Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund

The College of Arts Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund is intended to help students registered in COA graduate programs to conduct travel, research, or creative activities directly related to the completion of their degrees. Examples of fundable activities include (but are not limited to) presenting research results at a conference, travelling to interview human subjects or visit an archive for research or creation purposes, or preparing some creative activity such as a performance or exhibition.

Award and Application Timeline

There are two competitions per academic year.

Applications are due for the Fall competition by November 1. During the Fall round, the committee will consider applications for activities that have taken place since March 1 of that year, and before March 1 of the next year.
Applications are due for the Winter competition by March 1. During the Winter round, the committee will consider applications for activities that have taken place since November 1 of the previous year, and before November 1 of that year.

Criteria and Eligibility

Currently-registered students in any COA graduate program are eligible for this funding. They must be registered in a COA graduate program both at the time of application and at the time of the activity to be funded.
The maximum award is $1,500. This is intended to indicate the maximum size of project for which this fund is normally appropriate; requests are usually only partially funded so applicants will typically receive less than this amount.
Applicants can apply for only one activity per competition. If a student submits more than one application, only the highest value application will be considered and the rest will be discarded. Where appropriate, related activities can be bundled together by the applicant into a single application. If an applicant is part of a team, this team application may be considered in addition to an application from the student as an individual for another activity.
These types of expenses are normally eligible:
- Research travel (including transfers) and accommodation
- Registration fees and similar costs (e.g. museum entrance)
- Costs associated with creative activity (connected to a particular project), such as art supplies, fees etc.
- Other appropriate research expenses connected to a project, such as research materials, translation services, honoraria, etc.
Daily expenses for food are not eligible (excepting, in some cases, the cost of a banquet or social event associated with a conference).
If you are requesting funding to purchase resources already available to you through the University of Guelph (e.g. books available in the Library) a clear justication is required for why their purchase is necessary.
Expenses must be incurred and then reimbursed on presentation of receipts, normally after the successful completion of the project. Advances are not given. Receipts must normally be presented within two weeks of the completion of the project to be eligible for reimbursement.
Applicants who intend to present at a conference but have not yet been accepted are eligible to apply, but must present evidence that their presentation was accepted before they can receive any funds.
The following considerations will guide the adjudication committee:
- Is it clear exactly what the proposed research/creation activity is and what its outcomes will be?
- Is it clear how the proposed research/creation activity supports the successful completion of the applicant’s program of graduate study?
- Where relevant, is it clear how the research/creation activity is to be carried out; that is, is there an explicit and appropriate methodology?
- Is the proposed budget appropriately detailed and well-supported? Are its elements both necessary and sufficient for the completion of the proposed project?
- Is the proposed budget financially responsible? Are the costs reasonable: e.g. are the proposed method of travel and type of accommodation the most cost effective reasonably available?
- If the applicant has received research funding in the past, including from the COA Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund, is it clear how this has been used to support the successful completion of the applicant’s program of graduate study? (Applicants who are regularly funded by this competition will not be disadvantaged unless they fail to speak to how they have used the funds in the past.)
All things being equal, priority will be given in the Winter competition to students who have not already been funded in the Fall competition.
There are no quotas of grants per program or academic unit, but a broad spread is a desideratum.

Application Process

Applicants should complete the COA Graduate Travel, Research, and Creation Fund application form (link below) and email it to the Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) at artsadr@uoguelph.ca by 5:00 pm on November 1 (for the Fall competition) or March 1 (for Winter). These are firm deadlines; we will not consider applications that arrive after that time. Applicants will be notified by email as soon as the committee has made its decisions, usually about two weeks after the application deadline.

In the email, please use the subject line: “COA Grad Travel Application.”
Submit your application in pdf or Word format, and ideally as a single file.
Please use the following naming convention: LastnameFirstname.extension. (E.g. a pdf submitted by Jane Smith would be named SmithJane.pdf.)
Do not submit receipts with your application. Your department administrator will request your receipts if the application is successful.
The University’s Safe Travel Policy applies to all students travelling internationally, including students doing research abroad: https://www.uoguelph.ca/cip/guelph-students/preparing-student-travel/safe-travel-information. The committee must bear this policy in mind, and if relevant you should address it in your application. 
If your research involves human subjects, you must submit evidence that you have applied for or received clearance from the Research Ethics Board. For more information on that procedure, please go to: http://www.uoguelph.ca/research/services-divisions/ethics.