Travel Support for Mathematicians
- Application Deadline
Noon EST, - Notification by
- Gift Start Date
- Program or Administrative Questions
[email protected] - Technical Questions
[email protected] - Office Hours
Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern Time - Office Closures
The Simons Foundation offices will be closed November 27-December 1, 2024, and December 24, 2024-January 1, 2025.
The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences division invites applications for its Travel Support for Mathematicians program, which is intended to stimulate collaboration in the field primarily through the funding of travel and related expenditures.
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations The Simons Foundation, Inc. reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
Rationale
The goal of the program is to substantially increase collaborative contacts between accomplished, active mathematicians in the United States.
Basis for Travel Support
Funding will be based on the quality and significance of the applicant’s previous research and the likely impact the travel support will have on future research, both for the applicant and the applicant’s graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows. Other criteria include publication in high-quality journals, the applicant’s current and recent Ph.D. students, as well as the applicant’s travel goals and general research activity.
Level and Duration of Funding
Up to $8,400 in the form of a gift will be provided per year for up to five years, as follows:
$6,000 per year for travel and research expenses, at the sole discretion of the PI, such as:
- Scientific travel by the PI, the PI’s graduate and Ph.D. students and other members of the PI’s department;
- The expense of scientific visits, such as meals and travel to the PI’s home institution by the PI’s collaborators and other scientific visitors of interest to the PI;
- Up to $1,500 per year may be used for other research expenses, such as computers, computer support, publication expenses, stationery, supplies, books and membership fees to professional organizations.
$1,000 per year, allocated towards discretionary funds, at the sole discretion of the PI’s department chair, to enhance its research atmosphere. Funds may be used for such expenses as:
- Support for departmental colloquia and seminars, as well as refreshments and other research-related amenities;
- Support for student orientations, prospective student visits and other departmental activities;
- Subsidizing meals for faculty, students and visitors;
- Furniture and research infrastructure, such as copiers, computer servers and computer support.
No funds may be used for salary or teaching buyouts. An additional gift assessment fee at the institution’s rate, up to 20 percent, may be taken on the gift. The five-year gift will commence September 1, 2025.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible to apply, an individual must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Have a Ph.D. degree and hold a tenure-track or tenured position with a full-time appointment in a mathematics department with a Ph.D.-degree-granting program at an institution in the United States (those with an appointment solely in a statistics department are not eligible);
- Have a current record of active research and publication in high-quality journals; and
- Not currently hold any other external PI or co-PI grants with an end date after the start date of the gift, including another Travel Support for Mathematicians gift, but excluding Simons Fellowship in Math, conference grants (where support only covers travel expenses for the conference participants and does not provide any support for the applicant’s own research), as well as grants specifically to support students and/or postdoctoral fellows and their related activities and AMS-Simons grants. Co-Investigator roles do not apply.
There are no citizenship requirements. The other support requirement applies only at the application stage.
Unspent Funds
Unspent funds at the end of the five-year period should be used in line with the original goals of the gift for scientific travel and research expenses by the PI and department discretionary funds, or in the case of a PI institution transfer or retirement should be used in line with the original goals of the gift for scientific travel and research expenses by other faculty members, graduate students or Ph.D. students of the department as well as towards department discretionary funds.
Number of Gifts
The Mathematics and Physical Sciences division will select for funding up to 140 applications per year.
How to Apply
Applicants must apply via the Simons Award Manager (SAM), https://sam.simonsfoundation.org/. The deadline to apply is January 29, 2025, at 12 p.m. (noon) EST.
Please refer to the How to Apply tab for instructions.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to grantmaking that inspires and supports greater diversity and inclusiveness by cultivating a funding environment that ensures representation of all identities and differences and equitable access to information and resources for all applicants and grantees.
The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. We also fund programs directed at supporting scientists from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented groups, often working closely with professional societies and other funding agencies.
- Application Deadline
Noon EST, - Notification by
- Gift Start Date
- Program or Administrative Questions
[email protected] - Technical Questions
[email protected] - Office Hours
Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern Time - Office Closures
The Simons Foundation offices will be closed November 27-December 1, 2024, and December 24, 2024-January 1, 2025.
The deadline to submit applications is January 29, 2025, at 12 p.m. (noon) EST. Applications should be started and submitted under the applicant’s own account in the Simons Award Manager (SAM), https://sam.simonsfoundation.org/. Once logged in, select the Funding Opportunities icon. For the Mathematics and Physical Sciences — Travel Support for Mathematicians application, click on Create Application, then Begin Application.
The Travel Support application must be submitted via the gift-receiving entity of your institution. This should be discussed this with your institutional officials before submission. For any assistance with affiliating your SAM account with the gift-receiving entity of your institution, contact [email protected]. Informational videos on submitting applications in SAM can be found here. Proposal attachments should be single-spaced and in typeface no smaller than 10-point font. Margins must be at least one-half inch in all directions.
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations The Simons Foundation, Inc. reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
Please complete the application as follows:
- Proposal Tab:
- a. Applicant Details & Personal Data: Enter required fields (title, department and academic rank, ORCID iD and demographic data). The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed.
- Academic Degrees:
- Enter degrees (optional).
- Indicate whether the mathematics department at the awardee’s institution has a Ph.D. granting program. See the eligibility section of the RFA for further information.
- Application Details:
- Enter the title of the application.
- Start and end date are fixed. The five-year gift will commence September 1, 2024.
