Candidates must:

• Be presenting at a conference scheduled to occur during the current open application cycle’s window of eligibility;
• Be actively presenting their own research relevant to their current thesis;
• Be registered as a full-time graduate student, both at the time of application and time of conference participation; priority is to students who are registered within the program length required for their degree;
• Have not exceeded the maximum support for their degree (see Maximum Support below);
• Where travel is required, have registered their travel dates through the U of T Safety Abroad website before applying for the grant and prior to their departure. Only students traveling within Canada are exempt from this requirement. See the Safety Abroad section below for details.

Maximum Support

• Master and PhD: may collect up to three (3) SGS Conference Grants per graduate degree: maximum of one (1) in-person* conference plus up to (2) virtual conferences.
• * Exception: direct-entry or “fast-track” PhD students are eligible to collect one (1) additional in-person SGS Conference Grant for a maximum of two (2) in-person conferences per degree.

Safety Abroad: IMPORTANT

• Before travelling abroad on university activity, there are certain steps you must complete. For the most up-to-date information, refer to the U of T Safety Abroad website.
• Students traveling outside of Canada (all international destinations including the U.S.A.), must register their travel dates with Safety Abroad and complete the online pre-departure workshop in advance of traveling – and you will be asked to upload proof of registration prior to commencing the SGS grant application. Should you have questions about these requirements, be sure to contact the Safety Abroad Office directly, at safety.abroad@utoronto.ca to discuss your planned travel.
• Register your travel in the Safety Abroad Registry; and sign the Consent and Terms of Participation waiver forms provided after registration.
• Complete a Safety Abroad pre-departure workshop on Quercus (valid for 18 months); and
• Secure the appropriate and sufficient travel health insurance

* For travel to higher risk locations, see the Travel Advisories section of the Safety Abroad website.

Before you apply: If your conference requires international travel students are expected to have registered their travel with Safety Abroad prior to commencing and application. You will be asked to upload your email confirmation.

Step 1 — Access the SGS Conference Grant Application

1. Login to SGS Forms Tool with your UTORid and password
2. From the “Dashboard” click on “New Form ”, from the left menu then select “SGS Conference Grant Application”.
3. Complete all pages, review and hit the Submit button at the bottom of the Review page.
4. You will be asked to provide the following information:
   • Email confirmation of registration with Safety Abroad Office — if traveling internationally;
   • Supervisor / advisor’s email address (for the approval process), applicants who do not have a supervisor / advisor should ask their graduate unit for assistance in identifying an appropriate graduate faculty member who can approve the application;
   • Details of the academic conference (e.g., conference name, location, applicant’s minimum registration fee, website URL);
   • Details regarding the presentation (e.g., title, first author);
   • Date by which your supervisor / advisor must complete their portion of the application — ensure that this date is well before the appropriate cycle’s deadline (see Application Dates above); and
   • Proposed budget for the conference/travel (for information purposes only).

Step 2 — Supervisor / Advisor Portion

Once submitted, the identified supervisor / advisor will:

1. Receive an email with a web link that they must use in order to review and approve the application;
2. Be asked to review the application and confirm the following:
   1. applicant is in good academic standing;
   2. proposed academic conference is appropriate and necessary for the student to actively present their research at this time;
   3. applicant is actively presenting their own research related to their degree at the conference;
   4. minimum registration fee for the conference reported by the applicant is correct; and
   5. proposed funding from the applicant’s department/Faculty (if any) is correct, to the best of their knowledge (for information purposes only).

The supervisor / advisor will also need to review and hit the Submit button at the bottom of the Review page.

Step 3 — Confirmation Email

Once the supervisor / advisor has submitted their portion, the system will send a confirmation email to the applicant within 24 hours. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the details of the supervisor / advisor’s portion within their confirmation email.

Helpful application tips:

1. The application can be saved in draft form after completing the second page but will time out after two hours.
2. Review the application carefully before submitting; ensure all values are entered in Canadian dollars.
3. Verify the accuracy of their supervisor / advisor’s email address to ensure the application is sent to the correct email address for completion.
4. Notify their supervisor / advisor early, letting them know that the SGS Conference Grant application will require their approval, and advise them of the deadline.
5. Applicants are responsible for monitoring their application and contacting their supervisor / advisor if necessary to ensure that they complete their portion before the SGS Conference Grant deadline

Revising your application:

The application cannot be modified directly after submission, however, applicants can request their application be unsubmitted and returned to the “Draft” form and then re-submit:

• Contact conferencegrant@utoronto.ca to request the application be unsubmitted. This will return you application to the Draft form.
• Once it’s returned to “Draft”, go to the “My Forms” page of the SGS Forms Tool
• Find the SGS Conference Grant Application “Draft”
• Make your necessary edits and submit the application; and
• Notify your supervisor that they will need to complete their portion of the resubmitted application before the application deadline.

1. What is an “academic conference”?
For the purposes of this grant, an “academic conference” means that the:

• Abstract / poster submissions are peer reviewed before acceptance is granted;
• Conference is sponsored by a scholarly association / society, university or institution.

Due to the high number of applicants, a limited amount of funds to allocate within each application cycle, and to better manage expectations, only academic conferences are eligiblefor the SGS Conference Grant.

2. What does “active participation” require?
Successful applicants must actively present their research (relevant to their current degree program) as a poster presenter or speaker / member of a panel / roundtable.

3. Can I present at a conference virtually (online/remotely)?
Yes! Virtual presentations will be eligible for the registration fee portion only.

4. Can I apply for more than one conference?
Eligible students may submit one application in support of one conference within each cycle.

