Travel grant opportunities for Engineering graduate students

• There are travel grant opportunities that students can avail of in order to participate in conferences within and outside Canada. The School of Graduate Studies (SGS) offers travel assistance to masters and doctoral students who are presenting papers/posters at conferences outside of Memorial. The guidelines for this are reflected here.  

• Aside from the SGS, and depending on student’s eligibility, the Engineering Graduate Office (EGO) and the Graduate Student Union (GSU) will also contribute to the student’s conference expenses. If the student has been a Teaching Assistant at any point in the preceding year (i.e., Fall, Winter, and Spring/Intersession), the Teaching Assistants’ Union of MUN (TAUMUN) will also chip in for the expenses.

• Students fill up all the relevant sections and sign the digital version of the Graduate Student Request for Travel Assistance Form. The form can be found here.

• Aside from filling up the Graduate Student Request for Travel Assistance Form, and depending on one's preference, students can request for a travel advance or, if they decide to cover their own expenses independently, they may also request for a travel refund (claim) later after they participate in the conference. A corresponding Travel Advance Form or Travel Expense Claim Form also needs to be filled up in this case. The forms can be found here. 

• When submitting a Travel Request Form along with a Travel Advance Form or Travel Expense Claim Form, kindly enclose the following supporting invoices/receipts for the expenses you want to get reimbursed – i.e., (1) conference registration fees, (2) flight tickets, (3) hotel accommodation, (4) local transportation, as well as a (5) copy of the program/agenda of the conference, (6) the abstract/full version of the student's conference paper, and (7) acceptance letter from organizers. 

• Students can’t claim personal expenses. They also don’t need to submit receipt for meals; they can claim per diem and incidentals (i.e., $60/day). However, please note that any meals provided at the conference must be deducted from the per diem claimed for that day. For example, if the conference provides breakfast and lunch on one day, then only the per diem for dinner can be claimed for that day. Usually, the conference registration states the meals provided for the duration of the conference.
  
  
• Please note that expenses can only be claimed for the days students travel to and from the conference and on the actual days of the conference. The full schedule of reimbursable expenses can be reviewed here.
  
  
• For expenses paid in currencies other than Canadian dollars (CAD), please also submit (8) a copy of your bank statement(s) reflecting the conversion rates used in each of the payments. This is a critical requirement in establishing proof for expenses paid in other currencies.
  
  
• When accomplishing the Travel Expense Claim Form, please itemize your expenses according to the receipts you will have available. Only use the Travel Claim B section of the form if you don’t have enough space to itemize your expenses in Travel Claim A.
  
  
• Students can send the Graduate Student Request for Travel Assistance Form along with a Travel Advance Form or Travel Expense Claim Form with the supporting invoices/receipts in one PDF file to the Office of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, through engrdoffice@mun.ca, to facilitate approval with the different funding offices, review by the Finance unit of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (FEAS), and processing by MUN's Financial and Administrative Services (FAS). MUN's FAS will facilitate the reimbursement by direct payment deposit through the student's banking information on file.
  
  
• Please note that it takes approximately 4-6 weeks for travel advances or travel claims to be processed and paid to students' bank accounts. Accordingly, please plan ahead the timing of your requests relative to the schedule of the conferences and the associated costs that you might need to pay for (e.g., registration fees, flight bookings and/or hotel accommodations, etc.).
  
  
• Kindly direct further inquiries on this matter to the Engineering Graduate Office. The office number is (709) 864-8901. The email address is engrdoffice@mun.ca.