Internal Award
US Citizenship Not Required

The PEAK Outfitter is available to full-time, currently enrolled Northeastern University undergraduates whose original research or creative work is ready to move beyond the lab, studio, or classroom and into a broader public or professional arena. Eligible students will fall into one or more of the following categories: 

Presentation & Performance Students who have been accepted to present, perform, screen, or exhibit their original research or creative work at an appropriate external venue — including but not limited to professional conferences, entrepreneurial pitch competitions, art exhibitions, juried showcases, or film festivals. This award is not intended for students who are attending an event solely for networking or professional development without an active presenting role, nor for participation in hackathons. 

Publication & Dissemination Students who have had original research or creative work accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, edited volume, undergraduate research journal, literary or arts publication, or comparable venue. Eligible costs may include submission fees, open-access publication fees, and reproduction or licensing costs directly tied to the accepted work. 

Supplies & Materials for Dissemination Students who require materials or supplies necessary to bring an original research or creative project to a presentable or publishable state. Eligible costs may include production materials, fabrication supplies, printing and reproduction costs, software licenses directly tied to the project, and similar expenses. Students applying under this category must demonstrate a clear and near-term dissemination goal (e.g., an upcoming submission deadline, an accepted exhibition, or an imminent application to an external venue). 

Additional Eligibility Standards 

All research or creative work supported by this fellowship must adhere to all university requirements, including policies related to the ethical conduct of research, the protection of human subjects, and the use of vertebrate animals in research. 

Students are eligible to receive up to $500 from PEAK Outfitter awards per academic year.  

Applications are evaluated for their overall quality, feasibility, and potential to contribute to a student’s intellectual, personal, and professional development.

The selection committee considers factors such as: the student’s academic record; stated reasons for wishing to become involved in research or creative endeavor; alignment of the project  and with larger intellectual, personal, and professional goals; and the safety, practicability, and ethics of the project.

Fellowships are competitive and funding is not guaranteed.

The PEAK Outfitter Fellowship may cover some or all of the eligible costs associated with presenting, publishing, or producing original research or creative work, up to the maximum amounts listed below. Eligible expenses vary by category: 

Presentation & Performance Registration or submission fees; printing and production costs for posters, photographs, artworks, or other presentation materials; travel to the venue (air, bus, train, or other ground transportation); and lodging at the event location. Regardless of where you choose to have your poster printed, poster printing is covered at the standard NU Reprographics rate of $7 per square foot ($84 for a standard 3′ by 4′ poster). Meals are not a covered expense. 

Publication & Dissemination Submission fees; open-access or article processing fees; reproduction, licensing, or permissions costs directly tied to the accepted work; and formatting or copy-editing costs where required by the publisher. Costs associated with self-publishing or vanity press outlets are not eligible. 

Supplies & Materials for Dissemination Production materials, fabrication supplies, printing and reproduction costs, and software licenses directly and demonstrably tied to bringing the project to a presentable or publishable state. General lab consumables, equipment purchases, and costs already covered by another funding source are not eligible. Students are encouraged to document how each requested item connects to a specific, near-term dissemination goal.

Maximum grants are: 

• Up to $500 per student per academic year. 

• If an applicant received funds from other sources, it is a maximum of up to $200 per application 

• Clubs or group applications are eligible for funding up to the maximum amount for each applicant, capping at $2000 total per club or group request. If the club is receiving funding from another source, URF can provide up to $200 per student up to 10 students; if not, $500 per student up to 4 students). 

The total funds received by a student from all sources should not exceed the total expenses incurred. Funding is not guaranteed, and applications are evaluated on the quality of proposals and in light of available funding. The application will close when funding is no longer available. 

After receiving their award, PEAK Outfitter awardees must submit a post-award reflection describing how the funding supported the dissemination of their work. 

Application Procedure

We ask that you submit your application at least six weeks before your travel date, submission deadline, or anticipated purchase date when at all possible.

A complete application consists of a funding proposal written by the student and a brief statement of support from the student’s research or creative mentor, submitted separately through Northeastern’s Internal Fellowships Portal. Applicants should discuss their dissemination plans with their mentors before applying. After the student enters their mentor’s contact information, the application system will automatically generate an email to the mentor with instructions for submitting their statement. For students presenting or publishing work conducted at Northeastern, please provide contact details for your Northeastern faculty mentor. If you are sharing results of work conducted outside Northeastern — for example, on a co-op or at a neighboring academic or medical institution — you may provide contact details for a mentor who is not a member of the Northeastern faculty.

Complete student proposals must include the following items, submitted as PDF documents through Northeastern’s Internal Fellowships Portal:

• Letter of Intent (maximum 500 words). The letter should be drafted professionally and formally, addressed to Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, and must include:
  • The name and nature of the venue, publication, or project;
  • relevant dates and location (if applicable);
  • its significance in your field or creative discipline
• A concise abstract of your project written for a generalist audience — the abstract you submitted to a conference or journal is likely too technical and should be adapted accordingly
• An explanation of how this funding will support your academic, personal, and professional or postgraduate objectives, addressing all three
• Detailed line-item budget listing all anticipated expenses and all sources of funding applied for or received. Please use the Budget Template in the application portal.
• Documentation of dissemination status, appropriate to your category:
  • Presentation & Performance: proof of acceptance to present, perform, screen, or exhibit; your name must be listed as a presenter or contributor
  • Publication & Dissemination: acceptance letter or confirmation from the publisher or editorial team; or, for works under submission, documentation of the submission fee and the venue’s publication standards
  • Supplies & Materials: a brief dissemination plan (one paragraph is sufficient) describing the specific near-term goal the supplies will support, along with itemized vendor quotes where available
• One-page résumé or CV for each applicant