Travel grants can make the difference between presenting your research in person and watching the programme from home. This guide lists six funders that support conference travel, explains what each one covers and who can apply, and shows how to build a strong application. Last checked against each funder's own page: October 2026.
A quick disclosure first: SAI runs the conferences this blog sits on, and we don't operate a travel grant programme of our own. Every funder below is independent, so eligibility, award size and deadlines are set by them, not by us.
Key Takeaways
Start with your own university or department: internal conference funds are the most overlooked source of travel grants.
Most external travel grants are capped. ACM-W awards up to $600 within a continent or $1,200 between continents, and the SIGHPC Rusty Lusk scholarship reimburses up to $800 or $1,600.
Eligibility is narrow. Check career stage, membership requirements, field of research and which conferences each grant covers before you apply.
Several grants are one-time awards or deprioritise recent winners, so choose the conference you apply for with care.
Funding is limited: USENIX says its programme rarely has enough funds to cover all travel and hotel costs, so plan for a gap.
What Are Conference Travel Grants?
A conference travel grant is money, usually from a university, society, foundation or company, that helps cover the cost of attending an academic conference. Some pay for registration only. Others reimburse flights and accommodation, up to a cap.
Travel grants are normally aimed at students, early-career researchers and people without institutional funding. They are rarely large enough to cover everything, so most successful applicants combine a travel grant with departmental support or personal funds.
Check Your Own Institution First
Before applying to an outside funder, ask your department, graduate school or research office what conference funding they hold. Many universities keep internal travel grants that are open only to their own students and staff, which means less competition than a global programme.
Professional societies in your field, and any national research council in your country, are the next place to look. They often run travel grants for members, and membership itself is sometimes a requirement.
Six Travel Grants and Funding Sources
ACM-W Scholarships for Research Conferences
ACM-W offers scholarships of up to $600 for intra-continental travel and up to $1,200 for intercontinental travel, according to its scholarships page. They can be used for any computer science research conference, including events that aren't affiliated with ACM. Presenting a paper isn't required. The scholarship isn't available for the Grace Hopper Celebration or the Richard Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, and it is a one-time award: anyone who has received it before can't apply again.
ACM SIGHPC Ewing "Rusty" Lusk Travel Scholarship
This scholarship pays full conference registration directly and reimburses travel up to $800 on the same continent or $1,600 between continents, per the SIGHPC scholarship page. It covers three high-performance computing conferences: PASC, PEARC and SC. Applicants must be active SIGHPC members and currently enrolled graduate students. Only one student per advisor can apply in each deadline cycle, and past recipients are excluded.
USENIX Student and Professional Grants
USENIX runs grant programmes for full-time students and for computer scientists and practitioners experiencing adversity. Both provide complimentary registration and some travel funds for flights and hotels. Presenters, including poster presenters, are eligible. You must attend every conference day to receive funds, you can submit one application per conference, and anyone who received a grant in the previous 12 months is deprioritised. USENIX states that the programme rarely has enough funds to cover all travel and hotel expenses.
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds Travel Grants
The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds supports MD and PhD students and postdoctoral researchers from anywhere in the world who are running an experimental project in basic biomedical research. Its travel grants page describes short research stays or practical courses of up to three months, in Europe or overseas. This one is for lab-based biomedical researchers, so it will not suit most computing authors.
Carlsberg Foundation Research Stay Grants
The Carlsberg Foundation funds basic research by Danish researchers and by foreign researchers connected to the Danish research environment. According to its applicant page, grants for field trips abroad or research stays at international institutions are available all year when the budget is up to DKK 100,000, with a competitive call above that. Its conference grants are different: they support conferences held in Denmark, not attendance at events elsewhere.
EURAXESS Funding Database
EURAXESS is a searchable database of research jobs, funding opportunities and hosting positions across Europe and beyond. You can filter by country, research field, funding programme and funding type, and Travel Grants is one of the funding types. It is the quickest way to find mobility and travel awards for a specific country or discipline.
Travel Grants Compared
Funder | Best for | What it covers | Key limit |
|---|---|---|---|
ACM-W | Students at any computer science research conference | Up to $600 within a continent, up to $1,200 between continents | One-time award |
SIGHPC Rusty Lusk | Graduate students in high-performance computing | Registration plus up to $800 or $1,600 travel | SIGHPC members, PASC, PEARC and SC only |
USENIX | Students and practitioners in systems and related fields | Registration plus some travel and hotel funds | Funds rarely cover all costs |
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds | Basic biomedical researchers | Research stays or courses up to three months | Experimental biomedical projects only |
Carlsberg Foundation | Researchers linked to Denmark | Research stays abroad, up to DKK 100,000 year-round | Danish connection required |
EURAXESS | Anyone searching for European funding | Database of funding and mobility offers | Each listing has its own rules |
How to Apply for a Travel Grant
Read the eligibility rules first. Career stage, membership, field and country restrictions rule out most applicants before the paper is even considered.
