Short Term Travel Grants

1. Active Participation in an Academic Conference Program: UM graduate students in any department/school actively participating in a presentation or panel on a Japan-related topic.  The student must be attending an academic meeting or workshop in the U.S. or overseas to present a paper, participate in a poster session, chair a panel, or act as a discussant, and must be listed on the program.  The presentation, poster, or panel must engage Japan in a substantive manner; a panel that includes Japan in a comparative perspective is eligible.
2. Attendance at Academic Conference for Professional Development: UM graduate students in any department/school whose academic program focuses on Japanese studies attending an academic conference in the U.S. or overseas to serve in an executive capacity (e.g., to attend a business meeting of a professional association or its subgroup as a student officer), or for professional development (e.g., to participate in on-site job interviews organized by a professional association in conjunction with an academic conference).
3. Participation in a Specialized Workshop: UM graduate students in any department/school whose academic program focuses on Japanese studies participating in a short-term workshop that teaches a specialized topic or skill to the participants (e.g., reading kambun, or using specialized software).  The workshop topic must be directly related to the student’s academic program and not offered at UM.  Length of travel is limited to 30 days.
4. Short Term Research Travel: UM graduate students in any department/school who need to travel to libraries, archives, or other sites for research related to their dissertation or master’s thesis/project.  The research to be conducted during the trip must be related to Japan.  PhD students must have achieved candidacy; master’s students must have an approved master’s thesis/project topic.  Travel related to dissertation and thesis research is normally funded through the CJS Academic Year and/or Summer Fellowships, and students should make their plans well in advance to take advantage of these fellowship programs.  This program is intended to support specific opportunities and time-sensitive requests that fall outside the annual fellowship application cycle.  Length of travel is limited to 30 days.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students must apply for funding prior to travel; retroactive applications will not be considered.  Requests for international travel must be received at least 3 weeks prior to departure.

Applications are reviewed monthly.  Reviews take place during the first week of the month for all applications received during the previous month. Students will be notified of the review outcome by email.  In general, decisions ​will be available by the 7th business day of the month.

The basic limit is $500 for domestic travel and $1500 for international travel. As a general rule, the Center will support one trip per student per academic year. A second request will be considered on a case-by-case basis and is subject to funding availability.

Students are required to apply to Rackham Conference Travel Grant (eligibility criteria 1) or Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant (eligibility criteria 3 & 4) if eligible and to their home department.  Inability to secure Rackham and/or home department funding must be clearly explained in the application.  Funding from Rackham and home department always takes precedence over CJS funding.

International travel using funds from this award is considered U-M related travel for educational activities.  Grant recipients must comply with the international travel policies of the University of Michigan and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts.  Requirements include, but are not limited to, registration of travel details in M-Compass and the purchase of university's international travel health insurance group policy for the duration of time overseas.  Grant funds may be used to cover the insurance premium.  International travel policy compliance is administered and monitored by the Center for Global and Intercultural Study (CGIS) Health and Safety staff.  More instructions on international travel policy compliance will be sent in the grant award email.  Grant funds will not be released until CGIS confirms that the recipient has completed this requirement. 

The award will be paid through the student account as a fellowship payment.  Grant funds must be used to cover actual travel expenses; grants funds may only be used for expenses that are reimbursable under the university travel policy.  Any unused portion of the grant must be returned to the Center following university procedures.

Important Note to Students on Need-Based Financial Aid: If you receive need-based financial aid during the term in which this grant is disbursed, acceptance of this grant may affect your existing need-based financial aid package.  Because expenses covered by this grant are typically considered offsetting educational expenses, the CJS Academic Services Coordinator will work with the student to prepare the necessary paperwork to be filed with the Office of Financial Aid.  It is the responsibility of the student to comply with all instructions and requirements in a timely manner so that the expenses and the grant award are reported correctly to the Office of Financial Aid.

Important Note to International Students: Please be aware that students who are residents of countries without a tax treaty with the United States for student fellowships, scholarships and grants are subject to income tax withholding for the full amount of this grant.  For more information on income tax treaties, please see the Financial Operations web page for foreign students, faculty and staff.

Please submit the following materials to the Academic Services Coordinator at the Center for Japanese Studies.  Electronic submission by email attachment is preferred. Please send your application in a single packet to eafellowships@umich.edu.  Faculty support letter should be sent directly to this email address by the faculty.

For Conference Travel (eligibility criteria 1 & 2)

1. Short Term Travel Grant Application and Agreement Form (Download PDF)  Important Note: This form has been revised in July 2013.  Please do not use old versions.
2. Statement of purpose: About 500 words describing the nature of your participation at the conference and how it contributes to your professional development.
3. Curriculum Vitae: Please provide a current CV or professional resume.
4. Budget statement outlining expenses for airfare, ground transportation, lodging, meals, and conference registration fee. Use the full budget for the trip, including anticipated funding from Rackham, home department, and other U-M units.  If you are ineligible for or otherwise unable to secure Rackham or home department funding, you must provide an explanation.  CJS funds may not be used to cover meals for conference travel; however, you may include meals in your overall budget and use other funding sources (e.g., Rackham or home department funds) to cover meals if these funding sources allow meals.
5. A letter of invitation or acceptance, or a copy of the conference program showing your participation in the conference.
6. For international travel under eligibility criteria 1 and all travel for executive capacity or professional development, (eligibility criteria 2): A letter of support from your faculty advisor.

For Workshop and Research Travel (eligibility criteria 3 & 4)

1. Short Term Travel Grant Application and Agreement Form (Download PDF).  Important Note: This form has been revised in July 2013.  Please do not use old versions.
2. Statement of purpose of up to 1,000 words.  If you are applying to attend a specialized workshop, please describe the nature of the workshop and how it fits into your overall academic program.  For research travel, please describe the purpose of your trip, including which specific sites and resources you plan to access, how this trip fits into your overall dissertation or master’s thesis project, and why this request cannot be accommodated by the normal fellowship application cycle for the CJS Academic Year and Summer Fellowships.
3. Curriculum Vitae: Please provide a current CV or professional resume.
4. Budget statement outlining expenses for airfare, ground transportation, lodging, meals, workshop fees (including registration and/or materials), and direct research expenses at the research site (e.g., library and museum entrance/use fees, photocopying).  Use the full budget for the trip, including anticipated funding from Rackham, home department, and other U-M units.  If you are ineligible for or otherwise unable to secure Rackham or home department funding, you must provide an explanation.  Budget for meals are limited to the federal government per diem rates and may not include meals that are provided as a part of the workshop program.  (To find the per diem rate for your destination, go to www.gsa.gov/perdiem.)  Funds for meals may not be used to purchase alcohol.  Direct research expenses are limited to $100.  Grant funds may NOT be used to hire research assistance (including a translator or interpreter) or to cover travel expenses of another individual (e.g., research assistant, translator).
5. [For Workshops (eligibility criteria 3)] Call for Participants or other documentation about the workshop content.
6. [For Research Travel (eligibility criteria 4)] Travel Itinerary and Research Plan.
7. A letter of support from your dissertation chair or faculty advisor.

Contact the International Institute Fellowships Advisor for East Asia student awards at eafellowships@umich.edu or 734-936-3966.