Student Financial Support for Conference Travel

Conference Travel Support

(For the Microbiology Competitive Pillar awards (To be determined for 2026-2027), deadline December 1, 2025, please scroll to the bottom of the page)
 

Student requests for conference travel awards are approved on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the availability of funds.

*Please read carefully before submission

Grant amounts

Eligibility

All Applicants must:

• Be full‑time in a thesis program
• Present their research as first author in an oral or poster presentation
• Present results obtained during the current program and related to their thesis
• Have completed at least 2 academic terms before the presentation date
• Have supervisor approval to present
• Students who have received support this past academic year are ineligible to apply until January 2026. Applications will be reassessed based on remaining funds only

Eligible Expenses

• Conference registration fees
• Transportation (economical rate; only if outside Ottawa–Gatineau)
• Accommodation and meals (only if outside Ottawa–Gatineau)

How to Apply

Submit the following three PDF attachments:

1. Conference Travel Grant Form. 
2. Proof of acceptance (email or webpage showing your abstract was accepted with the invitation to present your poster)
3. Copy of your accepted abstract (must show that you are the first author)
4. If you are not in Workday, complete the External Committee Member Request Form (PDF) and provide a void cheque

Deadline for application

Submit to [email protected] at least 10 business days before travel; however, earlier submission is strongly recommended, as funding is allocated on a first-come, first-served basis

Notification Timeline

• Applications are reviewed only when complete
• Expect an email from [email protected] within 10–15 working days
• If refused, you may resubmit a corrected application
• The applicant must obtain a financial contribution for the conference from their supervisor 
• If your travel is in the next fiscal year, we will keep your application in the queue and notify you when the budget information is available

After Approval & Travel

Please read carefully

• Keep all original receipts in good condition. Invoices are not accepted
• Within 10 working days of returning from travel, email the following PDF or jpegs (jpg's only) to Doris Peixoto ([email protected]) If you are on Workday, please let us know and we will provide information on how to submit your reimbursement

Required Documents for Reimbursement

• Conference program (PDF)
• Registration payment receipt
• Transportation receipts (flight, train, bus, taxi, etc.)
• Itemized meal receipts + proof of payment
  • Alcohol is not a reimbursable expense 
  • Do not pay for someone else’s meal or other expenses
  • Ask your supervisor if per diem is allowed
• Hotel receipts (detailed)
  • Extra charges such as alcohol, snacks, toiletries are not allowable expenses. 
  • If sharing a room, include the other student’s name and proof of payment (email transfer)
• In case of payments with foreign currency, to better account for the actual exchange rate that you paid, please provide screenshots of your credit card statement
• Copy of any information about any additional funding you received for travel after you submitted the conference travel grant form.

For more information on the Individual Academic Project fund, please visit the GSAED webpage.

Microbiology Pillar awards 

Competitive MIC Pillar Awards (3 available)

• $1,200 CAD each
• Open to all students (including recipients of previous travel support)
• Designed for larger, more expensive conferences aligned with our three pillars: Microbiology, Virology, and Immunology (a good example would be AAI)

Application deadline: December 1st

Email Dr. Michele Ardolino with the subject line: "MIC travel award." Include a Word document with the following information:

• Your name
• Supervisor(s) name
• Degree and year
• Target conference
• Relevant MIC pillar

20 lines explaining why this conference matters to you (Times New Roman, 12pt, 2cm margins) – whether it's career networking, or research dissemination.