Research Travel

Research Travel awards defray or cover costs associated with faculty travel for research, including direct research costs, transportation, lodging, and M&IE per diem.

The maximum award amount is $4,000 over any two successive fiscal years (July 1–June 30) according to the year of award, not the year of travel.

Applications for Research Travel are reviewed at the following deadlines: September 21, January 25, and March 22 by 5pm.

Applications are limited to faculty who are tenured or tenure-track with primary appointments in either a Taft member unit or the College of Arts & Sciences with a terminal degree in a Taft member field. Graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, faculty in other colleges, and non-tenure track faculty (part-time, educator, research, visiting, and adjunct) are ineligible for this program. 

Applications are limited to prospective travel, except where travel occurs in the late summer and was not known at the end of the prior academic year.

Awards may cover transportation (including travel to and from the airport), lodging, M&IE per diem, or direct research costs for faculty conducting research.

Awardees remain eligible for other awards.

Applications must be received through the online portal by the specified deadline(s). Applicants may not bypass any component of the system. In addition to populating all electronic fields, applicants must upload a single PDF of their CV.

Awards cover transportation by an economical carrier including transportation to and from the airport of departure (by livery vehicle or Economy parking if traveling by personal vehicle, whichever is less) and destination, or by personal vehicle where mileage reimbursement is less, including parking in the destination city, as well as lodging, M&IE per diem, and direct research costs, e.g. material access or purchase.

Applicants must obtain a Travel Authorization (TA) prior to applying to Taft. 

• Personal travel days must be removed from award/reimbursement costs.
• Travel by personal vehicle is reimbursed at the rate set by the university.
• The total expenses claimed cannot be more than authorized, nor may line items be claimed that were not authorized.
• Per university policy, receipts and travel reimbursement request must be submitted via Concur within 30 calendar days of the conclusion of the trip. Reimbursement for travel will not occur after 30 days except where funding is received only after travel has occurred.

Travel authorization request must be submitted via Concur prior to travel. Failure to obtain travel authorization prior to travel may result in the revocation of award. 

The maximum award amount is $4,000 over any two successive fiscal years (July 1–June 30) according to the year of award, not the year of travel. Applicants may take more than one trip funded from this program, but may not exceed a total of $4,000 in funding over any two-year period. 

Any award not utilized, for whatever reason, will not count against an applicant’s eligibility. 

Full disclosure of non-Taft funds received for the proposed project, both inside and outside the university, is required. The award must not duplicate other funds granted for the same purpose, except when a deficit in the project budget is anticipated. For example, a travel award may supplement funds from non-Taft sources in cases where the necessary and reasonable costs exceed the established Taft limits. 

All funds must be expended exclusively in furtherance of the award and all expenditures must comply with university policies relating to financial transactions, including the Code of Conduct and, as discussed in the Code of Conduct, the ethics laws of the state of Ohio which prohibit certain private financial interests in university matters. University Rule 3361:10-17-03(D).

Per university policy, receipts and travel reimbursement request must be submitted via Concur, within 30 calendar days of the conclusion of the trip.

Publications and creative work generated with the help of Taft awards should acknowledge the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center.