ICNP Student Travel Grant Program

The purpose of the IEEE ICNP Travel Grant Program (funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation) is to encourage graduate student participation in the conference by partially or fully funding the travel costs of graduate students who would otherwise be unable to attend. As such, preference for grants will be given to students who satisfy one or more of the following example criteria:

  • Student authors of papers submitted but not included in the program
  • Student co-authors of accepted papers or posters who are not making the presentation at the conference
  • Students in very early stages of their PhD studies without alternate means of support

Applications are accepted from students at PhD degree granting institutions in the US. Applications are expected to show evidence of a serious interest in networking, as demonstrated by coursework and project experience. In most cases, no more than one student will be funded from each school. ICNP encourages participation of women and under-represented minorities. The recipients of the travel grants will be decided by a committee that includes members of ICNP's organizing and steering committees.

Application Process:

An application for a student travel award includes a letter from the student and a supporting letter from the student’s advisor.

  • The student’s letter should include a short (maximum one page) vita, containing basic information such as degrees earned, current affiliations, relevant coursework and grades, and any other information the student feels is relevant to support their application. In addition, the letter should include a brief summary of research interests and accomplishments and how the student would benefit from attending ICNP (including which areas in the ICNP program would impact the student’s research).  Students should demonstrate a serious interest in the subject matters of the conference, evidenced by recent coursework and projects. The letter should also mention the student’s visa status; applications are accepted from all US-based students, including those on student visas (J-1, F-1, etc.)
  • The student advisor's letter should confirm that the student is a PhD candidate in good standing and should comment on the strengths and potential contributions of the student. Furthermore, the letter should indicate how the student would benefit from attending ICNP, the suitability of ICNP’s technical program to the student’s research area, and why the student is in need of a travel grant. If the applicant is a co-author on an accepted paper, the student advisor’s letter must specify whether other co-authors will be attending the conference and presenting the work.

Both of the above letters should be send via email (no snail mail will be accepted or considered) to Azer Bestavros (Chair of the selection committee) at best@cs.bu.edu with "ICNP Student Travel Grant Application for <name of applicant>" as the subject line. ASCII format is highly preferable; PDF is acceptable.

Award Administration:

The amount of support provided to each student is intended to defray (and not necessary cover all) the costs incurred by students towards registration, travel, and lodging at the conference hotel. We do not anticipate making any awards exceeding $750, which leaves $450 for travel and lodging. Students are strongly encouraged to secure additional funding from other sources if their anticipated travel and lodging costs are significantly higher than this limit. The travel award will be handled via reimbursements. For any expense that is covered, a receipt is required (e.g., airfare and hotel receipts). The reimbursement will be sent as a check via mail six to eight weeks after receipt of reimbursement forms. Details will be communicated to award recipients.

Important dates:

  • Submission deadline: September 30, 2005
  • Notification date:  October 10, 2005