SPS Travel Grants

SPS travel grants are awarded to assist in covering the travel expenses, including airfare, accommodations, transit, and conference registration fees for approved applicants to attend the physical conference in-person. Typical travel grant support is typically awarded in the amount of $500 or $1000, however this may vary based on many factors. The travel grant selection committee reserves the right to award a different amount than requested.

In order for your application to be considered for an ICASSP or ICIP Conference Travel Grant, the following eligibility criteria must be met:

1. Active SPS student membership is required at the time of application and must be active for the year in which the conference occurs.
2. A reference letter must be submitted with your application.
3. Must have an ACCEPTED paper at the respective conference.
4. Must attend the physical conference and agree to present your paper at the conference, in-person.

Reference letter: Each Conference Travel Grant application must be accompanied by a recommendation letter from your supervisor or a senior colleague who is familiar with your work. It is recommended to prepare in advance for this step to be completed since the application submission period is often very short. Instructions on how to submit the reference will be given in the confirmation email after submitting an application and can be passed onto the reference person.

1. Only a limited number of grants will be awarded, and on a highly competitive basis.
2. The grants will be awarded to applicants who have a genuine need for support, and the paper quality may be taken into consideration.
3. The grants can only be used to cover the travel expenses for applicants to attend the approved conference/event. The grants, if approved, will be on a reimbursement basis following the conference.
4. All applications must be submitted online through the application system. For consideration, applications are required to be submitted by the specified date announced by the travel grant selection committee. Applications will be considered until the exhaustion of funds.
5. The ICASSP and ICIP travel grant selection results will be posted on the page below, under the respective conference. Applicants will be notified of the decision by email. Successful applicants will be notified with further instructions on how to receive their reimbursement.
6. Region classification for the purpose of travel grant selection includes: Region 1-7 US and Canada, Region 8a (Europe), Region 8b (Middle East and Africa), Region 9 Latin America, Region 10 Asia Pacific.
7. The SPS travel grant selection and oversight committees reserve the right to make the final decision regarding all applications.
8. IEEE may not be able to provide certain services to certain designated countries, entities, or individuals from those countries or entities. View a list of these countries.

Applicants

Q. Currently I am not an SPS member. Am I eligible to receive the SPS grant?

Unfortunately no, but you can join the Signal Processing Society now to become eligible. The SPS travel grant is one of the many benefits for SPS members. In order for your application to be considered, current SPS student membership is required at the time of application. The SPS membership fee, especially the student fee, is equivalent to only a small fraction of the average size of SPS travel grants made in recent years. New members may be eligible for a half-year rate for applications submitted between March and August.

For more information, please visit the Membership page to learn more. On the same page, you'll find information about special circumstances for reduced IEEE and SPS membership fees, often by 50% or more. These include e-membership for developing nations, and reduced rate for circumstances of low income, retirement, or unemployment.

Do I need to renew my SPS membership if the conference will be held in the next calendar year following the application?

Yes. This situation may apply to an ICASSP conference when it is held in early spring. If you are selected for a travel grant, you must remember to renew your membership, so that you have a valid membership for the calendar year when the respective conference is held. Failing to renew your membership may lead to automatic withdrawal of the grant.

Authorship

Q. I have a paper accepted by one of the SPS workshops. Can I apply for the SPS Travel Grant?

Currently, the SPS travel grant is open to ICASSP and ICIP conferences every year. Individual workshops may arrange some travel support to authors, but it is not through this program. Please check with the workshop organizers for more information.

Q. I submitted a paper to ICASSP and/or ICIP but it wasn’t accepted by the conference. Am I eligible for a travel grant?

Unfortunately, no. Applicants must be authors of ACCEPTED papers. SPS Travel Grants are provided by the IEEE Signal Processing Society on a highly competitive basis to student authors and non-student authors in developing and non-developing countries. Higher priority will be given to eligible applicants from developing countries.

Grant Amount & Priority

Q. What is the amount of the travel grant support I will receive if awarded?

For applicants from the same region as where the conference is located, the typical grant support is up to US$500. For applicants from regions other than the conference region, the typical support is up to US$1000. Many factors are taken into consideration when awarding an amount. The travel grant selection committee reserves the right to award a different amount than requested.

Q. I received an IEEE SPS Travel Grant for ICIP 2020. Am I eligible to apply for an IEEE SPS Travel Grant for ICIP 2021?

If you have a genuine need for travel support and satisfy both the membership and author eligibility requirements, you may apply. Eligible applicants who have already received an SPS Travel Grant in the past 12 months may have a lower priority compared to those who have not received an SPS Travel Grant. Based on the fund availability and the pool of applications, the Travel Grant Selection Committee will determine whether or not you will be selected this time, and if so, how much funds you will be awarded.

