Norman Campus Vice President for Research Faculty Travel Assistance Program

Please note: This page was last revised February 05, 2012.

Overview

The Faculty Travel Assistance Program (FTAP), operated by the Norman Campus Office of the Vice President for Research, provides regular faculty (as defined in the Faculty Handbook Section 3.1.1) with matching funds to help defray the cost of domestic and international travel for professional meetings (e.g., to present a paper, organize and/or chair a session) or to support the development of new or expanded research programs (e.g., by visiting with potential collaborators, agency or other funding organization officials, or to conduct research). Details of the program are shown below.

Support can be requested for one trip per fiscal year (1 July – 30 June), and the fiscal year in which the travel will be counted is determined by the travel start date.  A proposal for travel may be submitted during the year of an active FTAP award provided the requested travel occurs in the next fiscal year. 

The Faculty Travel Assistance Program provides one-third (up to $1,200) of the total travel costs (up to $3,600). The other two-thirds of the funding, or more in cases where the total travel costs exceed $3,600, must be provided from other sources (e.g., department, college), and a written commitment of such funding is required before the VPR Office will release its contribution.

The FTAP program will NOT cover personal or institutional membership fees at conferences, but will support registration, transportation, lodging and meals.

Before You Travel

Proposals may not be submitted more than two months in advance of the date the travel is expected to occur.

Requests will be dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis. A fixed amount of funding will be allocated per month to ensure an even distribution of available dollars throughout the fiscal year. Once available funding is exhausted each month, no additional awards will be made until the following month, and pending proposals will automatically be carried to the next month in the order in which they were received.

Requests for travel assistance to consult with funding agencies or foundations must be developed in consultation with the Center for Research Program Development and Enrichment (CRPDE).

After You Travel

Once travel is complete, departmental financial personnel should contact CRPDE via e-mail or memo with the account information necessary for reimbursement. Copies of the processed travel claim and airfare information are required.  The designated account will be credited for one-third of the travel expenses, up to the approved amount.  Reimbursement requests must arrive at CRPDE within 60 calendar days following the completion of travel. Late submissions will not be considered and reimbursement will not be provided.

Proposals will be reviewed by CRPDE within one week of submission. One re-submission of a declined proposal is allowed per fiscal year.

PROCEDURES FOR APPLYING

To make a request, faculty must complete an online submission form to the Center for Program Development and Enrichment at http://crpde.ou.edu/form/ftap.

• A completed and signed Request for Travel Funds form. [Word Document]
  This form includes an itemized budget of all costs, showing detailed estimates, or quotes if available, of all expenses for registration, airfare, ground transportation, lodging, and meals. Note that proposals must adhere strictly to State travel guidelines – see http://www.ou.edu/controller/fss/procedures/travel.html).
• A narrative, not to exceed one single-spaced page, describing:
• the nature of the travel (e.g., to present at a national conference or to collect data in the field)
• the activities to be performed during the trip in reference to the program guidelines above
• the manner in which the travel will enhance the scholarly activities of the traveler
• a budget and associated justification (see below).
• The narrative also should make clear why funding is being sought from the Office of the Vice President for Research (e.g., rather than from an externally funded grant or contract, if available to the traveler).  If no external grants are available, please state this explicitly in the narrative.
• A written commitment (email messages suffice) from sources providing other funding for the proposed travel.

If you are presenting/performing, please provide a copy of the invitation to present/perform from the conference or event/venue.

Faculty Travel Assistance Program funding list