Undergraduate Research Center

Conference Travel

Travel Support for Undergraduate Research

The Undergraduate Research Center (URC) strives to support students in disseminating their research and creative activity. Undergraduate students who have received a URECA grant and are accepted to present their research at a regional, state, national, or international conference are eligible to request travel funding.

Policies and Eligibility

Eligibility: URC travel funding is available only to students who have received a URECA grant that is currently active or was awarded within the past twelve months.
Presentation Requirement: Students must be presenting their URECA project.
Funding Limits:
- Up to $300 may be requested for domestic travel.
- Up to $400 may be requested for international travel.
Single Conference Allowance:
Each URECA award is eligible for only one conference travel funding award. If a student uses their travel award to attend a major event such as NCUR or ICUR, that award is considered the single conference funding allocation for that specific URECA project. Subsequent conferences within the same project period will not be eligible for additional URC travel funding.
Reimbursement Basis:
Travel funds are issued on a reimbursement basis and may be used for lodging, transportation, and registration fees. Meals and other incidental expenses are not eligible for reimbursement.
Cost Sharing:
Each application must demonstrate at least one additional source of funding (e.g., departmental support, academic college, Honors College, etc.) to ensure that costs are shared between the URC and other units.
Fiscal Responsibility:
In accordance with the MTSU Travel Policy, “Travelers must exercise good judgment and conduct all aspects of travel in a cost-efficient manner.” For example, travelers should select the least expensive reasonable mode of transportation and carpool when possible for team travel.

Application Process (Prior to travel)

To apply for these funds, you need to complete two forms:

URC Conference Travel Application includes documentation of the invitation to present AND
Travel Authorization Form (This form is not required for travel within the state of Tennessee.)
- This form must be submitted 30 days before domestic travel or 60 days before international travel
- This form will not be processed until the URC Travel Application form (listed above) has been submitted.
- Be prepared to attach screenshots of all estimated expenses as one PDF document. Note: Meals are not a covered expense.
- Before filling out this form, please email Casey Penston at Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu to obtain the specific Index and Account codes, as well as the approvers.
- You will be notified by email within a few days after submission if your request to travel has been approved. If approved, the correspondence will include your travel authorization number (TA).
- *Helpful hint: Form submissions are timed. If more time is needed, click “Save Progress” at the bottom of the form to avoid having to start over.
- Questions? See our FAQ section below.

Travel-Authorization-Request_Example_rev-2024-1 Download

Reimbursement Process (Post travel)

To obtain reimbursement upon returning from travel, you need to complete the following form:

Travel Claim Form
- This form must be submitted within 30 days of your return
- This form will not be processed until the URC Travel Spotlight form (listed above) has been submitted.
- Be prepared to attach original receipts reflecting all expenses as one PDF document. Note: Meals are not a covered expense.
- Prior to filling out this form, please locate your TA number in the approval email (you will not have a TA number if you travel within the state of Tennessee).
- Once submitted and all signatures are routed for approval, your reimbursement will be processed within 6 weeks.
- *Helpful hint: Form submissions are timed. If more time is needed, click “Save Progress” at the bottom of the form to avoid starting over.
- Questions? See our FAQ section below.

Travel-Claim_Example_rev-2024 Download

FAQ

Yes, please submit pre-forms 30 days prior to domestic travel or 60 days prior to international travel. Submit post-travel forms within 30 days of your return.

Faculty Mentor
Other funding source approver (Contact the additional funding source for their index number’s approver.)
Casey Penston, casey.penston@mtsu.edu
Jamie Burriss, jamie.burriss@mtsu.edu

Please email Casey.Penston@mtsu.edu to obtain the specific index code.

An index is a numerical code that indicates where the funding is coming from. Since conference travel requires two funding sources, you will enter two indexes on the forms. As seen below, simply place the second index-account-amount in the next line.

After submitting a Travel Authorization form, you will receive an email from “BusOfficeForms@mtsu.edu” titled “Travel Authorization Request for (your name) (TXXXX ) has been approved” that “TXXXXX” is your TA number.

Receipts are not required for mileage reimbursements. However, instead of a receipt, you will attach a Google Map showing the number of miles of your trip. You will use the current mileage rate (found on the Travel Claim form) to calculate the mileage reimbursement.

Log into Pipeline
On the home tab, look for the link to Dynamic Forms.
Click on the Dynamic Forms link.
In the upper right section, find the My Forms button. This will have an arrow. Select Pending / Draft Forms.
Find the travel authorization you started and to the right click the Action button, then Complete form

Log into Pipeline
On the home tab, look for the link to Dynamic Forms.
Click on the Dynamic Forms link.
In the upper right section, find the My Forms button. This will have an arrow. Select Pending / Draft Forms.
Find the travel authorization you completed and click on the PDF. Look at the bottom of the form to see who has signed the form and what signature should be next.
If all the approvers have signed, then it is being processed. The complete progress may take up to six weeks.
If one of the approvers has not signed, go back to your list of Pending Forms, and on the right-hand side of the column for the travel form, click on the Actions button and select Manage Approvers.
– Confirm that the email for the approver is spelled correctly. Go to the MTSU Directory to confirm the email address.
– If the address needs to be changed, make the change, save it, and resend the notification.
– If the address is correct, click on the button to resend the notification.