Q. I am a student in a university that isn’t in a developing country. Am I eligible to apply for an IEEE SPS Travel Grant?

As a SPS student member, if you have a genuine need for travel support and satisfy the authorship requirement, you may apply. Higher priority will be given to eligible applicants from developing countries. Based on the fund availability and the pool of applications, the Travel Grant Selection Committee will determine whether or not you will be selected to receive a grant, and if so, how much funds you will be awarded.

Q. I am originally from China but am now studying (or working) in the United States. Which Region will my application be considered to belong to?

We will follow IEEE’s geographic classification of your membership to determine the eligibility and priority of your grant application. Typically, you will be considered a member of Region 1-6 (U.S.), unless your visit to the U.S. is short term and your membership addresses on your IEEE record states your home country.

Q. I am a faculty member in a University in India (Region 10). Does my recommender (a senior colleague) have to be from the same University? Can I get the recommendation from a senior faculty member of a US University who is much more familiar with my research work? Can the recommender be a co-author of the ICIP 2020 paper (who would not be attending ICIP 2020)?

Your reference person does not have to be from the same institution. You may ask a senior colleague from another institution and/or another country to serve as reference, provided that he/she is familiar with your research work.

If you wish, you may ask a co-author of your accepted paper to serve as a reference. Please be reminded that by submitting a paper to the respective conference, the author team has committed to have at least one author to attend the conference and present the work in person once the paper is accepted. This commitment holds regardless of the outcome of the SPS travel grant application.

Q. My research group and/or institution can provide partial support for my travel. Can I apply for full support from the SPS Travel Grant program?

View a list of developing countries according to IEEE.

Having a genuine need for travel support is one of the key requirements. You should only request the amount that is necessary. The Travel Grant Selection Committee may grant a different amount from what you requested.

You should work with your supervisor and institution/company to identify as much resources as possible to support your travel to the respective conference. You should request only the amount that isn’t covered by other resources. Applications that demonstrate such effort may be considered favorably during the grant selection.

Applicants who intentionally provide false or misleading information will be disqualified from the current and future SPS grant offering.

Change of Plan

Q. I was awarded a travel grant, but because of passport and other issues, I won't be able to come to the conference. A colleague of mine will present the paper on my behalf. Can you transfer the grant to him/her?

We are sorry that you are unable to attend the conference, but we generally do not transfer the grant to another person as you suggest. The selection committee takes multiple factors into account to make the selection from the pool of candidates. When a grant is declined, the fund goes back to the general pool, and the committee will determine the use of the fund (such as awarding to other applicants in this or a future conference).

Please be reminded that by submitting a paper to the respective conference, the author team has committed to have at least one author to attend the conference and present the work in person once the paper is accepted. This commitment holds regardless of the outcome of the SPS travel grant application.

Important note for awarded travel grants: Author registration is not eligible for reimbursement under the SPS Travel Grant program. All Author Registration, Refund, and No-Show policies as defined by the conference are applicable and those policies will supersede any reimbursable items that may be allowed under the SPS Travel Grant program.

The following application IDs have been selected for IEEE ICASSP Travel Grant.

The following application IDs have been selected for IEEE ICIP Travel Grant.

Nominations

Each Chapter may nominate up to two Chapter members to attend the IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP) or IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP) in-person. While each Chapter can submit two nominations, there is no guarantee that one or both will be approved. If you plan to submit more than one nominee per conference, please complete two separate nomination forms. 

Each participating Chapter’s candidate(s) is required to be an IEEE Signal Processing Society member in good standing, as well as a current practicing engineer, to be considered for the travel grant support. You will need the nominee's IEEE Membership Number in order to submit the nomination.

If you are a Practicing Engineer and do not have a local Chapter or your local Chapter Chair is non-responsive, then an exception may be made for you to submit a self-nomination. Self-nominations must include the reasoning why; if there is no explanation, then the nomination will not be considered. Consideration of self-nominations is at the review committee's discretion.

Nominations must be submitted no later than the deadline listed in the Important Dates in order to be considered. Please plan accordingly and allow yourself enough time to submit the nomination as there will be no exceptions for late or incomplete nominations. The Society will review the nominations and determine if travel support will be awarded.

Eligibility

In order to qualify for a Practicing Engineer Travel Grant, nominees MUST meet the following criteria requirements:

• Must be an active SPS member, in good standing at time of application
• Must be a practicing engineer and fall into one of the following categories: Industry (including small and medium enterprises), Industrial research and development, Self-employed, Consultant, Unemployed young professionals unaffiliated with universities
• Must have a reference/nomination
• Must physically attend the in-person conference
• If awarded, the grantee must attend the physical conference. If the grantee only attends the virtual portion of the conference, the grantee will not be eligible for reimbursement under the travel grant program.
• Nominees who are professors or students at universities will not be considered for this travel support.
• Practicing engineers who have accepted papers at the respective conference will not be considered.