5. When is the right time to apply?
SGS Conference Grant application cycles will now be available three times throughout the year (see Application Dates above).

6. Why are Safety Abroad procedures mandatory for in-person conferences?
U of T Safety Abroad supports students and the University community by:

• Offering students support in understanding risks associated with the location of their international activity and working with students to develop measures to mitigate those risks;
• Monitoring situations abroad and advising students on any emerging issues;
• Providing emergency support when regional or personal emergencies arise.

Safety Abroad procedures are mandatory for all U of T students travelling outside of Canada, including to the U.S.A., and must be completed before the travel occurs, regardless of receiving SGS Conference Grant support (see Safety Abroad above).

7. What if I don’t complete Safety Abroad procedures before my travel?
Travel that is conducted for in-person conferences without prior completion of all Safety Abroad requirements would render students ineligible. Email conferencegrant@utoronto.ca to explain your situation.

8. If I am eligible, am I guaranteed the grant?
Due to the high number of applicants and limited amount of funds to allocate within each application ycle, and to better manage expectations, preference will be given to students who are in the early stages of their program. SGS Conference Grants are typically not awarded to students who are beyond the
program length required for their degree (see Eligibility above).

9. Can I receive more than one SGS Conference Grant?
Eligible students may receive one in-person SGS Conference Grant per graduate degree program and two virtual conference grants per degree program (master’s-doctoral) “Fast-track” and direct-entry doctoral students may receive 2 in-person grants max (see Eligibility above).

10. What if I am attending multiple conferences this year?
Eligible students may submit one application in support of one conference within each cycle.

After receiving the result of their application, successful applicants may request to apply their grant to a different conference from the one they initially proposed (see Changing Conference below).

11. What if the registration fee for my conference is not available yet?
Since the amount of the conference’s registration fee is needed in order to calculate successful applicants’ offers, applicants should try to obtain the previous year’s registration fee as an estimated amount to state in their application. In order to collect the payment, successful applicants will need to provide a receipt showing the paid registration fee amount, along with the other required documentation (see Payment Activation below).

12. Can I collect the payment before I attend the conference?
The payment may be collected in advance of the conference if successful applicants are able to obtain and submit all of the required documentation before the conference occurs (see Payment Activation below).

13. Can I use other funding to attend my conference?
As this grant provides modest financial support, applicants are expected and encouraged to seek support from various other sources in order to supplement their travel and other related expenses. The SGS Conference Grant value is not impacted by other sources of support (see Value & Duration above).

14. What if I can’t attend the conference I proposed in my application?
After receiving the result of their application, successful applicants may request to apply their grant to a different conference from the one they initially proposed (see Changing Conference below).

Applicants may also choose to decline their current offer and apply again in the next SGS Conference Grant application cycle, provided they will still meet the eligibility and payment collection requirements (see Eligibility and Safety Abroad above, Payment Activation below).

15. What if I don’t know my UTORid and password?
UTORids are located on students’ TCards. Students can activate their UTORid and/or reset their password through the Information Commons Help Desk.

16. What if I don’t know or have a Supervisor / Advisor
For the purposes of this grant, the supervisor / advisor identified on the application must be a faculty member who currently holds graduate faculty membership at U of T and is familiar with the applicant’s current progress within their program.

Payment Activation

• Grant recipients must request payment of their grant funds within 30 days of the conference presentation taking place or date of the SGS Conference Grant Offer letter, if the conference has already occurred upon notification of the results.
• Please note that the original letter of offer indicates the maximum value of the grant based on the original information provided in the application. Changes to the reported conference registration fee or location may result in a reassessment and subsequent reduction of the grant if the change is significant.

Required documents:

1. A completed online SGS Conference / Research Travel Grant – Payment Activation (instructions below).
2. Proof of conference presentation – must include the student’s name, their presentation (abstract / poster) title, conference name, and location.
   • Acceptable proof includes: PDF printout of the program or agenda from the conference organizer’s website (“Print to PDF” using internet browser); or official certificate of participation as a presenter (not just an attendee) from conference organizer displaying all required information. Photographs taken at the event will not be accepted.
3. Registration fee invoice showing the amount paid — must include the student’s name, registration amount, conference name, and location.
   • Acceptable proof include: E-receipt issued by the conference organizer; or PDF printout of organization’s website displaying registration fee amount and email confirmation of registration from conference organizer.

Please allow two to three weeks for payment through ACORN, upon submission of a completed SGS Conference / Research Travel Grant Payment Activation Form and all required documents.

Instructions

Students awarded an SGS Conference Grant must complete and submit the online SGS Conference / Research Travel Grant Payment Activation Form in order to accept and activate their payment. Supporting documentation must be uploaded to the form before it is submitted. Once submitted, the form and documentation will be reviewed within two to three weeks. Once all required documentation has been submitted to SGS, the payment will be processed through the recipient’s ACORN account. Any arrears (unpaid balance from the previous academic year) must be fully cleared in order for the grant payment to be processed.

Changing Conference Information

If details about a grant recipient’s conference presentation change from what was reported in their approved application, the grant recipient may request to apply their grant to a different conference presentation, provided their supervisor/advisor approves and the conference occurs within the appropriate cycle’s timeframe (see Application Dates above).

The applicant may upload and submit the Conference / Research Travel Grant Change Request Form (PDF), along with any supporting documentation, with their online SGS Conference / Research Travel Grant Payment Activation Form.

If the request is approved, the value of the grant may be adjusted if there is a significant difference between the new and previous location and/or registration fee. The value of the offer cannot be increased.

For more information, please contact:

• Financial Aid & Advising Office
• School of Graduate Studies
• conferencegrant@utoronto.ca
• 416-978-2839