The Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grant (formerly the Dean’s Fund for Undergraduate Research CONFERENCE) supports conference participation by current undergraduates in the College who have been accepted to present a poster or deliver an oral presentation at an academic conference. The research presented must have been mentored by a faculty member or other research mentor(s).
Grant amounts will vary based on the cost of the conference and its distance from Chicago:
|
Conference Location |
Maximum Grant Amount |
|
Within the Chicago region |
Up to $500 |
|
Within the United States |
Up to $1,000 |
|
Outside the United States |
Up to $1,500 |
Please carefully review all eligibility and application instructions below before beginning your application. Any application that does not fully comply with the below requirements or that is not submitted before the conference will not be considered.
Eligibility:
- Current full-time undergraduate in the College with plan to enroll in the following quarter (students on track to graduate at the end of the current quarter may also be considered). All applicants must be in good standing with the university (not on leave of absence). For conferences that occur during the summer, you must be planning to enroll in the following Autumn Quarter.
- Students who have a paper, poster, or scholarly creative work that has been accepted for presentation at a professional conference or those that are participating as a conference session facilitator/moderator. You will need to submit proof of conference acceptance/participation in your application.
- The research being presented at the conference must have been mentored by a UChicago faculty member and/or other faculty research mentor(s) at another institution, if undertaken during the summer.
- You have not previously received a Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants or Dean’s Fund for Undergraduate Research CONFERENCE award. NOTE: Students may only receive funding for conference participation once during their College career.
- You are not receiving funding from another University entity for the same conference.
- Agreement to complete a post-award survey and confirm fund use after awarded.
- Application completion and submission at least three weeks prior to the conference dates.
Ineligible:
- Not open to graduating fourth-years whose conference is scheduled for a date after the date of their graduation. You may not receive funds from the College once you graduate.
- The Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants will not accept applications for conference travel if a student is only going to observe, network, or explore career or professional development opportunities.
- Applications submitted less than three weeks before conference travel.
- Requests for retroactive funding or conferences that have already occurred.
Application Components for Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants
- You will need to provide the name and contact details of at least one Faculty or Research Mentor.
- Confirmation that you have received permission to present the research publicly from your research PI, faculty or mentor.
- Research Presentation/Project Title
- Brief statement about the value of presenting your research (3-5 sentences)
- Upload your Research Presentation Abstract (Posters or Oral presentations)
- Upload proof of conference acceptance
- Upload an Itemized Budget.
- IMPORTANT: Review our detailed budget guidance when preparing this document. Budgets that do not provide all required information will be returned for revision.
- Unofficial Transcript (please upload a recent unofficial copy from the registrar; do not submit a screen shot of your myuchicago record)
Awards
- Awards will be paid out as a stipend. The awardee will be responsible for reporting the stipend amount as income when filing tax returns.
- The Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants are able to make a limited number of awards each quarter. The application may close before the end of an academic quarter if the maximum number of awards has been reached.
- The priority of the Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grant program is to make it possible for UChicago students to present their research at professional conferences, not necessarily to fund attendance for the entirety of the conference.
Award Expectations
- All grantees must complete a post-conference report within 30 days of their return from the conference.
- All students who receive support through the Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants will be expected to present their research (poster or oral presentations) at the annual University of Chicago Undergraduate Research Symposium held in April of each year.
Additional Resources
Where else can you find funding for your conference travel? The Quad Undergraduate Research Conference Grants are limited and cannot guarantee funding for your proposal. Try asking:
- The conference organizers or professional society. There may be funding help available from the conference itself! Many conferences, especially large ones organized by a professional society, have grants available to help facilitate student travel. Check the website of your conference and/or email the organizers for any funding opportunities that may be available.
- Your faculty mentor or the PI of your lab. Faculty mentors may have a budget that can be used for these purposes. If not, ask your mentor if there is anywhere else they know of that might provide funding for undergraduate conference travel.
- Your Director of Undergraduate Studies or departmental advisor for undergraduates. Departments may have sources of funding that a DUS would know of.