Expectations

Nominees who are selected to receive the grant are expected to physically attend the in-person conference and complete one of the following actions in acceptance of the travel grant funds:

• Write a short article about the conference for the Society’s newsletter
• Write a summary of one of the sessions for the conference website/newsletter
• Give a summary talk at a local Chapter meeting and report back to the Society about this

Grant Information

Grant Amount. Travel grant support will be awarded in the amount of (up to) US$1,000 for selected individuals traveling within the same continent or (up to) US$2,000 for selected individuals traveling between continents to the conference. If awarded, payment amount is based on submission of eligible receipts up to the allotted amount.

Eligible Expenses. The grants can only be used to cover the travel expenses (i.e. accommodations, economy airfare, transit such as trains, trolleys, buses, taxis, etc. to and from airport, and visa fees, associated with the grantee traveling to the approved conference. Only the grantee’s expenses can be reimbursed. Receipts must be provided for all expenses being claimed for reimbursement under the Practicing Engineer Travel Grant. The receipts must show form of payment used, name, date, and amount paid. Hotel reservation confirmations or bookings, invoices, or quotes for airfare are not acceptable receipts unless the proof of payment is also provided with the document.

All travel expenses must be submitted through IEEE’s NextGen Expense Reimbursement (Concur) tool. Detailed instructions on how to create an account and properly input receipts will be shared with the selected grantees who are receiving travel support.

The Society reserves the right to review all submitted expenses to determine eligibility and the final allowed reimbursement amount. The Practicing Engineer Travel Grant cannot be combined with other Society travel support. If a nominee is selected for more than one travel grant, they will only be able to claim one.

Grant Payment. The grant will be paid on a reimbursement basis and receipts are required for all expenses being claimed. Payments will not be issued in advance. Funds will be issued by way of a bank transfer after the competition via IEEE’s NextGen Expense Reimbursement (Concur) tool. 

Detailed instructions on how to create an account and properly input receipts will be shared with the selected grantees who are receiving travel support.

Prior to claiming your travel grant award, you must submit receipts of your travel expenses that are equal to or exceed the grant amount in order to receive the full travel grant payment.

Important Notes

1. In order for your nomination to be considered, the nominee is required to have current SPS membership and be a practicing engineer (industry) at the time of application.
2. Travel grants cannot be transferred to another individual. 
3. Only a limited number of grants will be awarded, and on a highly competitive basis. There is no guarantee that a Chapter's nomination will be selected. 
4. The grants will be awarded to nominees who have a genuine need for support.
5. The grants can only be used to cover the travel expenses (conference registration is not an eligible expense) for nominees to attend the conference. The grants, if approved, will be on a reimbursement basis following the conference.
6. All nominations must be submitted via this platform and must be submitted by the deadline set by the travel grant selection committee in order to be considered. Late applications will not be considered, no exceptions. 
7. Nominees will be notified of the decision by the email provided on the nomination. Selected grant recipients will be notified with further instructions on how to accept and claim the travel grant.
8.  The SPS travel grant selection and oversight committees reserve the right to make the final decision regarding all nominations.
9. IEEE may not be able to provide certain services to certain designated countries, entities, or individuals from those countries or entities. View a list of these countries.
10. Selected grant recipients must make their own travel arrangements and keep receipts for all expenses being claimed. Receipts must include the date, amount, and what it is for.

How to Submit a Nomination

All nominations MUST be submitted to the official Practicing Engineer Travel Grant Nomination System. The link for the current nomination period can be found in the official document (see How to Submit a Nomination section). Nominations submitted in any other way will not be considered.

Contacts & Resources

• If you have any questions or difficulties submitting a nomination (prior to the deadline) please contact us via email.
• IEEE Signal Processing Society membership can be added here.​

The Signal Processing Society has established a benefit for its Certified Chapters that allows Certified Chapter Chairs to nominate their SPS Student and Graduate Student Members to receive limited travel support (up to US$1,000) to attend ICASSP or ICIP! The grants will be awarded to a limited number of applicants who are planning to attend the conference and have a need for support to alleviate some costs of traveling.

Nominations

Each currently Certified Chapter can nominate more than one student, but only one student from each Certified Chapter is eligible to receive funding. Each candidate must meet the eligibility criteria and attend in-person to receive the travel grant. While each Chapter can submit nominations, there is no guarantee that one nominee will be selected as funding for the program is limited. If you plan to submit more than one nominee per conference, please complete separate nomination forms.

