As part of its mission to support and foster undergraduate research opportunities, OUR offers grants subsidizing the costs for students presenting their work at national and international conferences. Academic and professional conferences provide students the opportunity to gain valuable experience presenting their work, engage with other researchers, and expand their understanding of the scope and nature of academic research.
Through OUR’s Conference Travel Grant (CTG), undergraduate students can apply for grants of up to $400 to subsidize costs associated with presenting their research posters, papers, or creative works at in-person and virtual professional conferences. The CTG does not provide funds for conference travel for attendance only; grants are meant for students who will present their work.
Research groups with more than three students looking for funding for conference travel should contact OUR prior to applying for the CTG to ensure availability of funds and to ensure fair distribution of funding among multiple groups.
New Deadlines & Application Structure
Applications will now be accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year until budgeted funds are exhausted. Students must apply prior to the conference taking place (i.e., no retroactive funding) but cannot apply until their presentation has been accepted by the conference.
Eligibility Requirements
- Grant cannot be retroactively applied to a presentation that has already occurred.
- Students must be accepted to present at the time of application.
- Students must be in good academic standing during the term the grant will be issued.
- Students graduating in December can apply for and may receive a grant for a conference taking place the following spring semester. Students graduating in May may also apply for and receive an award for a conference taking place in the upcoming summer.
- Students may only revise and resubmit their application one time following a rejection within the academic year.
- Students may only receive one Conference Travel Grant award per year (i.e., 12-months from receipt of any previous funding by OUR).
Award Amounts
Conference travel grants are not designed to cover the entire cost of student participation and we encourage students to also request funding from their research mentor, department or unit, and college.
| Miles from Champaign | Zone | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Online Conference | 0 | Up to $200 |
| < 200 | 1 | Up to $200 |
| 200-699 | 2 | $250 |
| 700-999 | 3 | $275 |
| 1000-1399 | 4 | $300 |
| 1400-1899 | 5 | $350 |
| 1900-2199 | 6 | $375 |
| > 2199 | 7 | $400 |
Award amounts for conferences requiring travel are based on the distance from Urbana, IL to the conference location. Award amounts may be modified at the discretion of the Office of Undergraduate Research.
Application Submission & Timeline
Students can apply for the Conference Travel Grant upon their acceptance to present at a conference. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until available funds for a semester are exhausted. We aim to make granting decisions within four weeks of submission.
Students will be required to complete two brief surveys to remain eligible for reimbursement: one prior to the conference, and the second after return from the conference. These surveys will ask for information in order to help OUR better advise other students and assess the impact of these presentation experiences.