Policies and Procedures
2006-2007 Dissertation Travel Grant Award Guidelines
The information outlined below is intended to assist recipients as they work with their departments to utilize the Dissertation Travel Grant awards. A complete program description is available in the Fellowship Opportunities listing at https://www.grad.uiuc.edu/fellowship/.
The Fellowship Board decides on the awards based on the submitted proposal. The award budget, as approved by the Fellowship Board, serves as the guiding document for the administration of the award. All expenditures must be made under the normal accounting procedures and conform to State and University regulations.
The following points are particularly important:
- Prior to travel, students must provide the Graduate College with evidence of IRB or IACUC approval for research that involves human subjects or vertebrate animals.
- University policy prohibits the issuance of travel advances. This means that students will have to utilize their own resources to fund the travel and utilize the Dissertation Travel Grant to reimburse them for the amount of their award upon their return to campus.
- The award letter indicates the approved travel dates and locations. Only expenses outlined and approved on the proposal budget will be funded - no new expenses should be added to the budget post-award. For example, travel to places not approved on proposal budget and non-travel expenses will not be funded. If the recipient becomes aware of a necessary change in the travel plan that falls outside the approved award, the recipient should contact the Graduate College Fellowship Office at gradfellowships@uiuc.edu prior to travel, or as soon as it is known that the travel plan needs revision.
- Reimbursement is for actual expenses in the categories outlined on the approved budget. Do not use per diem rates. Receipts must be submitted to the department. If receipts are likely to be unavailable, recipients are encouraged to take a receipt book or keep a record of expenses in a format that can be submitted (a travel expense log or journal) upon return. IRS regulations state that reimbursements submitted after 60 days will be considered taxable income to the traveler. Please consult your departmental executive officer or business manager if you have questions about the process of accounting for your expenses.
- The receipts must be organized by category (i.e. food, lodging, ground transportation) in chronological order, itemized where possible, and amounts must be converted to U.S. dollars if in another currency. The receipts must be attached to 8 ½ by 11-inch sheet.
- Funds may be moved from one approved budget line to another - if airfare, for example, costs less than projected, and ground transportation or lodging costs more than projected, the overall approved budget allows for reimbursement of both, as long as the total amount of the award is not exceeded.
- The recipient must submit to the department a one-page report explaining how the Dissertation Travel Grant was beneficial to the research project along with a copy of the approved budget and the receipts. The department then submits the report and the receipts to the Graduate College Fellowship Office. Expenses will not be reimbursed without receipts and the report. The report should state how the funds were used, including travel destinations, periods of travel, costs and any approved modifications to the travel plan. Additionally, the report should summarize the specific research activities undertaken, list any additional funding received by the student, along with any publications resulting from the funded research.
If awardees or departments have questions about the travel grant, please contact the Graduate College Fellowship Office at 333-0036 or gradfellowships@uiuc.edu.
