Together with its members, The Quilt serves as an advocate for the next-generation of research and education (R&E) networking leaders. To help cultivate future leaders, The Quilt has set aside a pool of funds for travel grants for 2013. These funds enable Quilt member staff who would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so to travel to Quilt member meetings.

Quilt meetings provide a valuable opportunity in a national forum for participants to exchange information on best practices for operating R&E networks, hear from experts on key topics, and engage with their peers around the country.

What Travel Grant Awardees Say About the Program:

“Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to attend the Joint Quilt/StateNets Meeting. Similar to many of our peer organizations, KanREN operates on a very tight budget. Because the Quilt offered a travel grant, I had the chance to make connections with leaders from similar organizations, hear about common issues, see the desire of participants to get something done, and contribute to the group. This would not be possible for KanREN without financial assistance. All of the attendees made me feel incredibly welcome and I sincerely appreciate the effort you put in to making me feel included.”

Erica McDiffett, KanREN

“After attending two Quilt Member meetings, I have been exposed to more information about how other regional optical networks are similar to the FRGP and how we differ. A lot of the similarities stem from having some of the same service providers and trying to provide members with the most cost-effective and efficient services while being cautious of limitations we face being non-profits and not-for-profits and the legal and tax laws we have to be aware of administratively"”

Amy Moore, UCAR / FRGP

“As I am currently the CIO of a nonprofit research & education network; I continually look for opportunities to network with like organizations. This is a critical time in regional and national networking giving the stimulus funded projects and the impending exponential leap in bandwidth and capacity of today’s networks. Given that, I wanted to attend to gain a better understanding of current limitations and future capabilities of research and education networks so I can better develop solutions that assist my membership in achieving their objectives.”

Pete Miller, Merit Network

“First let me say thank you, Quilt! Obtaining a travel Grant allowed me to attend the Fall 2011 Quilt Meeting in Portland, OR. The meeting provided me with a great deal of relevant information, the opportunity to re-new and make new contacts, and an overall context in which to think about and plan OSHEAN strategies and services.”

Pam Christman, OSHEAN

“The Opportunity to attend the Quilt Fall Member Meeting was an invaluable professional development experience. The planning workshop, panels and presentations were thoughtfully organized and highly relevant. This is the first Quilt Member Meeting that I have attended and I found that the focus on organizations that have similar business models as MCNC was refreshing.”

Carla Hunt, MCNC

Application Details

Deadlines

Travel grant applications will be announced prior to each Quilt member event in 2013. The deadline for grant applications for our upcoming Quilt 2013 Winter Member Meeting is January 7, 2013 to attend the Quilt Member meeting in February. Any applications received after the deadline will be considered only if funding remains available after evaluating the applications received on or before the due date.

Applications will be reviewed by The Quilt’s Prom Committee comprised of representatives of Quilt member organizations. Preference will be given to applications for women and/or minorities.

Grant awardees will be notified at least 14 days in advance of the conference in order to

qualify for preferable airline ticket pricing.

Grant Application Review Criteria

• The Quilt will aim to allocate equal amounts of grant funding to each of its two member meetings planned in 2013
• Travel grants will be prioritized by first funding applications from a range of Quilt member organizations before funding multiple applications from a single member organization
• Priority for travel grants will be given to individuals who have not previously received travel grant funding  
• Women and minority applications are strongly encouraged

Contents of Application

Applications for a travel grant should contain:

• Biography: a brief description of the applicant(s), including name, title, business or school affiliation, address, and contact information
• Application: A brief letter explaining the applicant’s interest in participating in a Quilt event, why the applicant’s participation in the event would be beneficial to the candidate. The application should also include a brief explanation of the need for travel grant assistance and why otherwise participation in the event would not be possible.

• Cost Estimate: An estimate of the round-trip airfare from the candidate's home airport to the conference area airport and the number of nights of hotel accomodations the applicant expects to need.

• Indication of Management Support: The application should also include an indication that the applicant’s manager supports the applicant’s request to participate in the event.

Restrictions

Grants are available only to representatives of Quilt member organizations with the approval of the organization’s management.

Trip Report

Travel grant recipients will be asked to submit a short (no more than one page) trip report regarding their participation in the meeting. This trip report should describe the

discussions at the meeting of most interest/benefit to them that they may apply to their current roles and responsibilities. Trip reports should be submitted no later than a week

after the conclusion of the meeting and should be directed to recipient’s management and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at The Quilt.

Submission Address

Applications should be sent to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the subject "Quilt Travel Grant Application."