Conference Travel Awards
All SyBBURE students are encouraged to attend conferences to present on their research*, to present on their VIX projects, or for professional development. Travel awards are available through SyBBURE to cover costs.
Do not make any purchases outside of Vanderbilt’s Concur application. This can be found through Oracle or at the SkyVU webpage on the left side menu. Purchases made elsewhere will not be reimbursable.
After you apply, we will respond by giving you permission to spend zero, a partial amount of, or the full amount that you requested. You will be reimbursed after the conference. If we are paying for your flight, it needs to be booked through Concur. (either by Kyle or yourself). Typical requests are for between $500-2000. Each student will receive a maximum of $2,000 per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). A total of $500 during your time in SyBBURE may be allotted from your travel budget for professional development travel.
Typically, you will want to buy plane tickets 2 months before traveling, and it will take us up to 2 weeks to respond to your request. You may also need to edit your request after our initial response. It is recommended that you apply for the award 3 months before traveling.
*If presenting on your research, make sure you talk to your PI about submitting to a conference before you submit! Research needs to be done at Vanderbilt with a Vanderbilt faculty member. If it is done with someone outside of Vanderbilt, the max we can give you is $500. If you are not participating in SyBBURE (not getting paid) during the conference dates, we cannot give you money.
Application Instructions
1. Find a suitable conference (your PI and direct supervisor can help for conferences in your research field).
2. Submit the SyBBURE Conference Travel Award Application.
If presenting research, you will need your PI’s permission to apply. Be sure to ask your PI what funds are available from them.
3. Within a week, you will receive a response from us (save this, you’ll need to attach it to your expense report).
4. If presenting research/VIX project, prepare and submit your abstract.
Make sure all authors have a chance to edit and approve your abstract before submission.
5. Register for the conference and book your travel (wait for acceptance, if applicable).
Flights must be booked through Concur (if you don’t have access, talk to Kyle). Hotels and rental cars should also be booked through Concur.
6. Travel.
Save all of your receipts (including itemized restaurant receipts). No alcohol will be reimbursed.
7. Get reimbursed.
Follow the instructions on the reimbursement page when you return from your trip and are ready to fill out your expense report. Attach the award receipt email from us (step 3) to your expense report.
8. Slack Jon your full abstract and conference citation.