OGE Travel Grant

Source: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/oge-travel-grant Parent: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/programs/student-inbound/i2mp

The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) Travel Grant (TG) program is an initiative designed to support IITM students in their research and technology endeavors to engage with the global community.

Introduction

The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) Travel Grant (TG) program extends its support to enable participation in workshops, competitions, internships, research programs, and exchange programs, thereby fostering holistic development among IITM students.

Program Objectives

• To support IITM students in participating in international programs through the OGE Travel Grant and to enable international students at IITM to apply for the grant for both domestic and international program participation
• Support personal and professional development of IITM students
• Foster Research and Development in Technical Education
• Promote/project IITM globally as a technological university.

Funding

• The funding is limited to the difference between actual out-of-pocket expenses and receipts for all other sources.
• TG will be sanctioned only after the event as a partial reimbursement. No advance shall be given.
• All need-based applications will be processed on a case-to-case basis by the TG committee.
• Only international students pursuing studies at IITM are eligible to apply for national-level events.
• The Travel Grant Committee reserves the right to cancel a student TG application.

Basic conditions to be fulfilled

• Students should apply through the online Travel Grant application portal designed by our office after completing their visit. Applications cannot be submitted before the visit.
• All the events must be related to their primary area of study at IITM, and non-core related travel expenses are normally not supported.
• The students are also advised to make an attempt to avail of the funding opportunities mentioned here. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bPvc-JxrNebpDnIj7W4biCLwGr_nWa0g/edit
• If eligible, and in addition, to at least any two organizations that support similar programs—e.g., CSIR, DST, DBT, COSTED, INSA, AICTE, UGC, etc.

General Guidelines

• Applications will be considered on an ongoing basis. The Committee will meet once every 2 to 3 months, in addition to meeting whenever the minimum number of applications is received.
• The aim is to distribute the Travel Grant equitably to applicants of various Depts., UG/ PG programs, etc.
• Students can apply for the OGE Travel Grant after participating in various opportunities across different event types. These include: Conference Oral presentation, Conference Poster presentation, Conference Participation, Workshops, Research Visit, Summer School/Winter School, Competition, Internship/Fellowship, Semester exchange.
• Joint Degree Program (JDP) visits are not covered under the OGE Travel Grant. For funding support, please visit the JDP Support Grant webpage and submit your application accordingly.
• If multiple students attend the same competitions and share a common bill/reciept, please ensure to itemize individual expenses from the total incurred and attach corresponding receipts. In the remarks field, please indicate the total number of students sharing this common bill/receipt.
• The student will prepare a high-quality presentation that will effectively reflect their experience at the host university.

Per Diem for Food – Guidelines

• For visits of 10 days or less, the food expense amount will be calculated based on the actual expenses submitted with relevant bills.
• For visits exceeding 10 days, the per diem calculation for food will be applied based on the below mentioned:
• The per diem amount for food expenses will be determined based on the minimum of the following three criteria:
• $50 per day
• $500 per month
• 50% of the total claim
• The maximum per diem for food is capped at Rs.50,000.

Please Note:

• Students must submit food expense details in the OGE Travel Grant application to be eligible for the per diem for food (for visits more than 10 days). Relevant bills for food expense should be submitted, if available, to support the claimed amount for food.
• The per diem for food is not a separate reimbursement but will be part of the overall approved travel grant by the committee along with other expenses such as airfare, accommodation etc..
• The per diem allocation for food depends on fund availability and is subject to possible adjustments.
• Students who have received funding support that covers their food expenses through scholarships or other sources should enter ‘0’ in the food expense field in the application.

Documents to be submitted on online application portal

• A Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) or a bonafide letter obtained before your travel from the Academic Section, or an approval letter/email from your Faculty Advisor, Head of Department, or Professor-in-Charge at IITM, or any endorsement/approval received from IITM prior to your travel.
• His/ her softcopy picture (in JPG file format)
• A one-page summary of work accomplished during the visit abroad and how the visit abroad benefitted him/her.
• A Participation Certificate from the host university and a financial statement giving particulars of amounts received from various funding agencies (if applicable), and amount spent under various heads such as travel, Visa fees, Registration Fees, etc
• A five-minute video about the visit, including details of your name, roll number, event details, and how it has impacted/benefited you. Please paste the recorded video link (preferably a Google Drive link) into the online form.
• All bills and boarding passes, including for food, are to be retained, and copies are to be submitted

Documents To be submitted in person to ICSR

After the review process is completed by the review committee, our office will notify you when to submit the physical copies of the following documents to the Ground Floor, Tapal Section, ICSR

• Evidence in support of acceptance of paper for presentation-on letterhead of organizers; or evidence of acceptance letter for participation in workshops, summits, competitions, internships, exchange programs, summer school, etc
• Evidence to show whether the applicant is receiving partial travel support from the Institute/other sources (other than personal sources)
• Evidence to show whether the applicant is receiving partial travel support from the Institute/other sources (other than personal sources)
• A Certificate from two Travel Agencies/Two different travel websites/Airlines, indicating cost of return airfare by economy class/ excursion fare by the shortest route.