Note the deadline and the decision date. Some funders set deadlines per conference, so check the specific event you plan to attend.
Prepare your supporting documents early, such as an acceptance email, proof of enrolment, your abstract and a short budget.
Explain the benefit to your work and to your institution, not only your need. A specific plan for what you will present and who you hope to meet reads better than a general request.
Apply to several funders and to your own institution at the same time. Most awards are capped, so stacking small ones is normal.
When to Start Your Travel Grant Application
Start earlier than feels necessary. Aim to begin three to four months before the conference, because some funders only decide weeks after the deadline and some pay by reimbursement afterwards.
Before you submit your paper: list the funders you qualify for and note their deadlines. Some deadlines fall before paper decisions are out.
When your paper is accepted: request your acceptance letter, gather your documents and send your applications.
Before you travel: check the visa timeline for your destination, and keep every receipt, because many grants reimburse costs after the event.
After the conference: submit your expense claim promptly and send any report or thank-you the funder asks for.
Documents You'll Usually Need for a Travel Grant
Requirements differ, but most travel grant applications ask for a similar set of documents. Having them ready lets you apply to several funders in one sitting.
Acceptance letter: proof that your paper or poster has been accepted. SAI conference chairs can issue an acceptance letter for an accepted paper, so contact the conference if you need one.
Abstract or paper: the version that was accepted.
Proof of status: a student ID or enrolment letter, or proof of your current position.
Budget: an itemised estimate with real quotes (see the sample below).
Recommendation or support letter: usually from your supervisor, and often a statement that your institution can't cover the full cost.
Visa support letter: if you need a visa, ask the conference organisers for a support letter early. SAI chairs can send one on request.
Sample Travel Grant Budget
A clear budget shows funders you've planned carefully and shows how much of the cost you are asking them to cover. Replace every figure with a real quote and show what other sources are paying.
Item | Estimated cost | Covered by |
|---|---|---|
Conference registration | [from the conference's Register page] | [funder or department] |
Return flights | [quote from an airline site] | [funder] |
Accommodation (nights x rate) | [quote from the conference hotel or a booking site] | [funder or you] |
Visa and travel insurance | [official fee] | [you] |
Local transport and meals | [estimate] | [you] |
A Short Email to Ask Your Department for Support
Subject: Request for conference travel support
Dear [Name], my paper "[Title]" has been accepted for presentation at [Conference, City, Dates]. I would like to ask whether the department can contribute to my travel costs. I have attached the acceptance letter and a budget. I am also applying to [funder names], and I will confirm the final amount once I hear back. Thank you for considering this.
[Your name, programme, supervisor]
Conference-Specific Travel Grants
Some individual conferences offer student travel support for authors of accepted papers. Because it is tied to one conference and one year, it isn't listed here. Search for the conference name plus "student travel grant", or check that conference's own website, for the current details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SAI Conferences offer travel grants?
No. SAI doesn't run its own travel grant programme and can't fund every attendee's travel. The funders listed here are independent organisations with their own eligibility rules, deadlines and application processes.
Who can get a conference travel grant?
It depends on the funder. Many travel grants target students or early-career researchers, while others require a society membership, a link to a particular country, or work in a specific field. Always read the funder's own criteria before applying.
Do I need an accepted paper to apply?
Not always. ACM-W says presenting a paper isn't required, while USENIX accepts presenters, including poster presenters. Other funders ask for proof of acceptance, so check each programme's rules for the conference you plan to attend.
Will a travel grant cover all my costs?
Rarely. ACM-W and SIGHPC cap their awards, and USENIX says its funds seldom cover all travel and hotel expenses. Plan to combine a travel grant with university funding or personal contributions.
When should I apply for a travel grant?
As early as the funder allows. Some set deadlines per conference or per cycle, and some deprioritise recent winners or limit you to one application per conference, so confirm the dates before you submit.
Where else can I find travel grants?
Start with your university, department or graduate school. Then check professional societies in your field and the EURAXESS database, which lets you filter funding offers by country, research field and funding type.
Next Steps
Pick the funders whose rules match your situation, note their deadlines, and apply to your own institution at the same time. If you are planning to submit a paper to an SAI conference, our Call for Papers page lists the current conferences and submission rounds, and you can contact us with questions.
SAI isn't affiliated with any funder listed here and can't guarantee the availability or outcome of any grant. Funding details change, so confirm everything on the funder's own page before you apply.