McKelvey Travel Grants for Program Officer Visits

Description

The Dean supports small travel grants to visit program officers. The travel grant call is open year round. All junior, untenured McKelvey School of Engineering faculty are eligible. Travel grants will be reviewed within two weeks. Trips taken prior to travel grant approval may or may not be covered.

Junior faculty may request support for travel to attend meetings with sponsoring agency program officers in Washington, DC and other locations. The goal of the program is to improve the competetiveness of research proposals from junior faculty by facilitating interaction with prospective sponsors. Visits with program officers also provide opportunities for faculty members to provide general information about McKelvey School of Engineering.

Application Requirements

Interested faculty should email the following information to the Vice Dean for Research:

• Name and contact information for targeted program officer(s).
• Abstract of research project.
• Brief description on how your research fits into the program officer’s funding portfolio.
• Amount of travel funds requested.

Meeting with two or more program officers at one agency or program officers at two different agencies during the visit provides the most value for the time and funds expended. Travel awards will be determined by scope of visit and availability of funds.

Reporting Requirements

Awarded faculty must prepare a brief, one-page report on the trip to be submitted before the travel expense report will be processed. The report should describe the purpose of the visit and what was learned from the discussions. An email should be provided confirming the appointment and/or following up on the interaction with the program officer(s).

Other Items of Note

All travel funded through these programs must be conducted in accordance with the Washington  University travel policy. Funding decisions are based on funds available and are the prerogative of the Dean and Vice Dean for Research.