MCS Graduate Travel Grant

The Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (MCS) provides graduate students with funding to support travel to attend and present research results at academic conferences.

Student Eligibility
The travel grant is open to all research stream graduate students (Masters and PhD) who are affiliated at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and are supervised by an MCS faculty member.

To be appropriately identified in ROSI as 'UTM affiliated', students need to complete and submit the Campus Affiliation form on the SGS website.

Grant Purpose & Timing
Travel grants are provided to fund graduate student travel to attend and present at conferences, summer/winter schools and workshops. Other research travel purposes, such as off-site data collection or collaboration, are not eligible purposes.

The granting year runs from September 1st - August 31st and students may be awarded more than one travel grant up to a combined maximum of $2,500 annually. Any unused balances will be returned to the funding pool at the end of each granting year. In special circumstances, when the timing of the event(s) is close to August 31st, students may request a carry forward. All such requests are at the sole discretion of the Chair.

Note: Given the current circumstances due to COVID, we are allowing graduate students to use the MCS Travel Grant to fund alternative research opportunities and professional development activities. Grant requests must align with your current degree program and studies. As per the existing process, your grant request submission requires your supervisor’s review and approval before it is submitted for the internal approval process.

Once approved, expenses can be claimed using the expense reimbursement form found at the bottom of this page.

Application Process & Deadlines
The MCS Travel Grant Application Form  must be completed with appropriate details. The conference/workshop MUST be relevant to your current degree program as well as bring value to your research studies. Results of the application will be sent via e-mail to the student. If you have any questions about the application form/process, contact Jessica Bailey at jessica.bailey@utoronto.ca.  

All applications must be submitted at least 1 month in advance of the intended travel. Travel must be completed within six (6) months of the submission or the funds will be returned to the pool.

Adjudication
Travel grant requests are subject to Chair's approval. Travel grant requests will be awarded to all eligible applications if the allotted funding for the granting year has not been exhausted. MCS Travel Grants have no matching fund requirement. If the total sum of grant requests exceeds the allowable funding, priority will be given to:

  1. Applicants who have not received MCS travel grants in previous years;
  2. Applicants who are close to the end of their degrees;
  3. Applicants who have obtained external travel support (UTM, SGS, conference organizer, etc.)

Safety Abroad Registration
Students planning to participate in conferences/research activities held outside of Canada MUST review and/or complete the BEFORE THE TRIP items on the UofT’s Safety Abroad Office’s website - http://safetyabroad.utoronto.ca:

Expense Eligibility & Reimbursement
Expense reimbursement claims must be in accordance with the Travel and Other Reimbursable Expenses - Policies and Guidelines at University of Toronto. For a quick reference list for expense reimbursements, please follow this check list.

Upon trip completion, students must submit an expense reimbursement claim for the eligible expenses incurred. The claim must be supported by original receipts/proof of payment (itemized and in the order of presentation on the claim form), boarding passes, the conference program and the signed application form. Detailed instructions on how to claim an expense reimbursement are available on the UofT Financial Services website.

Please submit your completed expense reimbursement claim form and the supporting documents (i.e., original receipt/proof of payment) to the Financial Officer, Alice Yang (aliceq.yang@utoronto.ca), for processing.