Each participating Certified Chapter’s candidate(s) is required to be an IEEE Signal Processing Student or Graduate Student member in good standing and meet all eligibility criteria to be considered for the travel grant support. You will need the nominee's IEEE Membership Number in order to submit the nomination.

Nominations must be submitted no later than the deadline listed in the Important Dates in order to be considered. Please plan accordingly and allow yourself enough time to submit the nomination as there will be no exceptions for late or incomplete nominations. The Society will review the nominations and determine if travel support will be awarded.

Eligibility

In order to qualify for a Certified Chapter Student Travel Grant, nominees MUST meet the following criteria requirements:

• Must be an SPS Student or Graduate Student Member in good standing at the time of application
• Must be a member of an currently-certified SPS Chapter
• Must have a reference/nomination submitted by the Certified Chapter leadership
• Must physically attend the in-person conference
• Candidates can have an accepted paper at the conference, but the paper will not be considered or reviewed during the evaluation process.
• If awarded, the grantee must attend the physical conference. If the grantee only attends the virtual portion of the conference, the grantee will not be eligible for reimbursement under the travel grant program.
• Students receiving travel grant support through the conference student travel grant program are not eligible to apply. Funding cannot be combined with other SPS or SPS conference travel grant support.

If a nominee does not meet the eligibility requirements at any point leading up to the conference, the grant may be revoked. 

Grant Information

Grant Amount. Travel grant support will be awarded in the amount of (up to) US$1,000 for selected individuals. If awarded, payment amount is based on submission of eligible receipts up to the allotted amount. Nominees and Nominators will be notified via email of the decision.

Eligible Expenses. The grants can only be used to cover the travel expenses (i.e. accommodations, economy airfare, transit such as trains, trolleys, buses, taxis, etc. to and from airport, and visa fees, associated with the grantee traveling to the approved conference. Only the grantee’s expenses can be reimbursed. Receipts must be provided for all expenses being claimed for reimbursement under the Certified Chapter Student Travel Grant. The receipts must show form of payment used, name, date, and amount paid. Hotel reservation confirmations or bookings, invoices, or quotes for airfare are not acceptable receipts unless the proof of payment is also provided with the document.

All travel expenses must be submitted through IEEE’s NextGen Expense Reimbursement (Concur) tool. Detailed instructions on how to create an account and properly input receipts will be shared with the selected grantees who are receiving travel support.

The Society reserves the right to review all submitted expenses to determine eligibility and the final allowed reimbursement amount. The Certified Chapter Student Travel Grant cannot be combined with other Society travel support. If a nominee is selected for more than one travel grant, they will only be able to claim one.

Grant Payment. The grant will be paid on a reimbursement basis and receipts are required for all expenses being claimed. Payments will not be issued in advance. Funds will be issued by way of a bank transfer after the competition via IEEE’s NextGen Expense Reimbursement (Concur) tool. Detailed instructions on how to create an account and properly input receipts will be shared with the individuals who are selected to receive the travel support.

Prior to claiming the travel grant award, the selected recipient must submit receipts of your travel expenses that are equal to or exceed the grant amount in order to receive the full travel grant payment.

Important Notes

1. In order for your nomination to be considered, the nominee is required to have current SPS Student or Graduate Student membership at the time of application.
2. Travel grants cannot be transferred to another individual. 
3. Only a limited number of grants will be awarded, and on a highly competitive basis. There is no guarantee that a Certified Chapter's nomination will be selected. 
4. The grants will be awarded to nominees who have a genuine need for support.
5. The grants can only be used to cover the travel expenses (conference registration is not an eligible expense) for nominees to attend the conference. The grants, if approved, will be on a reimbursement basis following the conference.
6. All nominations must be submitted via the official nomination submission platform and must be submitted by the deadline set by the travel grant selection committee in order to be considered. Late applications will not be considered, no exceptions. 
7. Nominees will be notified of the decision by the email provided on the nomination. Selected grant recipients will be notified with further instructions on how to accept and claim the travel grant.
8.  The SPS travel grant selection and oversight committees reserve the right to make the final decision regarding all nominations.
9. IEEE may not be able to provide certain services to certain designated countries, entities, or individuals from those countries or entities. View a list of these countries.
10. Selected grant recipients must make their own travel arrangements and keep receipts for all expenses being claimed. Receipts must include the date, amount, and what it is for.

How to Submit a Nomination

All nominations MUST be submitted to the official Practicing Engineer Travel Grant Nomination System. The link for the current nomination period can be found in the official document (see Important Dates section). Nominations submitted in any other way will not be considered.

Contacts and Resources

• If you have any questions or difficulties submitting a nomination (prior to the deadline) please contact sp-grant@listserv.ieee.org.
• IEEE Signal Processing Society membership can be added here.