NHAES Assistantships and Support

The NHAES Director's Office will contribute toward peer-reviewed publications resulting from NHAES-funded projects. The manuscripts must be published (or in press) no more than 2 years after the completion of an NHAES project and must directly relate to the research conducted as part of the NHAES project. If approved, you may be asked to assist the NHAES communications office in promoting this research to internal and external stakeholders after the manuscript is published. This may include review of a news release or story, interviews with journalists, and recording of video and audio content.

Upon receipt of an invoice with details on relevant charges for the publication covered by this signed agreement, NHAES will cost share 50 percent of publication charges up to $1,500 (e.g. when the total charge $3,000). The authors will provide NHAES office copy of the shareable PDF file for our records and for potential distribution to selected libraries, archives, etc. 

To request support for page / publication charges, please complete the electronic Manuscript Approval Form.

When filling out the form, in addition to providing information about the publication, you will also need to provide the NHAES Hatch, Hatch-Multistate, or McIntire-Stennis project number (e.g., NH00XXX) and the USDA project accession number.  

To look up USDA project accession number: 

1. Visit https://nrs.nifa.usda.gov and log into your account.
2. Click the Manage button in the Projects & Programs box.
3. Click on your project that is associated with the peer-reviewed publication. 
4. The accession number is listed below the Results dropdown box, on the right side of the screen.

Additionally, you will be asked to upload a proof of your manuscript, which must include the following acknowledgment in order for you to be reimbursed:

“Partial funding was provided by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station. This work (scientific contribution number ________) is/was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Insert Project Type, e.g. Hatch/Evans-Allen/McIntire-Stennis) Project (Insert Accession Number) and the state of New Hampshire.”

The Scientific Contribution Number will be provided to you upon approval of the electronic Manuscript Approval Form.

The New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station supports a modest number of graduate research assistants (GRA) to work with highly productive faculty on their NHAES-funded research projects. This is part of the NHAES goals to enhance the productivity and impacts of its funded research, to strengthen the abilities of our scientists, and to help train the next generation of agricultural and natural resource scientists.

Eligibility requirements

NHAES will provide funding on a competitive basis to support 24-month, 0.5 FTE stipend plus tuition and health fees for graduate students working on active NHAES projects. Strong preference will be given to doctoral student assistantships. The graduate student must work 20 hours on the NHAES project to comply with federal time and effort reporting regulations.  This comes with the expectation that the Project Directors will cover the remainder of the student’s full graduate program costs (stipend/tuition/fees/operations) with his or her own extramural funding. Significant emphasis in evaluating GRA proposals will be placed on evidence of extramural support beyond internal GRA and TA funding. 

GRA Support Program awards are available to faculty who are engaged in active NHAES projects. Submissions will be first and foremost evaluated based on their overall merit; when projects are deemed to be of similar strength and importance, due to limited resources, priority for funding will be given to project directors who are members of the graduate faculty and for students in COLSA graduate programs. Proposals are submitted by and awards made to individual faculty members, not student applicants.

Project directors may have at most two active NHAES GRA assistantships, but can only apply for one assistantship in each round of funding. 

Award Criteria

Successful proposals will clearly address and demonstrate the following:

• The proposed research roles and activities of the graduate student and how these activities will help not only contribute to strengthening existing NHAES project objectives and outcomes, but also to expand the breadth of the NHAES Foundational Program project; an NHAES GRA proposal cannot be to simply conduct the work proposed within a director's NHAES Foundational Program project;
• How the activities of the graduate student will aid the project director in potentially leveraging NHAES research for obtaining extramural funding and/or if matching funds are already available;
• Evidence, especially as it may relate to the ongoing NHAES research, of the project director’s professional accomplishments, recent scholarly publication activity, and recent extramural support;
• Recent evidence of the project director's ability to garner exdtramural funding to support graduate students beyond internal GRA and TA support;
• Evidence of the project director’s ability to mentor graduate students;
• Other considerations that advocate for a sound investment of NHAES funds.

NHAES and COLSA are committed to growing the diversity and inclusiveness of people and ideas in order to push the frontiers, impacts, and recognition of our research; the training of excellent future scientists; and reaching a broader population of stakeholders locally and globally. As such, we highly encourage that you consider and briefly address how you may be able to contribute to NHAES and COLSA's commitment.

Lastly, because personnel funding received by NHAES is on an annual "use it or lose it" basis, these dollars must be expended only during the two award years except in the unusual case of prior written agreement. Unspent dollars may not be carried over or retargeted to other uses.

