Proposal Development Travel Grant

Ongoing Program

This award is intended to strengthen the quality of external grant proposals by providing travel support to faculty who wish to meet with agency program officers or collaborators at other institutions, but only in the context of external grant proposal development. Funds are limited, and therefore other forms of travel not directly linked to proposal submissions are ineligible for support. Awards are contingent on the availability funds each fiscal year and are subject to approval by the Travel Grant Committee. This committee is comprised of faculty members from various disciplines who have experience with obtaining and administering external grants.

Important Note: Applications are accepted and reviewed throughout the fiscal year. As a result, meritorious requests are supported on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Grant Funds

A maximum of $1,000 per application may be requested. Funds are to be used for travel and lodging only, and all expenses must adhere to University and State of Illinois travel guidelines. Airline flights must be arranged through Judy Keenan (438-3006, jlkeena@ilstu.edu) at least 2 weeks in advance of the travel date. All other expenses will be paid through reimbursement following the submission of a travel voucher to Judy Keenan. Please note that IRS regulations require that travel vouchers be submitted within 60 days of the travel or reimbursements will be treated as taxable income.

Application Information

All applications for travel support must be submitted through the Illinois State University Review website, and will then be routed to the applicant's Chair/Director for their approval prior to committee review.

Applicants will be required to provide a brief narrative that addresses the following items:

Grant/Sponsored Program Goal. Describe the goal(s) of the research or other activity to be included in the grant proposal you plan to develop. Suggested length: 1-2 sentences
Grant/Sponsored Program Description. Describe the planned activities, length of project, and collaborating departments, schools, or other organizations to be involved in the project. Also include the estimated date of the proposal submission. Be sure to include a summary paragraph describing the benefits and deliverables for the project. Suggested length: 2-3 paragraphs.
Credentials. Write a statement describing your (and your collaborators', if applicable) background/qualifications and how they relate to the project. Describe available facilities if they are relevant to the work. Suggested length: 1 paragraph
Estimated Cost. Provide an estimate of the amount of external funding to be requested in the proposal under development. Suggested length: 1-2 sentences.
Travel Information. Provide a brief explanation of your travel plans including purpose of trip, dates of travel, destination, agency and/or program officer names, etc.

Review Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by the Travel Grant Committee for their adherence to the program guidelines. It is expected that all meritorious requests will be approved while program funds remain. Because there are limited funds available, awards will be made on a first-come first-serve basis.

Accountability

Grant applications that were supported through this travel program must be submitted through Research and Sponsored Programs, and the full amount of indirect costs supported by the agency must be requested (this program is funded through recovered indirect costs).

Awardees will be expected to provide a very brief (1-2 paragraph) report describing the outcomes of the travel supported by this award. This report will be due following the submission of the related grant proposal to the external agency, or within 6 months of traveling (whichever comes first).