Additional Funding Support:

• If you are receiving funding support from other department(s) at IITM or from external sources (e.g., Academic Research Office, PMRF, ANRF) for the same visit, you must submit a cover letter to the ICSR Travel Team after receiving the sanction letter from our office.
• The cover letter should specify the support amount received and provide details of the bills/documents submitted to the other department(s).
• These requirements will be communicated by our office to the students once their applications are reviewed by the TG Committee.

Important Dates

This is a reminder to submit the complete set of required documents for processing your OGE Travel Grant (6th Cycle) payment to ICSR (Ground Floor, Tapal Section) on or before 5th March 2026, as submissions beyond this date will not be processed and the project account will be closed for the current financial year. \ The application portal for the 7th cycle of the OGE Travel Grant is now open. The deadline to submit applications for this cycle is May 27, 2026, 6PM IST.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the scholars selected for the International Immersion Experience (IIE) apply for the OGE Travel Grant?

No, scholars who visited through the International Immersion Experience (IIE) program cannot apply for the OGE Travel Grant. It is expected that beyond the IIE grant, the student's advisors at IITM and the partnering university will strive to find further funding.

I have claimed funds for my visit from other sources at our institute or outside the institute. Can I also apply for the OGE Travel Grant?

Yes. In fact, this is a MUST. We encourage students to explore as many funding opportunities as possible. The Institute itself supports XYZ for various types of scholars as given in the guidelines above: Further, there are schemes such as the International Travel Scheme (ITS) from SERB, with details as follows: International Travel Support (ITS) Scheme provides financial assistance to Indian researchers for presenting a research paper in an international scientific event (conference, seminar, workshop etc.) held abroad. In addition, support is also provided to young scientists (age limit below 35 years as on date of start of the event) for attending training programmes, Short-term schools and Workshops. Economy class air-fare by shortest route, airport-tax and visa fees are provided under the scheme. Registration fee as per actual or Rs. 50,000/- whichever is less will be provided to young scientist (Age< 35 on the date of start of event) in addition to the above support. The SERB applications can be submitted within the window of 60-90 days in advance from the date of start of the event. The system will not accept early or late submission of applications. Information on other funding sources should be included in the OGE TG application form, and will be viewed very positively.

Can I apply for the OGE Travel Grant a second time?

Yes, but priority may be given to first-time applicants. Nevertheless, the support will be considered, based on availability of funds.

Should I mention the history of funds received in the application form?

Yes, the history of funds received from our institute for your previous visits should be included in the application.

Where should I submit the original copy of my expenses?

The original bills and receipts should be submitted to ICSR after you receive your application result from us.

Should I submit any documents to your office before my visit?

Not required. Students should submit the Travel Grant application through the website only after they complete the visit. Read the guidelines completely before applying.

My friends and I from our institution attended a conference/competition abroad and have a common bill/receipt. What should I do?

In this case, you can divide the total expense and mention your individual expense in the application. Please attach the common bill/receipt and mention these details in the remarks section.

I have already submitted my documents to ICSR / SERB / other agencies for availing partial reimbursement. How do I submit them again to OGE?

If it is an internal IITM submission, e.g. to ICSR, please include a cover letter with the details of the previous application. Include a soft copy of all the bills submitted for reimbursement, the exact reimbursement received from the other sources(s) and the remaining amount that is being sought from OGE.

I am travelling abroad for a semester exchange. How much reimbursement can I expect from OGE Travel Grant?

The grant will be based on the availability of funds. For reference, in the most recent round, we funded travel grants with the following rates: Oral Presentations and Poster Presentations: Up to 70% of total expenses, with a maximum of ₹100,000. Summer Schools, Workshops, and Competitions: Up to 50% of total expenses, with a maximum of ₹50,000. Internships and Master’s/PhD Thesis: Up to 25% of total expenses, with a maximum of ₹50,000. Semester Exchanges: Up to 20% of total expenses, with a maximum of ₹30,000. For example, if you spend ₹4 lakhs on a semester exchange, you will be reimbursed ₹30,000. If you spend ₹90,000 on a conference and have already received ₹20,000 from other sources, you will be reimbursed ₹63,000.

Can IITM students apply for the OGE Travel Grant for participation in domestic events or programs?

No, IITM students can apply only for international visits.

Can international students at IITM apply for the OGE Travel Grant for participation in domestic events or programs?

Yes, international students at IITM can apply for domestic visits.

I am a PhD student. Can I submit the OGE Travel Grant application directly without first using the conference contingency fund from the Academic Research Office or PMRF support for the visit?

No. You cannot submit the OGE Travel Grant application without first availing the conference contingency fund from the Academic Research Office or the PMRF support fund for the visit. However, you may submit the application to us if those funds (or other external sources of funding) are insufficient for the same visit. Please note that the OGE Travel Grant provides only partial reimbursement support, and no advance is provided.

Is the NOC document from the Academic Courses/Academic Research Office mandatory?

Yes. Students must obtain the NOC before the start of travel, and it must be uploaded once on our application portal during submission.

Do I need to submit any physical copies to the Office of Global Engagement?

No. Please upload only soft copies of the bills/documents on our application portal. Once your application has been reviewed by the committee, you will be informed by email to submit the physical documents to the ICSR Travel Team.

Contact Person

Sivagurunathan

Designation: Project Officer, International Academic Programs

Email: outbound@ge.iitm.ac.in

Telephone: +91 44 22578877

Room: 123