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Conference Travel Funding

If you are presenting your research at a non-UC San Diego local, regional, or national conference you may be able to receive funding to attend the conference! Below are a few sources for undergraduate research conference support.

Helpful Hint: To save money registering for a conference, it can sometimes be cheaper to become a member and pay the member price of the conference, rather than paying the non-member price.

Looking for conferences to present your research at? Check out our External Conferences page.

URH Conference Travel Funding Award

Qualifications

  • Current UC San Diego undergraduate student
  • Participated in an URH program within the last two years 
  • Presenting at a conference within the academic year applying 

Funding

Students can be provided $0-500 of student professional development funds for presenting at one conference per academic year.

Student expenses are reimbursed and not prepaid, with an exception of airfare and conference registration. A student may only be reimbursed for one conference per academic year in order to allow as many students as possible access to funding.

It is best to submit your URH Travel Funding request as soon as possible since it's a lengthy process with limited funding. Additionally, please keep in mind Funding is NOT guaranteed so always have a plan B if your request is not approved.

Reimbursement Policy

Items that can and cannot be reimbursed
For expenses eligible for reimbursement the priority is: We CANNOT reimburse:
Conference Registration Meals
Airfare Rental cars
Lodging (Hotel or Airbnb, under $275 + taxes or fees/night) Mileage or gas
Uber, Lyft or Taxi expenses Alcohol
Public transportation (subway, bus and train) Hotel expenses over $275 / night
Poster Printing costs Expenses unrelated to the the conference
Conference related expenses More than the travel funding approved
Baggage fees

Post-Travel Requirements

  • Send itemized receipts to URH within one week of attending the conference
  • Send URH 3-4 pictures or 1 screenshot from your trip and experience

*If you have any questions regarding our policies, process or requirements please email ugresearch@ucsd.edu

Apply

Only submit if you have read the qualifications and restrictions above. Applications for professional development funds should be submitted at least one month before attending the conference.

UC San Diego College Conference Funding

UC San Diego College conference funding supports students presenting their research at conferences outside of the San Diego area. These funds may be used to reimburse costs associated with conference registration fees, travel, and/or lodging. To apply, students should follow the process for their specific college.

ERC: submit application online here under “Funds for Conference Travel” section

Marshall: email tmcprovost@ucsd.edu to request more information

Muir: email muirprov@ucsd.edu to request more information

Revelle: submit application online here

Seventh: email seventhprovost@ucsd.edu to request more information

Sixth: complete application form here and email it to sixthprovost@ucsd.edu

Warren: email waprovost@ucsd.edu to request more information.

Funding from the Conferences

Many conferences offer funding themselves for students to attend their conference. This is often part of the registration form, but it may be a separate grant/scholarship/award form. When applying to a conference, be sure to find out if they have funding you can apply for.

UC San Diego School and Department Funding

Many schools and departments on campus support students to present at conferences. Below is a list of schools and departments we are aware of that offer conference funding. If your school or department is not listed below, be sure to contact them about possible conference funding. Additionally, for any schools and departments listed, please go to their websites for the most current information. The Undergraduate Research Hub does not maintain the awards or associated websites.

Council on Undergraduate Research Trimmer Travel Fund Award (Arts and Humanities)

UC San Diego is an Council on Undergraduate Research enhanced institutional member. Students can obtain their free CUR membership, but it may not be necessary to obtain this award.

CUR offers the Trimmer Travel Fund Award to support undergraduate students presenting at conferences:

The Council on Undergraduate Research’s Trimmer Travel Fund Award will support arts and humanities undergraduate scholars in presenting their research at professional meetings. The awardee will receive an award of $1000 and recognition through CUR's media outlets and/or notifications through appropriate higher education publications. This award is supported by the CUR Arts and Humanities Endowment and the Arts and Humanities Division.
 
The fund was established by a gift from Joe and Carol Trimmer. Professor emeritus of English at Ball State University (Muncie, IN), Joe Trimmer is the founding director of the Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. He is the author of numerous books on literature and culture, and a contributor to 20 PBS documentaries. He has served on the CUR Executive Board as the representative of CUR's Arts and Humanities Division, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Indiana Humanities. Carol Trimmer has served as the outreach coordinator for IPR, Ball State University's NPR member station, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Arts Place, a regional Indiana arts organization, and Muncie's nonprofit Gallery 308. 
 
Awardees receive:
  • The honor of being recognized as a Arts and Humanities Trimmer Travel Fund Awardee.
  • In addition, $1000 will be awarded to the recipient to be used on travel to a professional meeting [during the application year] to share their research.

 Students must submit the following:

  1. Submit the application form including title of project, conference name, location and date, primary research mentor, research abstract (no more than 250 words), description of the research process (up to 500 words), and funding need and proposed budget.

  2. Submit a letter of support from mentor to CUR@CUR.org.

Applications are historically due around February 1. For more information, visit the Trimmer Travel Fund Award website.

Note: this page has a friendly link that's easy to remember: https://tinyurl.com/URHtravel

Undergraduate Research Hub

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