The Division believes that presenting papers at professional conferences is important to students' academic careers and growth as professionals. Pre-doctoral and Master's students who have been invited to present papers at academic conferences can apply for up to $700 (increased from $650 to $700 effective January 2024) to cover related travel expenses.  In light of possible restrictions on Travel, Students may also submit funding requests for VIRTUAL Conferences.  This is typically for registration expenses associated with the conferences.  Students will be reimbursed for only one conference per academic year; reimbursement will not be granted for merely attending a conference. In order to insure that the limited conference-travel funds are distributed as equitably as possible, students in their first through fifth years of study are eligible for conference travel reimbursement; all students must apply for travel reimbursement at least one month prior to travel.

Effective March 13, 2025, all requests for travel must receive Senior Officer Approval.  OGS can submit these requests on your behalf once we receive your funding request but please note that this process may require additional time for approval.  Students should NOT purchase anything related to conference travel without receiving approval from OGS along with Senior Officer Approval. 

For those who are traveling internationally:  Effective June 1, 2025 "...advance registration in Brown’s TravelSafe system will be required in order for Brown funds to be paid or reimbursed for Brown-related international travel. "

View the Policy

Applications should be submitted via our Google form (you'll need to sign in with your Brown e-mail)

See application for all necessary documentation required. Be prepared to submit your invitation to present, budget info. DGS signature is no longer required effective May 1, 2022.

Please remember that you must submit expense report information within 60 days of return from travel!

Please note:  If some portion of your travel is being charged to a grant, AirBnB (and other similar organizations) may not be a reimbursable expense.   Airbnb is considered nonconventional lodging and is only reimbursable when there are no conventional lodging facilities in the area (e.g., in remote areas) or when conventional facilities are in short supply because of an influx of attendees at a special event (e.g., World’s Fair or international sporting event). Such lodging includes college dormitories or similar facilities or rooms not offered commercially but made available to the public by area residents in their homes.   

Brown does not encourage the use of AirBnB but it may be an allowable expense on institutional funding. Please check with your program admin before booking lodging through AirBnB.

International Conference Travel

Master's students and doctoral students in years 1-5 of their studies who are presenting their research at international conferences are eligible to apply for the international travel fund award. This fund is administered by the Graduate School. The BioMed Conference Travel Award may be combined with the International Conference Travel funding for students presenting at international conferences. 

Occasionally, The Office of Graduate Studies will provide funding for graduate students to attend conferences for the purpose of recruiting Graduate Students on Brown's behalf.   These conferences are usually held in the Fall; if funding is available, we will send out a call in Summer 2025.  Students interested in attending these conferences are encouraged to apply for available travel funding from the conferences.