Conference Travel Funding

MIT Resources

Graduate Student Council Conference Fund Grant Program

The Conference Grant is designed to support the conference-related travel expenses of MIT graduate students in all Schools throughout the Institute. Specifically, this fund is allocated to conference travel expenses that are not currently funded by the student's advisor or other MIT-related funding. The fund provides grant money for most conference-related expenses including lodging.

MIT Student Assistance Fund

The MIT Student Assistance Fund is intended to provide financial assistance for all Joint Program students towards certain incidental expenses such as travel and equipment purchases which is not available for one reason or another through the student's principal advisor.

WHOI's Academic Programs Office will reimburse students up to $1,000 each calendar year (beginning July 1, 2023) for travel to a professional conference to present their research.  Advisors are expected to pay a portion of the travel cost.

Procedure

• Prior to travel, send a brief email describing your participation in the conference to WHOI's Registrar for approval.

• To request reimbursement before or after travel, submit a request for reimbursement through Unanet along with original receipts.  See Related Links (video) and Related Files (pdf) for Unanet instructions.
  • Receipts must show your name and method of payment (credit card, cash, etc.) as well as the total amount charged.  An itinerary without this information is not a valid receipt.  Make sure to retain your original receipts for one year.
  • Reimbursement can be requested in advance of travel for prepaid items such as airfare or conference registration.
  • Multiple requests may be submitted (pre- and post-travel).  Multiple WHOI funding sources (project numbers) can be included in the same request.
  • Academic Programs will reimburse domestic per diem at the general domestic rate listed on the Procurement website (not the individual GSA city rates). Current WHOI per diem rates can be found on the Procurement website.

To access Unanet outside of WHOI's network, you'll need to use your WHOI LDAP credentials and a VPN.  Contact the WHOI Help Desk to set that up.

If you have any questions regarding APO travel funds, contact Meredith Bittrich