Undergraduate Research Conference Travel Awards

Attending conferences and publicly sharing your research, innovations, and ideas are important parts of engaging in academic research. These awards aim to support undergraduates as they disseminate their unique contributions to the UW community and beyond.

About

Conference Travel Awards are provided by the Office of Undergraduate Research and its partners to fuel undergraduate research dissemination. These awards may go toward the presentation of research findings at national and international conferences.

We encourage UW Bothell undergraduates to consider seeking conference travel support through the UW Bothell Student Academic Enhancement Fund (SAEF).
We encourage UW Tacoma undergraduates to consider seeking conference travel support through the UW Tacoma Center for Student Involvement fund.

Process

Applications for the Undergraduate Research Conference Travel Awards are reviewed at the end of each month, as funding is available. We encourage students to submit their application as soon as they find out that they have been accepted to present at a conference. Students will receive their award in the form of reimbursement after they have returned and submitted their travel receipts. We encourage students to let us know if they are unable to pay for travel costs upfront so that we can present other options. Here are a couple example scenarios of the application process:

Scenario 1: On January 1, you find out that you have been accepted to a conference that will take place May 20-25. You apply for a Conference Travel Award on January 15 and receive the award when applications are reviewed at the end of January. You attend the conference in May and are reimbursed for travel expenses (up to the award amount) after you have returned from your trip and submitted your receipts.

Scenario 2: On March 15, you find out you have been accepted to a conference from April 25-27. You apply for a Conference Travel Award on March 20 and receive the award when applications are reviewed at the end of March. You attend the conference in April and are reimbursed for travel expenses (up to the award amount) after you have returned from your trip and submitted your receipts.

Scenario 3: You are accepted to present at a conference on October 23. You apply for an award when you return on October 25. In this case, you are retroactively applying and would not be able to receive the award.

If you’re unsure about if you are eligible, please feel free to reach out!

Eligibility & Requirements

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for and/or receive a Conference Travel Award:

Applicants must be a current UW undergraduate student with a faculty mentor at the time of applying.
Applicants must have been accepted to present at the conference they are applying for.
- Applicants must play a unique, contributing, role to the presentation at the conference.
- Co-presenters for group presentations must submit individually and each play a unique, contributing, role in the presentation at the conference.
Applications must be submitted before the first day of the conference. Applications received after a conference or during will not be considered.
The mentor must provide a statement/acknowledgment supporting your presentation at this conference and must be of faculty rank (graduate and postdocs are not eligible to provide this statement/acknowledgement).
Applicants may submit and receive funding once during their time as an undergraduate student (this does not include WRF/LEV students).
Applicants and award recipients are expected to present at the following year’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Applicants, applications, and award recipients must follow the Office of Undergraduate Research and applicable UW department policies as outlined below.

Washington Research Foundation & Levinson Emerging Scholars

Only students participating in the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) or Levinson Emerging Scholars (LEV) programs can receive WRF/LEV funding for travel awards. We occasionally make exceptions for students to use travel award funds to attend conferences up to three months post-graduation. However, students still need to apply while enrolled as undergraduates (i.e. WRF and LEV students cannot apply for travel award funds after they have graduated).

Mary Gates Endowment

Only students who received a Mary Gates Endowment Research Scholarship are eligible to receive Mary Gates Endowment funds. Applicants must indicate in the application that they have received a Mary Gates Endowment Research Scholarship.

Population Health Initiative

To be eligible for/to receive Population Health Initiative funds, applicants must reply to the Population Health Initiative statement question in the application.

Requirements of the Award

When receiving a Conference Travel Award, the following is required:

You must accept the award by email response within 14 days of receiving your award letter. After 14 days have passed, the award is no longer available.
You will have 30 days from the end of the conference to submit all required forms and receipts. Once 30 days have passed, the award is no longer available.
All awards will come in the form of request for reimbursement unless otherwise indicated. Please email us at UndergradResearch@uw.edu if you are financially unable to pay for these expenses up front.
Receipts and invoices submitted must have the name of the student who is receiving the award on it in order to be reimbursed. This includes items like lodging/hotel invoices, abstract submission fee email receipts, etc.

In addition, all award recipients will be asked to fill out a brief reflection on their travel experience and will be encouraged to present at the following year’s Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Expenses

Venmo/Cash App/PayPal: As of November 2023, no payment made using Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal will be reimbursed.
Allowable Expenses: Expenses that can be submitted for consideration may include airfare or train-fare, lodging/hotel, conference registration, some ground transit, and other expenses as considered.
- Airfare: The student must have flight itinerary/receipt showing economy class and payment using a credit/debit card.
- Lodging: Please review the UW Travel Policies on Lodging, which covers night-before stays, discounted hotels, and more.
  - The UW has its own AirBnB booking page to use.
Mileage: The UW Travel Policies on Mileage, which cover auto insurance, car rental, and more. Note: Mileage is only acceptable when it is more economical than airfare. Please visit Alternatives to Flying under UW Policies.
Meals: Conference Travel Awards cannot be used toward the purchase/expense of or reimbursement for food or beverage, including per diem.
Seattle Lodging: Conference Travel Awards cannot be used toward the purchase/expense of or reimbursement for City of Seattle lodging, as indicated in the UW Travel Policies under “Eligibility”.

International Travel

There are special considerations for international travel, including registering with the UW Office of Global Affairs, ensuring use of UW Student Abroad Insurance, etc. Please visit this website to ensure you are complying with international travel policies.

Apply

ANNOUNCEMENT

Limited Funding Opportunities

As of April 1, 2024 please know that only Mary Gates and WRF/LEV applications can be submitted and reviewed at this time. Those hoping to receive general funds or PHI funds cannot be reviewed. We will update this as we gain new information. Thank you.

Apply Now

Questions? Email UndergradResearch@uw.edu.

Funding for this program is generously provided by the UW’s Office of Research, the Mary Gates Endowment for Students, Population Health Initiative, and the Office of Undergraduate Research.

Click here to read more about UW Bothell’s Founder Fellows fund partnership with the UW’s Undergraduate Research Travel Award.

This page was last updated 7 August 2024, and are effective for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 application.