses/receipts, tickets, etc are required for claim. The conference funding claim must be submitted within one month after attending the conference. Claim submitted after one month from attending the conference will not be accepted for processing.

Submission Procedure via Integrated Claim System (ICS) for Student

1. Compile the required supporting documents in the required order.
2. Complete the ICS claim form and upload the documents in (a) for approval. Please access ICS through Student Intranet.
3. Follow the steps in the user guide to complete the ICS claim form for URECA office approval.
4. NSS Finance processes the approved claim for payment via GIRO.

Note: For NIE students, please email the documents in (a) in one PDF file to [email protected] for assistance.

Supporting Documents Required 

Scanned copies of official invoices and/or receipts for the following must be submitted via ICS. Please compile and upload the required supporting documents in the following order.

(a) Approval of conference funding notification email from URECA office

(b) Proof of Attendance (e.g. either a certificate of attendance OR letter from Conference organisers OR registration documents that were stamped and dated at the conference)

(c) Presentation schedule showing the student's name (please submit the presentation schedule, when available)

(d) Conference Proceedings (e.g. CD-ROM, proceedings booklet, web publication, etc.) of the published paper with URECA Acknowledgement or conference abstract with presentation slide showing URECA Acknowledgement must be provided  

(e) Conference registration fees (for e-receipts, a copy of your credit card statement reflecting the amount paid is also required)

(f) Airfare and Boarding Passes (for e-tickets, a copy of your credit card statement reflecting the amount paid is also required). If the air ticket is not purchased from NTU appointed travel agent, a copy of the initial quotation issued by the NTU appointed travel agent must also be attached for NSS Finance reference

If you made detours/additional stopovers outside the approved official itinerary, a quotation for the most economical and direct route to the conference venue must be obtained and attached with the receipt. This quotation will be used by the NSS Finance as the basis for reimbursement of airfare, in accordance with the terms of financial support approved by URECA office. If there are multiple traveler names on the receipt/itinerary, the applicant must provide proof of payment of his/her share of the travel expense. 

(g) Accommodation (proper accommodation receipt showing the applicants' name and itemized charges is required)

(h) Transportation (proper receipt showing intercity/state land travel by public transport is required)

(i) For expenses incurred in foreign currency, applicant must provide the bank/credit card statement reflecting the amount paid in Singapore dollars. If no document to support the amount paid in Singapore dollars, applicant must provide document on the backdated currency exchange rate (based on the transaction date) such as through ONADA website. Then self-calculate the amount in Singapore dollars for claim

(j) A short write-up of maximum 250 words on conference experience, accompanied by a high-resolution photograph taken during the conference for possible inclusion in the URECA yearbook and website.

Should there be any discrepancies (e.g. false declaration of claim, etc.) URECA Office reserves the right to recover the conference funds from student that is deemed responsible for the claims.

Purpose

To encourage URECA students to train in advance level of communication of their research through archive journal publication. 

Award

The application for URECA Journal Publication Award will be reviewed and awarded based on the Journal quartile ranking: 

The best ranking of the journal will be used for URECA award when a journal has more than one quartile ranking in different category, obtained using the ISI web of knowledge database.

Conditions of Award

• Student must be the main author (first author) of the paper published in the journal.  

  Student's name must appear as first author on the full paper published in the journal to qualify for the award.
  For authors listed in alphabetical order, a confirmation email on the main authorship (e.g. first author/equal contributions as first author) from the journal as supporting document is required.
  If the journal has a specific policy on the listing order of authors which differs from the above, evidence of such policy (letter or website) from the journal should be submitted as supporting document.

• Former URECA student is eligible to apply for URECA Journal Publication Award within 1 year after he/she graduated from NTU/NIE, if his/her paper is accepted for publication in a journal as the first author.

• Award is to be shared between the supervisor and student.

• One of the following statements must appear in "Acknowledgement" subtitle of the journal paper:

(a) We wish to acknowledge the funding support for this project from Nanyang Technological University under the URECA Undergraduate Research Programme.

(b) This project was supported by Nanyang Technological University under the URECA Undergraduate Research Programme.

Please note that papers submitted without the above acknowledgement will not receive the journal publication award.

 Application Procedure​

1. Complete URECA Journal Reward Application Form.
2. Merge completed form and supporting documents into 1 PDF file and email it to [email protected].
3. All applications are properly reviewed and evaluated by URECA Conference / Publication sub-committee which recommends the level of support.
4. URECA administrator will notify the student of his/her application outcome.
   
   

Supporting Documents Required

1. Acceptance letter from the journal
2. Journal Impact Factor
3. Journal Quartile Ranking
4. A copy of the paper to be published in the journal

Journal Quartile Ranking can be obtained through NTU library

https://libguides.ntu.edu.sg/az.php?a=j > Journal Citation Reports > Search for a specific journal >Enter words from journal title > click on journal title > click Journal Rank in Categories 

OR

https://libguides.ntu.edu.sg/az.php?a=s > Scopus > Sources > Use Source type to filter a specific journal > click on journal/source title to view CiteScore and ranking details.

During Add/Drop Period

Students may change URECA project/supervising professor or withdraw from URECA programme during the Add/Drop period (end of September). (Change of supervising professor is not applicable to FYP-URECA)

URECA programme withdrawn during the Add/Drop period will not be reflected in the official transcript. This is applicable to students who are in the AUs category of URECA participation.

With the approval of your URECA supervising professor to withdraw from the URECA programme, your URECA supervising professor may deregister you through the URECA system. You should receive an auto notification email of your withdrawal after it has been activated by your URECA supervising professor, to be considered successfully deregistered from URECA programme.

After Add/Drop Period

A student who is still registered for URECA programme after the URECA Add/Drop period but did not subsequently complete the project will be deemed to have read and failed the course. An 'F' grade will appear on the student's official transcript.

URECA withdrawal application are summarized in the following table: 

Alternatives to Withdrawal

Student should consider change of research project/ supervising professor. Change of supervising professor requires student to find a new supervising professor and subject to the approval from the current supervising professor. Please notify URECA Programme office via email [email protected] on the change of research project/ supervising professor. (Change of supervising professor is not applicable to FYP-URECA)

Withdrawal Procedure

1. Complete and submit a URECA Withdrawal Form (attach the supporting documents, if any);
2. Speak with URECA / FYP-URECA supervising professor, URECA School/Programme Coordinator and School Chair/Assoc Chair to seek withdrawal approval (endorsement must be obtained);
3. E-mail completed URECA Withdrawal Form to URECA Programme Office for URECA Director approval (Incomplete form will not be processed by URECA office);
4. Receive notification on the outcome of the appeal to withdraw from URECA Programme.
   
   NOTE: Student is responsible to follow through his/her withdrawal application. 

 Withdrawal Notes

Appeals to withdraw from URECA after the URECA Add/Drop period will be subject to approval on a case-by-case basis and may be granted for the following reasons:

1. Medical grounds

   This must be supported by a letter from a certified medical practitioner or counsellor (including the University's counsellor).

2. Compassionate grounds

   Bereavement affecting the student or student has to look after an immediate family member with chronic medical conditions. Supporting documents such as death certificate or medical report, and School's recommendation are required.

3. Student representing the University or country in national or international events

   Letter of support from relevant parties and proof of participation is required. The School's recommendation is also required.

   Note: Heavy academic workload, Industrial Attachment (IA) or participation in exchange programme will NOT be accepted as valid reasons for withdrawal after the Add/Drop period.