Undergraduate Research Travel awards

Undergraduate Research Travel Awards 

Funding opportunity title 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH TRAVEL AWARDS

Funding opportunity number

PICR-UGTRAV-FY2027-01

Key dates
Announcement	August 24, 2026 January 14, 2027
Rolling applications until further notice	Rolling

Administrative contact

Sara Strasser (sstrasse@purdue.edu)

Funding opportunity description

The purpose of the award is to support undergraduate students who have been selected to present or are a co-author of their research findings at a research or professional conference. 

Qualifications/restrictions

Any undergraduate student involved in research with a faculty member that is part of the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research and is attending a conference (preference given to students presenting a paper or poster) may apply if they meet the following eligibility requirements:

Applicant must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program at Purdue University to be considered for this award.

Applicant must be a trainee member of the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research. Membership information and application can be found here.

The research for this presentation will be or must have been completed while the student was registered as a student or involved in research in the laboratory of a faculty member from the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, and the content of the presentation must be cancer-relevant work in that laboratory.

Applicant may only submit for one conference per fiscal year. Award money may only be applied towards the stated conference.

Cost share

This announcement does not require cost sharing.

Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards

A minimum of five awards will be provided per fiscal year.

Funding budget

The awards will not exceed $750. See restrictions.

Funding project period

The awards are intended for attending a professional conference or fees associated with registering for an online conference or course before the end of the fiscal year.

Funding restrictions

This award is for undergraduate students who have been selected to present or are a co-author of research findings of a presentation at a regional or national conference in the dissemination of their research, to improve their communication skills through participation in scholarly activity, and to continue to stimulate their interest in research activities.

Funding requirements

Required publication acknowledgement:

Posters and subsequent publications containing presented data should include the text, “The authors gratefully acknowledge the Undergraduate Student Travel Award and support from the Walther Cancer Foundation and Purdue University Institute for Cancer Research, P30CA023168.” The awardee is required to include the cancer institute logo on their presentations and may contact the administrative contact listed above for relevant images.

No cost extension (NCE)

No cost extensions are not allowed. If the planned travel does not occur during the allotted time, the award will be terminated.

Regulatory

Not applicable.

Funding processing

Award Processing: No PI account number will be set up for this award. A PICR department credit card can be checked out from Sara Strasser (sstrasse@purdue.edu) to pre-pay your travel expenses up to the amount of the award. 

Or the awardee submits their receipts and poster or PowerPoint from their presentation at the conference to the PICR Business Office (cancer@groups.purdue.edu) and Sara Strasser (sstrasse@purdue.edu) for reimbursement. 

Reporting

Responding to periodic requests of career impact is required. Triage of future applications may occur if reporting requests are ignored.

Application guidelines

1. Application Length: The application should be single-spaced and a maximum of one page in length (Arial, 11pt) with no less than 0.5-inch margins.
2. Required Application Structure:
   1. Applicant name, faculty member name and conference/course name.
   2. 300-400 word abstract of the project that will be presented at the professional conference. This abstract should briefly explain the research importance, your role in the project, goals, methods, and results laymen terms so that it will be understandable by the reviewers who may be in very different areas from your own.
   3. A separate paragraph in which the applicant addresses how they expect to benefit from attendance at this conference and how this opportunity will enhance career training with an emphasis on relevance to cancer and relevance to future career goals and/or scientific goals.
3. Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file
4. Items collected after submission:
   1. Faculty mentor letter of support. Once you submit your electronic application, your mentor will receive an automated email asking for this letter and requirements from the Qualifications/Restrictions section above. This letter should include a statement describing the cancer-related nature of the conference or course the trainee will attend and specifically address student ownership of the research to be presented or that will be benefited by attending the course. 

An electronic copy of the application should be submitted as a single document using the button below:

Awardee responsibilities

Should you be awarded a Purdue Institute for Cancer Research Undergraduate Travel Award, you will be required to provide documentation of your travel in the form of receipts for travel (airline, gas, rental car, etc.), PDF or file of the poster presented and, if possible, a picture of you at the conference. In addition, you will be asked to sign a waiver so that your picture can be used for the purpose of promoting the research in the institute, or of the program, as well as to submit a paragraph summarizing what you experienced at the conference and what you gained by your participation.

Review criteria

1. Cancer-relevance of the project
2. Impact the award will have on the development of the trainee. This can include the productivity/accomplishments of the trainee.
3. Selection committee could consist of senior/program leaders, cancer institute members or other experts. 

Announcement history and updates

Funding opportunity number	Summary of change
PICR-UGTRAV-FY2027-01	Initiation of announcement