Student Travel and Conference Fund and the Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund

The VIU Student Travel and Conference Fund and the Students' Union's Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund are available to students who are seeking financial support to participate in conferences,workshops and colloquia related to their studies at VIU.

Eligibility Criteria Application Process & Details on Where to Submit a Proposal Deadline(s) Questions and Concerns

Eligibility

Applicants will be considered for both the VIU Student Travel and Conference Fund and the Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund. However, applicants should be aware that the selection criteria attached to these two funds differ slightly.

• Students must be registered in a minimum of 3 courses (full time student) during the term in which they apply for funding and be returning to VIU as full time students during the term following the conference, or,
• Students in their final year of full-time study toward a degree, diploma or certificate from VIU may be considered for the Student Travel and Conference Fund for conferences to be held within the 12 months following their graduation, or,
• Students who graduated no more than 6 months prior to their application and were full time students the term prior to their graduation may be considered for the Student Travel and Conference Fund. The conference must be held within 12 months after graduation.
• The work presented at the conference must have been completed while at VIU or must have been supervised by a VIU faculty member
• A VIU faculty member must authorize the student’s attendance and/or presentation at the conference.
• Only one grant will be awarded per academic year per student.
• Travel & Conference funds cannot be used where attendance to a conferences, workshops or colloquia is required as a prerequisite to receive course credits.
• Award recipients will be required to submit original receipts and proof of attendance before funds are released (details will be outlined in the notice of award).

In addition, the following criteria applies specifically to the eligibility of the Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund:

• Applicants must not have attended the conference before the application deadline(s).
• Applicants must be a member of the Students’ Union.
• Individuals who apply to attend the same event will be awarded funds as a group.

Criteria

• To be considered for the Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund students must review the Terms of Reference and ensure that their proposal meets the criteria.
• Students who will be active participants (e.g. presenter, panelist, discussant or presenting a poster in a conference, workshop or colloquia) will be given preference;
• Applicants must demonstrate that the conference they are attending is related to the student’s area of study;
• Funds are allocated according to the geographic region where the conference is being held:

• Vancouver island/Lower Mainland = Max $400
• The rest of BC, Alberta, Washington and Oregon = Max $500
• Other Canadian, Eastern and South-Western USA destinations = Max $700
• International outside of Canada and USA = Max $800
  
  
• *Amounts listed above reflect the maximum award possible. Depending on the number of applications received, the applicants’ budgets, and availability of funds, amounts awarded could be lower than the maximum amount listed.
  

Application Process

Applications submitted to the Student Travel and Research Committee will be considered for both the Jessica Wilde Conference Participation Fund and the VIU Student Travel and Conference Fund. The proposal should be two pages maximum, including the budget. The copy of the conference call and the endorsement letter should appended at the end of the proposal.

The proposal should include:

• Full name, address, e-mail, phone # and student # of all applicants;
• Year of study and program;
• Title of conferences,workshops or colloquia and dates;
• Title of project/talk/poster/study;
• A description of participation (presenter of a talk, poster, panel, etc.);
• A short abstract of presentation (less than 250 words);
• A budget for travel and attendance;
• A short description outlining the benefits to you as a student and to VIU from attending the conference. Outline how the conference, workshop or colloquia relates to your studies. Career plans, conference focus, opportunities for networking will all be of interest to the selection committee;
• Signature of a sponsoring faculty member on the proposal; and
• Appendices:
  • Copy of the conference call for proposals (this can be a poster about the event or a web page describing the event).
  • A letter of endorsement or e-mail from a faculty member that attests to the academic value of the conference, workshop or colloquia the applicant seeks to attend and confirms the relevance to the applicant’s studies.

Submit your full application in person or via e-mail to Kathryn Jepson at the Research & Scholarly Activity Office, building 305 room 446 . Applications can be dropped off in person by 4:00p.m. or e-mailed by the deadline. Applications received past the deadline will be marked as late.

For a list of recent and past award recipients please visit the Internal Grants & Leaves Awarded web page.
Read testimonials from past Student Travel and Conference and Jessica Wilde Conference Participation award recipients.

Deadline(s)

• October 25, 2012 - Subject to funding
• February 07, 2013 - Subject to funding

Questions and Concerns

please contact:
Kathryn Jepson, Support and Research Awards Facilitator
250.753.3245 ext. 2704.

or any member of the STAR Committee.