The Faculty Travel Fund:
NOTE: Beginning on July 19, 2021, Travel Fund applications and authorizations will be run through Workday. For instructions, click here.
The Faculty Research Travel Fund (FRTF) is available to voting members of the Brown campus-based faculty for assistance in meeting the cost of professional travel during any fiscal (budget) year, July 1-June 30. The FRTF is designated to support trips to attend conferences and to do scholarly research or field work. Faculty may apply for reimbursement for up to a maximum of three trips per academic year, with a total reimbursement cap of $1500 or less. Faculty are also eligible for a one-time supplement of up to $600 for a single trip to present a paper at an international conference or to conduct research internationally. This $600 supplement will not count against the $1500 Faculty Research Travel Fund total. Faculty with more than $5,000 in University-provided (not grant) research or startup funds available will have lower caps on total available support.
For trips that extend across two fiscal years, faculty may normally request reimbursement from either (but not both) years. Exceptions will require approval from a Dean. Funds will be paid out only in the current fiscal year. (E.g. you may request funds in April for a trip that extends June 15 to July 15th, but if you request funds from the following year's travel fund, a reimbursement will not be issued until after July 1, and reimbursements for trips in June will not be made after July 1.) A faculty member on sabbatical leave may apply to the FRTF for aid in supporting travel expenses for scholarly research incurred in the course of one trip during that leave.
Application submission deadlines:
- On-line applications must be submitted prior to travel. Applications for travel dates that fall between May 15 and June 30 in the current academic year must be submitted by no later than May 15th. There will be no exceptions.
- Expense reports must be submitted before the end of the fiscal year for reimbursement from that year (i.e. before June 30th).
Limitations on Funding:
• Faculty with more than $5,000 in University-provided (i.e. non-grant) research funds (including start-up, endowed chair, GIF, annual research, and departmental chair research funds) will have their maximum annual travel fund allocation reduced by $200; faculty with more than $10,000 in research funds will have the maximum allocation reduced by $500; and faculty with more than $20,000 will have their maximum allocation reduced by $1,000.
In addition, starting January 2020, Brown requires prior authorization for use of per diem for travel of more than two weeks. For the full policy please see the travel lodging policy and travel meals policy.
Application requirements:
- Department Chair’s approval: Your chair(s) or director(s) must have approved your request before you submit it via Workday.
- Other available Funds: Faculty are encouraged to exhaust any research funds that can be used for the trip before requesting travel funds (startup, GIF, named chair research accounts, etc).
Approval process:
- The applicant will receive notification in Workday when the request is approved. The department manager may then process FRTF transactions through Workday Financials. Department Managers should not charge the Faculty Travel Fund without prior approval from the Office of the Provost.
Reimbursement:
- Expense reports should be submitted within 60 days of purchase for items purchased in advance of travel
- Under no circumstances will payment be made for expense reports submitted more than 60 days after the last day of travel or submitted after June 30th for the prior fiscal year.
- Funds will not be disbursed before the fiscal year to which they belong has begun.
Please contact [email protected] (3-9642) with any questions.