3.10 Travel Grant Program - approved 12/94, updated 08/01 -

The IEEE Communications Society provides a limited number of travel grants to help members with traveling difficulties to attend major Society conferences. Six major conferences are currently included in this program: ICC, GLOBECOM, INFOCOM, WCNC, NOMS or IM.

For the purposes of this program, the world is divided into four major ComSoc regions:

• North America (NA) - IEEE Regions 1-6 for USA, IEEE Region 7 for Canada
• Europe, Africa & Middle-East (EAME) - IEEE Region 8
• Latin America (LA) - IEEE Region 9
• Asia Pacific (AP) - IEEE Region 10

Grant recipients must normally reside in a ComSoc Region other than the Region where the conference is held. Two types of travel grants are available: (1) student and (2) professional.

1. Student Travel Grants

   This grant is for $1,000 plus a complimentary copy of the conference record. To qualify a recipient must be:
   
   

   • author of an accepted conference paper, attend the conference, and present the paper.
     
     
   • valid Student Member of IEEE Communications Society at the time he/she submits an application
     
     
   • full-time student regularly registered toward a degree in engineering or related field in a university.

   Students (or their advisors) should submit applications to their ComSoc Regional Director; contact information will normally be listed on the conference web site. The applicant's name and address, etc., must be printed on the application forms of the conference. Application forms are included in the authors' kits for accepted papers and on the conference web site.

   Applications deadline: The Regional Director must have all applications (properly filled out) three months before the day the conference is scheduled to start.

   Selections are based on review scores of the papers and regional selection guidelines set by each ComSoc Regional Director. Final decisions come from the office of the Vice President - Membership Development (delegated to Director - Membership Programs Development with the endorsement of the ComSoc Regional Director). No more than one travel grant per year may be awarded to an individual through this program.

   Special exceptions (with very restricted conditions) may be considered to enable students to obtain grants to attend a major conference held within the same ComSoc region as the applicant resides. In these cases the grant is $600 plus complimentary conference record. Examples of special conditions are:
   
   

   • Very high paper review score, recommendation by the Technical Program Committee chair, or authorship of more than one accepted paper.
     
     
   • Minimum airfare to attend conference is very expensive (i.e., air fare from Turkey to London, Australia to Tokyo) as verified by Regional Director.
     
     
   • Letter signed by the advisor or other university official indicating there is no other practical way for the student to obtain local travel support.
     
     
   Note: Cost of "exception" section of Travel Grant Program may not exceed 15% of the total student travel-grant budget allocated for each specific conference.

2. Professional Travel Grants

   A limited number of professional travel grants are available for professionals who encounter economic difficulties to attend conferences. Recipients may receive grants up to $1,200 (based upon their estimated travel budget/expenses) and a complimentary copy of the conference record. (Recipients do not normally receive complimentary conference registration.) Potential candidates include authors of papers accepted for the conference, panelists in panel sessions, session Chairs, or ComSoc Chapter Chairs. Complimentary full conference registration may occasionally be awarded depending upon the individual circumstance and recommendation of the Regional Director.

   Applicants must be valid members of IEEE Communications Society at the time of application. Requirements for this grant are the same as for student grants except professionals do not fill out student application forms; instead, they may send (or e-mail) a letter to their ComSoc Regional Director stating their need for a grant, attaching a budget estimate, indicating other sources which could part-fund the travel, and giving their IEEE member number. No more than one travel grant in a three-year period may be awarded to any individual.

   Special exceptions (with very restricted conditions) may be considered to enable professionals living and working within the same ComSoc region as the major conference to obtain a grant to attend that conference. In these cases the recipient may receive up to $800 (based upon their estimated travel budget/expenses) plus a complimentary copy of the conference record. (See examples of special exceptions above.) Again, complimentary full conference registration may be awarded occasionally depending upon the individual circumstance and recommendation of the Regional Director.