ABSTRACT
While funding for undergraduate research is a matter of concern in even the best of times, the sustained economic downturn of the past several years has created new challenges for faculty and undergraduate students seeking to undertake collaborative inquiry. In this new economic climate, acquisition of financial resources has become a major focus of attention within the world of undergraduate research, and there is reason to believe that it will remain so, well into the future. This chapter addresses contemporary challenges in funding of undergraduate research, with a focus on the changing roles of the federal government, industry, foundations, and higher education institutions themselves. Over the course of its history, CUR has emerged as an influential organization in Washington. Increased collaboration with industry is clearly one means by which to reduce higher education's reliance on federal funding, while also aligning the use of appropriated funds with governmental priorities.