Proposal Format

Please submit proposals that are single-spaced with 12-point font and consist of a 2-page proposal. The written portion of the proposal should clearly address each of the award criteria listed above, but specific citations of the project director’s professional accomplishments, recent scholarly publication activity, and recent extramural funding to support graduate students—beyond internal GRA and TAs—can be made on additional pages as needed. 

Proposal Timing

An annual request for GRA funding proposals will occur each year, following the annual request for NHAES project proposals. Proposals are submitted late in the fall semester. Award decisions will be made shortly following the review of new NHAES project proposals in early-January, so that project directors receiving approval for new projects may be considered for GRA support funding.

Proposals for AY26 should submitted via the electronic proposal submission portal. For individuals with an active project that is not expiring on September 30, 2025, GRA support proposals must be submitted before December 10, 2024. For individuals who are submitting NHAES Foundational program proposals, GRA support proposals may be submitted on December 10, 2024 or by January 14, 2025.

The NHAES supports a a limited number of summer graduate student research assistantship stipends. This is part of the NHAES goals to enhance the productivity and impacts of its funded research, to strengthen the abilities of our scientists, and to help train the next generation of agricultural and natural resource scientists.

To submit your proposal after reviewing the guidelines below, please access the NHAES electronic submission portal. The submission deadline is April 29, 2024. Decisions will be provided by May 6, 2024.

Eligibility requirements

Project directors must have an active Hatch, Hatch-Multistate, or McIntire-Stennis project for the federal fiscal year. Only one summer GRA will be funded per project director.  Funded graduate students must work on your current NHAES research project for 20 hours per week in order to meet federal requirements associated with the funds. The funding does not support incoming graduate students (those beginning their graduate programs in the upcoming Fall semester). The funding does not support graduate students who are already actively supported by an NHAES two-year GRA assistantship (these students already receive summer funding support through the two-year assistantship program). This funding may be supplemented by external (non-NHAES) support in to increase the summer stipend to the full-time GRA equivalent of 40 hours per week.

Award Criteria

Successful proposals will clearly address and demonstrate the following:

• How the graduate student will aid in strengthening and/or expanding the impacts and outcomes of the ongoing or proposed NHAES research;
• How the activities of the graduate student will aid the project director in potentially leveraging NHAES research for obtaining extramural funding and/or if matching funds are already available;
• Other considerations that advocate for a sound investment of NHAES funds.

Submission guidelines

All submissions for summer GRA funding are completed using the online submission portal directly. Once you log in and choose to add a new proposal, you will be provided with the questions that need to be answered as part of the submission.

Proposal Timing

An annual request for summer GRA funding proposals will occur each year in mid-March. Award decisions will be made within 4-5 weeks of submission so that project directors receiving approval can submit summer funding information in a timely manner.

The NHAES is committed to facilitating opportunities for researchers to spark, build, and strengthen professional relationships and research collaborations with a diversity of our land-grant partners. As such, the NHAES is pleased to support two types of assistantships to promote these partnerships.

1. Support for travel by NHAES scientists to participate in research activities with collaborators at an 1890 or 1994 land-grant university partner. 
2. Support for NHAES scientists to host at UNH short-term visits by collaborators from 1890 or 1994 land-grant universities to participate in research activities.

Eligibility requirements

Project directors must have an active Hatch, Hatch-Multistate, or McIntire-Stennis project for the federal fiscal year. For assistantships associated with NHAES scientists traveling to an 1890 or 1994 university, the NHAES scientist must, at least, present research related to the NHAES project at departmental or college seminar series. NHAES scientists are also highly encouraged to meet with faculty, research professionals, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students at the institution to discuss opportunities for collaborative research development. 

For assistantships associated with NHAES scientists hosting collaborators from an 1890 or 1994 university, the NHAES scientist must, at least, organize a departmental seminar presentation for the visiting researcher. The seminar presentation must be on work related to the NHAES scientist's current project. NHAES scientists are also highly encouraged to set up meetings between the visiting researcher and other UNH faculty, research professionals, post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students to discuss opportunities for collaborative research development. Visiting researchers from an 1890 or 1994 institutions can include faculty, resesarch professionals, post-doctoral fellows, and doctoral candidates who have made significant progress toward completing their dissertation.

Award Criteria

Successful 1-2 page proposals will:

• Identify the collaborator who is hosting the NHAES scientist at an 1890 or 1994 institution or the NHAES scientist who will host the visiting scholar at UNH;
• Describe how the visit relates to the current NHAES project;
• Describe the collaborative activities that will occur during the visit;
• Describe what, if any, collaborative professional relationships may exist with a scholar at an 1890/1994 institution;
• Provide an anticipated budget and associated narrative. 

Proposal Timing

Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and should be submitted directly to the NHAES Director's office by email.