Faculty Travel Grant Program

Opportunity: The Travel Grant Program provides co-funding to support faculty visits with federal agencies or attendance at high-impact conferences and symposiums that align with their research interests. The Division for Research accepts applications year-round and reviews requests on a quarterly cycle.

To ensure meaningful institutional commitment and financial sustainability, this program is not designed to fund the totality of travel expenses, but rather, to assist by defraying a significant portion of the costs.

• Maximum UA Request: $1,500.
• Other funding sources requirement: Applicants are responsible for securing non-sponsored funds to cover any travel expenses over the awarded amount. This program is not designed to fund the totality of travel expenses.

Eligibility: UA faculty and research professionals are eligible to apply for this program to support their research interests and professional visibility. To ensure a broad distribution of institutional support, applications must include a letter of support from the department chair, associate dean for research, or dean. Applicants may receive FTG program funds at most two times per year totaling no more than $1,500 to ensure a broad distribution of institutional support.

Approval Requirement: Trips taken prior to travel grant approval will not be reimbursed.

To provide faculty with predictable planning cycles, the Travel Grant Program operates on a quarterly review schedule. This allows for the timely evaluation of time-sensitive opportunities and ensures that funding is synchronized with the academic calendar. This structure ensures that applications are received well before the scheduled travel, allowing researchers adequate time to finalize logistics and coordinate with prospective sponsors upon receipt of the award.

• Open Date: The travel grant program accepts applications year-round.
• Closing Dates and Travel Windows:
  • October 31, 2026, for travel starting January 1, 2027 – March 31, 2027.
  • January 31, 2027, for travel starting April 1, 2027 – June 30, 2027.
  • April 30, 2027, for travel starting July 1, 2027 – September 30, 2027.
  • July 31, 2027, for travel starting October 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027.
• Decisions Announced:
  • November 13, 2026 (for the October deadline).
  • February 12, 2027 (for the January deadline).
  • May 14, 2027 (for the April deadline).
  • August 13, 2027 (for the July deadline).
• Notifications: Notification of funding decisions will be sent by email.

• Applications must be submitted through the UA InfoReady site.
• Funding requests must include:
  • Confirmation of a planned meeting with a federal agency/program officer OR links to conference/symposia opportunities
  • Letter of support from the department chair, associate dean for research, or dean.
  • Prior Internal Support- If the Lead PI has received internal funding from the Division for Research within the last three fiscal years, a summary of that support must be provided. This section is intended to demonstrate the “return on investment” and the PI’s ability to transition internal capital into external success. This section is strictly limited to one (1) page total.  Content: For each funded project, the researcher(s) should outline: The specific internal program and award amount. The current status of the project. Key outcomes, including external grant submissions, industry partnerships established, or intellectual property disclosures. If there is no prior internal support: Please note accordingly. Describe one relevant external funding example as an alternative.

• Please answer all questions thoroughly; applications with insufficient detail will be returned for further clarification and may delay the funding decision.
• Research will consider requests for up to $1,500; applicants are responsible for securing non-sponsored funds to cover any travel expenses over the awarded amount. 
• Applicants are encouraged to maximize the travel opportunity by meeting with multiple program officers or providing evidence that the travel will be leveraged for multiple scholarly purposes.
• Trips taken prior to travel grant approval will not be reimbursed by Research. 

Projects requiring compliance approvals for international travel or export control concerns must secure approval prior to receiving funds.

All procurements of goods or services must comply with Article 5 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of the Code of Alabama, University Purchasing Guidelines, Board Rule 406, and Board Rule 415. All procurements of goods or services for $75,000 or more that are subject to Article 5 of Chapter 4 of Title 41 of the Code of Alabama must be approved by the Purchasing Department and may be subject to the competitive bid process. For more information, visit the Purchasing website.

To ensure a meritocratic and strategic selection process, the Research leadership will evaluate applications using the ratings of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor or combinations thereof.

1. Strategic Alignment & Proposal Competitiveness (40%): Does the travel facilitate direct interaction with federal program officers or sponsors to improve the competitiveness of UA proposals? Does it align with the faculty member’s specific research interests?
2. Institutional Visibility & Professional Impact (30-35%): Does the travel increase the visibility of UA faculty within their respective research communities? Does it increase awareness of emerging research topics and emphasis?
3. Feasibility & Resource Stewardship (20-25%): Is the budget appropriate for the trip, and has the applicant secured necessary non-sponsored funds to cover costs exceeding the $1,500 limit? Is the trip planned for a future date to ensure eligibility for reimbursement? Does the applicant maximize the opportunity by planning meetings with multiple program officers or diverse sponsors?
4. Prior Research Support & ROI (If applicable, 10%): Has the applicant successfully transitioned previous internal funding into external grant submissions, industry partnerships, or intellectual property? Has the PI fulfilled all previous post-travel requirements and demonstrated a clear trajectory from internal capital to external success?

No-cost extensions are strictly prohibited; any unused or unmatched travel funds must be returned to the Division for Research. Within 90 days of travel completion, the awardee must log in to InfoReady to submit (1) a copy of the final program, (2) a finalized cost detail, and (3) a one-page summary report including a brief assessment of outcomes.

Outcomes are measured by the success in transitioning internal travel support into external scholarly impact. Required documentation and potential success metrics include:

• A brief summary of the interactions with federal agencies, program officers, or conference participants.
• Planned next steps for submitting external sponsored proposals or securing new awards.
• Evidence of increased visibility and awareness of emerging research topics within the faculty member's respective community.
• Identification of how the travel facilitated direct interactions to improve the quality of future UA funding requests.
• Evidence of new partnerships established with federal sponsors or other research institutions.
• Confirmation of final travel expenses and the application of non-sponsored funds for costs exceeding the Research award.

To ensure long-term impact, the Division for Research may also conduct "post-hoc" analyses 12 to 24 months after travel to track whether the facilitated connections led to successful external awards. PIs may be asked to submit an additional outcomes report (no more than 1 page) to discuss longer-term outcomes. Awardees that fail to submit these reports will be ineligible to receive internal funding until the deficiency is corrected.

Travel reservations should be scheduled in accordance with department/college/unit procedures and must comply with UA travel policies and procedures. Once a Research travel grant is approved, additional details regarding transfer of funds will be provided to the awardee.

As an acknowledgement of this support, all users must include the following language in all published reports of work conducted or in conference informational materials: "[Part of] this research is financially supported by the Travel Grant Programand the Division for Research."