Enrolled Duke students are eligible to apply for a URS Conference Grant. This grant is an award of up to $500 to use towards registration, travel, or other expenses to present research they have conducted at Duke for one conference per semester. This award provides financial support for conferences, contingent on university requirements and restrictions regarding approved travel destinations.
Consideration for a conference grant to attend a meeting without presenting will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Starting in Fall 2023, URS can pay directly for awardees’ conference registration or travel. Awardees will work with the URS Program Coordinator to register for the conference or arrange payment for travel. To accommodate this process, it is best if students applying for this grant submit their application at least two weeks prior to regular registration deadlines and six weeks prior to the conference dates for travel if able to. For students preferring to pay for conference costs and be reimbursed up to $500, that will remain an option for the grant, and the timing of the submission of the application just needs to occur in advance of the conference.
If your total expenses to attend the conference will surpass $500, please list your other sources of funding on the application to demonstrate how you have thought through your expenses and considered the resources you have available.
URS expects that conference presentation preparation is being done in consultation with Duke faculty/staff mentor/s. Take note that your application submission will prompt an email to your Duke faculty mentor(s) asking them to answer some questions, which they will need to complete and submit on your behalf.
Once your application is complete (your application and your mentor support submitted), the URS office will review your application and let you know about your funding decision within two weeks of submission.
If you are awarded a URS Conference grant, an award letter will be provided with further instructions for working with the URS Program Coordinator to register for the conference or book travel or arrange reimbursement. Please note that you will be required to submit a reflection about your conference within two weeks of the date of the conference. Finally, if URS pays for registration fees or travel for you to attend the conference, you must attend the conference. Failure to adhere to any of this agreement will mean that you are not be eligible for any future funding from URS, including conference grants, independent study grants, assistantship grants, or the Deans Summer Research Fellowship.
Please see the links for the Conference Grant application under the Application Information heading below. Note that there are different links for Trinity and Pratt students.
TRINITY STUDENTS: APPLY HERE
PRATT STUDENTS: APPLY HERE
Pratt Students, more information on the conference grant process and other undergraduate research resources on this webpage.
Updated: 09/04/2024
Students may apply to either attend a conference, or present and attend a conference.
Attendance of conferences or meetings, and the award of a URS conference grant, does not 'officially' excuse absences from class or missed deadlines. For this reason, conference awards are rarely made for more than three days of missed classes. Before you apply, check your syllabi and with your instructors to ensure that your conference will not adversely affect your coursework.
Budget Information:
- Eligible budget expenses include: Transportation (mileage, airfare, Uber/Lyft, transportation passes etc.), lodging, conference registration fees, abstract submission fees, membership fees (if lowers registration rate).
- Non-eligible expenses include: meals, entertainment activities
For students applying to attend in-person conferences:
- Review current Duke travel policies (see Duke Global Administrative and Travel Support). If you have questions about this policy or your location, please contact globaltravel@duke.edu.
- You are responsible for making sure that you have the required permissions, and have followed the required steps for Duke-funded travel to the location in which this conference is being held.
Updated: 5/5/2022
Application Status: OPEN