Travel Grants

We are proud to announce that IMC 2017 is again able to support conference attendance by students with travel grants.

Student Travel Grants

The purpose of this program is to encourage graduate student participation at the conference by funding the travel cost for students who would otherwise be unable to attend.

Eligibility: Applicants to this grant must be a student at the time of attending IMC 2017 to qualify.

Selection criteria: The student statement/letter and advisor letter(s) weigh strongly in selecting students for an IMC travel grant. Generally, travel grants are awarded to PhD students pursuing research in areas of interest to IMC. We rarely consider terminal MS students and do not consider postdocs.

Prioritization order:

1. Students from under-represented groups or institutions. Additionally, grants are spread across institutions, and the historical tendency is to award one travel grant per institution.
2. Students who authored rejected IMC papers.
3. Students who have not received a prior IMC travel grant.
4. Student authors of accepted papers who will not be speaking at the conference. For US-based students, we rarely consider those who will be speaking at the conference, believing they should be supported by their advisors/institutions. For non-US-based students, we tend to relax this requirement on occasion given the different funding models in other countries.

The factors above represent our rough prioritization. We also take into account extenuating circumstances that are discussed in statements and letters.

Funding level: The expectation is that a student travel grant will significantly offset air fare, shared hotel accommodation, and registration. It may not fully cover these expenses, however, since our desire is to maximize participation by students.

How to Apply

The following information is needed:

• A resume with complete contact information and correct email address.

• A short personal statement (1 or 2 paragraphs, no more than 1 page) that includes information that the applicant feels is relevant to support his/her case, e.g., why the conference attendance is important to the applicant’s research and career development. It must include the estimated expenses for attending the conference (total, and breakdown by conference registration, travel, lodging, and meals). If you will be unable to attend IMC without a travel grant, please explain why this is the case.

• A letter from your advisor (or a faculty contact if you do not have an advisor), which should:

  1. confirm the applicant’s good standing in the institution;
  2. explain why the applicant would benefit from attending IMC as well as how he/she could contribute to the conference; and
  3. explain the current funding status and why the applicant is in need of the travel grant.

• Submit your application at https://hotcrp.eecs.qmul.ac.uk/imc17-travelgrants.

Additional Information

Please pay attention to the following details about the travel grant application and reimbursement process:

• Please provide complete contact information. We will need to have your current mailing address. (Please take into account any address changes you may have near the time of the stipend deadline, for example due to school breaks.) You will be notified via email, so make sure your email address is correct on your application.

• In order to obtain reimbursement, you must provide IMC with your original receipts for air fare and hotel expenses.

• NOTE to those awarded a travel grant: The reimbursement process can take in the order of several months so please be patient! For US applicants we may also need your Social Security number (on the reimbursement form), so that your cheque will reach you in a timely manner.

• The decision on student travel grants is made by the IMC Student Travel Grant Committee; all decisions are final.

• Grant applicants should ensure that they have the proper travel documents (i.e., visas) to travel to and enter the United Kingdom, and to return to their home institution after the conference.

Important Dates

Please note that late applications will not be considered.