Funding Databases

From this page, faculty, administrators and students of St. John's University have access to COS (Community of Science) and SPIN (Sponsored Programs Information Network). This database contains funding information related to research, curriculum development, training, equipment acquisition, workshops/conferences, travel in support of collaborations, and other professional activities. This database includes funding opportunities directed specifically toward students, as a general rule, it does not include information about individual scholarship programs or financial aid for students. 

INTRODUCING COS (Community of Science)
Community of Science (COS) is the largest, most comprehensive research database hosting available grant opportunities, providing users with more than 25,000 records representing over $33 billion in funding. COS provides clear and concise information pertaining to current grant opportunities being offered to scholars throughout the world. Sponsors include private foundations, public agencies, national and local governments, corporations, and more. These sponsors provide substantial monies available for research in such disciplines as physical sciences, social sciences, life sciences, health and medicine, as well as arts and humanities. These monies provide funding for many purposes, such as research, collaborations, travel, curriculum development, conferences, fellowships, postdoctoral positions, equipment acquisitions, as well as capital or operating expenses.

To access COS, please visit http://www.cos.com/
COS provides it’s users with easy and intuitive searching, and offers customized search options for users of all levels ranging from general to advanced queries. In addition, each COS Funding Opportunities Record prominently notes key information such as program title and abstract, award denomination, sponsor contact information, eligibility requirements, funding alert notices and deadline notices.

COS is updated daily. All content is verified by the sponsor, and is edited for consistency and optimized for accurate searching.

The Office of Grants and Sponsored Research will continue to provide the St. John’s community with substantial and reliable information pertaining to all aspects of sponsored programs. We will assist our faculty and administrators with COS user training throughout the course of this new semester and beyond. The acquisition of COS emphasizes our strong commitment to provide our researchers with the best resources available at their disposal. If you wish to establish an individual account, please contact OGSR Assistant Director Christopher Egan at eganc@stjohns.edu (ext. 1903) for assistance.
 
Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN)
SPIN contains information on more than 8,000 current funding opportunities, i.e., grants, fellowships and other support programs. Published by InfoEd, Inc., the database is updated almost daily. The user will find a helpful keyword thesaurus divided into twelve major categories or topics. Included among the broad topics are separate sections on: Arts/Humanities; Behavioral/Social Sciences; Education; Science and Technology; Mathematics; Computer Science; Management/Commerce; and Law. After clicking on a broad topic, the SPIN user has the option of narrowing his/her search by selecting one or more descriptive keywords. An individual may sign up for email notification of oppurtunities relevant to his/her discipline.

This is a very important point. Students should expect that they will be eligible for only a small percentage of the grant opportunities appearing in each of these databases. The majority of the grant opportunities included in these databases are intended to support the activities of independent professionals and others with terminal degrees -- usually a doctorate -- in their discipline. Therefore, when conducting a search for funding opportunities for students, one may wish to narrow his or her search to funding opportunities specifically intended to support students.

These databases are not designed to provide information relating to traditional forms of financial aid, scholarships or loans for students. Nor is this a form of employment service for students. The type of information for students contained in these databases include the most competitive of academic programs, including dissertation fellowships, summer research internships for undergraduates, a limited number of travel opportunities, and so on.

Note: The SPIN database cannot be accessed through AOL, Netcom, or any other private ISP (Internet Service Provider). These databases may only be accessed through the "stjohns.edu" domain.