Eligibility requirements:

• Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, or faculty at non-profit institutions who have not received a Jain Foundation travel grant in the previous 12 months. The research which the researcher is presenting does not have to be funded by the Jain Foundation.
• The researcher must present dysferlin-specific research through poster or oral presentations

Award Amounts:

• Up to $2000 for domestic conferences
• Up to $3000 for international conferences

Selection process:

At least 2 members of the Jain Foundation Scientific Advisory Board will evaluate each application.  Applications are due by the last day of each month.  Applications will be reviewed during the first week of the following month and each applicant will be notified of our decision regarding their application at the end of the month in which it is reviewed.

Selection will be made on the basis of:

• Novelty and scientific quality of the dysferlin-related research to be presented including whether another member of the same lab has been funded to present at the same conference
• Publication status of the work to be presented (with preference given to presentation of unpublished work)
• Potential impact of the presentation (type and size of conference)
• Recommendation from Lab PI (for non-faculty applicants only)

NOTE:  The Jain Foundation will not provide critiques or written comments of unfunded applications.

Terms of grant/use of funds:

• Applications can be submitted prior to the submission or acceptance of an abstract for presentation, but funding of the award will be contingent on the approval of the abstract and attendance at the indicated conference as outlined below
• The payment of the grant funds will be contingent upon and awarded based on the following:
  • One half of the awarded funds upon submission of proof of conference registration and acceptance of poster or oral abstract
  • Remaining amount based on the amount spent after attendance of the indicated conference upon submission of the following:
    • Copy of poster or slides that were presented
    • Itemized list of expenses with appropriate receipts
    • One-to-two-page report describing the interest shown to and the impact of the presented work
  • Awards can be used for either domestic or international travel. Determination of whether a conference is domestic or international will be based on where the awardee resides in relation to the conference location.
    • For applicants residing in Europe, any conference within Europe will be considered domestic
    • For applicants residing in North America, any conference within North America will be considered domestic
  • Awards will be paid directly to the individual awardee by check in US dollars (using appropriate currency exchange rates if needed) or by wire transfer in appropriate currency
  • The grant may be used towards conference related expenses including conference registration, airfare, lodging, meals, ground transportation. The funds cannot be used for late registration fees, business class airfare, or alcohol
  • The amount of the award will be limited to $2000 for domestic conferences/$3000 for international conferences or the actual expenses, whichever is less (e.g., if only $1,800 is spent for a domestic conference, then the amount of the award will be $1,800)

Restrictions:

• The grant is for the benefit of the award recipient only and cannot be used to cover expenses for other traveling companions or for any travel related expenses that are not directly related to the attendance of the indicated conference
• Jain Foundation conferences cannot be considered for a grant application
• If the awardee is unable or does not attend the indicated conference, the awardee must:
  • notify the Jain Foundation immediately
  • return all paid funds back to the Jain Foundation via check or wire transfer unless otherwise agreed upon
  • understand that the remaining grant funds will not be paid out

Application process:

Completed applications are due by the last day of each month.  Applications will be reviewed during the first week of the following month and each applicant will be notified of our decision regarding their application at the end of the month in which it is reviewed.

We encourage applications to be submitted as far in advance of the proposed conference as possible to allow sufficient time for review and planning of the necessary travel to ensure getting the best prices. Note: one can apply for a travel grant before registering or submitting a paper/poster/abstract for conference presentation.  In this case, the award of the travel grant will be contingent on registration and acceptance of the dysferlin-related research for presentation at the conference.