Georgetown University in Qatar Georgetown University in Qatar
Main Menu

Student Conference and Research Grants

Overview

Consistent with Georgetown’s commitment to student research, GU-Q has established the Student Conference and Research Grant (SCRG) program. Grants will be awarded through a competitive application process in two categories:

  1. Student Research Grants: to ensure that eligible students have the means to conduct high-quality, original field research under the supervision of a faculty member. This research need not be related to an Honors or Certificate thesis.
  2. Student Conference Grants: to ensure that students have the means to present their research at relevant and meaningful conferences. This provides an opportunity for our students to showcase their research and learn from the research of colleagues at our peer institutions around the world. Our students have, for example, attended the Midwest Economics Association Meeting in Illinois and the Carroll Round international economics conference at Georgetown University, DC, to present their research.

Terms and Conditions

Grants up to $1,500 are available to students who travel to conduct field research. Grants up to $1,500 are available to students who travel to present a paper at regional or international conferences. Students may be supported for more than one trip per academic year. Recent graduates are eligible to apply up to six months after graduation.  The research project or conference presentation has to be completed not later than one year after graduation.

Grants will cover essential expenses related exclusively to travel. These include: airfare, accommodation, meals, and local transport for the duration of the conference or research activity.

Application

To apply for either grant, students must submit an application to Dean Kai-Henrik Barth, who is the chair of the Committee on Student Conference and Research Grants (CSCRG).  

For the research grant application students must include the following:

  • A written statement, not to exceed 500 words, that summarizes the purpose, methodology, and feasibility of the research project. Feasibility can be demonstrated by providing specific information about such things as research partners or collaborators, host institutions, the availability of interviewees, and the accessibility of research sites, data or other material resources. 
  • A recommendation letter from a GU-Q faculty member who is mentoring the student
  • A detailed and realistic budget and itinerary

For the conference grant application students must include the following:

  • A written statement, not to exceed 500 words, summarizing the completed research, the nature of the conference, and the desired outcome of participation
  • Links to the website for the conference.
  • A copy of the invitation the student received from the organizers to present at the conference, if applicable.
  • A detailed and realistic budget and itinerary.

Deadlines

Students can apply at any time. There are no deadlines.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for an SCRG, a student must have either completed a faculty-supported advanced research project or designed a research project under the supervision of an GU-Q faculty member, who will assure the quality of the work and the appropriateness of the proposed conference or field research. Students can apply for the conference grant before their conference presentation has been accepted, but the grant will be awarded only when the CSCRG has received proof that the student will be presenting at the conference.

Funding Notification & Logistics

Dean Barth will notify applicants regarding the SCRG’s decision. Successful applicants will be referred to an Academic Affairs’ representative for a pre-trip briefing and to the Finance Department’s Travel Office for logistics.

Expectation of Students

Students applying for a SCRG should be aware that conference attendance or research travel is not a legitimate circumstance to be excused from classes. Faculty members have the right to set attendance requirements for their classes as well as to excuse any student from class on a case by-case basis, in accordance with University policy and their own best judgment. It is essential, therefore, that grant applicants consult their instructors in advance of application to ascertain the instructors’ attendance policy. Students should, therefore, travel for research or conferences during times without scheduled classes. For more information, please refer to the Student Absence Policy here.

  • Review the University’s travel policy available here.
  • Adherence to the Student Code of Conduct available here.

Students are required to submit a 500-word report to the committee not later than three weeks after return from the research travel or conference presentation.  The report should highlight how the field work or conference shapes the student’s project and how it will affect further research. In particular, what has been gained that would have been impossible or more difficult to gain without the research travel or conference attendance?