Eligible junior faculty may receive as much as $500 per academic year for travel expenses to present original papers on topics promoting diversity and community engagement in various fields at scholarly and professional meetings. This includes reimbursement for allowable travel-related expenses for the conference—lodging, meals, transportation and registration, all of which are non-taxable reimbursements. An approved application must be on file prior to the trip.
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Purpose
The purpose of the travel grant is to support the presentation of the applicant’s original research or creative effort. The research must be presented at a recognized organized conference or professional meeting. The presentation will usually be in the form of an oral or poster presentation but can vary by field. Attending a meeting or chairing a session does not qualify, nor does accepting an invitation to present a seminar or giving a colloquium at another university.
The purpose of this grant is to promote the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion at UT Austin and across the nation. Through the support of faculty activity in this vital area, this program will continue to grow campus capacity for inclusive excellence among faculty, students, staff, as well as the communities served by UT Austin locally, nationally, and globally.
Eligibility
All tenure-track faculty members are eligible.
Deadlines
November 15th (for travel from November 1 – August 31)
* Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements may apply in any semester, but may only receive one award during an academic year and a maximum of two total. Travel must be for the conference for which the grant was awarded; unused funds cannot be used for another meeting.
Allowable Expenses
The usual rules for travel on “local funds” apply. A short summary of these rules is presented below, but refer to your travel officer for specific questions.
- Airfare — Normal restrictions
- Taxis — Receipts not needed for taxis within city, but required between cities
- Lodging & Meals — Limited to actual costs (single occupancy rate)
- Within Texas, total limit of $260/day ($51/day for meals)
- Outside Texas (continental United States), total limit of $375/day ($51/day meals)
- Personal Mileage — 54 cents per mile
Ticketing & Reimbursement
Make your travel arrangements at any time after your application has received approval. If you wish to have your airline ticket directly billed to the Faculty Travel Grant account, travel arrangements must be made through one of the agencies under contract to the university.
When your airfare exceeds your allowable balance for the trip from the travel grant account, you may still direct bill your airfare through a university contracted agency, but you will need to pay the additional amount from another university account. If you can obtain a lower fare from an online reservation system other than Concur, you may use your own funds to purchase the cheaper ticket and request reimbursement after your return.
The Travel Management Office offers additional information about booking. If you are traveling outside the United States, additional approvals may be required. Check the UT International Office Restricted Regions List, continually updated to reflect travel conditions to foreign countries, including special requirements for entering certain countries. Also note that international reservations made through sources other than Concur will need to be entered into the ISOS database manually by the traveler prior to departure.