- Proposal:
- Upload a PDF of the following:
- Statement of Recent Work (two-page limit, plus up to one page for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): statement from the applicant explaining the most significant work completed in the previous five years. While unpublished work may be included in the summary, at least some of the work must already have appeared or be accepted in high-quality peer-reviewed publications.
- Statement of Travel/Invitation Goals (one-page limit, plus up to a half page for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): A statement from the applicant explaining travel/invitation goals for the first year of the grant.
- Applicant Biosketch: Upload a SciENcv or fillable PDF NIH- or NSF-style biosketch
- In the available text boxes, provide the following:
- A list of talks at colloquia, research seminars or research conferences that the applicant has given within the past five years.
- Current or recent (past five years) Ph.D. students supervised, including their dissertation topics, likely date of completion and current employment, if applicable.
- Current or recent postdoctoral fellows supervised.
- Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.
- Upload a PDF of the following:
- Contacts & Personnel Tab: Refer to the instructions provided in SAM to add Institution Administrative Contacts.
- Budget Tab: Enter the budget as follows: $6,000 per year for Travel & Research, $1,000 per year for Department Discretionary Fund and up to 20 percent for the gift assessment fee at the institution’s rate per year under the Primary Institution Indirect Costs category. Enter the rate of the institution’s gift assessment fee (percentage) in the section for IDC justification. Please note that IDC will not be provided as part of the gift — only the gift assessment fee can be requested. No further justification is required. Applicants may ignore the IDC error message: Applicants may take up to 20 percent in Indirect Costs on Modified Total Direct Costs on the main budget. Please add a justification in the appropriate section to describe why an exception is being requested.
- Abstract & Keywords Tab:
- Technical Abstract: Provide a brief summary of the applicant’s most recent research, particularly that which is relevant to future collaboration and travel plans. The abstract text box has a 3,000-character limit.
- Keywords: Click on the Add/Modify Keywords button to select up to two tags as it applies to the applicant’s research in the last five years. Your choices will be used to select the most suitable reviewers.
- Publications & Other Support Tab:
- Publications: Provide up to five accepted or published papers from the previous five years via the applicant’s SAM profile or PDF upload.
- Other Support:
- Please follow instructions for providing current and pending support for the applicant via their SAM profile. PDF upload is not permitted on this application. Add all the applicant’s current external support, which includes all financial resources, whether federal or nonfederal, available in direct support of this applicant and their research. It is not necessary to include internal funding, this current application or any pending support.
- Reporting overlap is required to submit an application. While overlap is not a consideration for funding in this program, please click on the Report Overlap button for each entry and select Yes or No as appropriate. Additionally, for Person Months please enter zero.
- Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files. All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted.
- Send for Sign-off: When the application is complete, click on the Send for sign-off button to send to your signing official for signature. The signing official will also need to certify that the application is being submitted through the correct institutional gift entity. You will receive a notification when the application is signed.
- Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. The application will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table. You will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed.
- Application Deadline
Noon EST, - Notification by
- Gift Start Date
- Program or Administrative Questions
[email protected] - Technical Questions
[email protected] - Office Hours
Monday–Friday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern Time - Office Closures
The Simons Foundation offices will be closed November 27-December 1, 2024, and December 24, 2024-January 1, 2025.
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Are all areas of mathematics, including statistics, eligible for a Travel Support for Mathematicians gift?
Yes, all areas are eligible, as long as the applicant has a full-time tenure-track or tenured appointment in a mathematics department with a Ph.D. degree granting program. One would not be eligible if one has an appointment solely in a statistics department.
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What is the application success rate?
On average, the program funds no more than 25 percent of the applications that are received.
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I am an associate professor in a math department that does not offer a Ph.D. program. Am I eligible to apply?
No, mathematicians employed in departments without a Ph.D. program are not eligible to apply.
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I would like to reapply; do you provide feedback on non-funded proposals?
We do not provide specific feedback on applications to this program due to the nature of the program and the number of applications we receive.
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Can multiple faculty members from the same university apply at the same time?
Yes, there is no limit.
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Can a group of individuals submit a joint proposal?
Joint proposals are not accepted. Applications must be submitted by individuals only.
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Can I hold a Travel Support for Mathematicians gift and a Simons Fellowship at the same time?
Yes, we allow individuals to hold both simultaneously.
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Can the Travel Support for Mathematicians gift be transferred to another institution?
No, the gift is non-transferable.
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Can the Travel Support for Mathematicians funds be used for international travel and collaboration?
Yes, the program is designed to support both domestic and international collaborations for mathematicians working in the United States.
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If I am not awarded a Travel Support for Mathematicians gift this year, may I reapply next year?
Yes, there is no limit on the number of times one can apply.
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I will have a no-cost extension on an NSF award at the time of application. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes.
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If I receive an NSF award after I have submitted my application, do I need to withdraw my application?
No, the other support requirement is only in place at time of application.
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Can a no-cost extension be requested at the end of the gift period?
Unspent funds at the end of the gift period should continue to be spent in line with the goals of the gift. No-cost extensions are not required and will not be processed.
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If the recipient of a Travel Support for Mathematicians gift leaves the institution, or receives other support for their research, will the gift be terminated? Can this gift be transferred to another institution?
After the application deadline, an application or gift award will not be withdrawn or terminated due to other support. In the case of a PI transfer or retirement, funds should be used by the institution in line with the goals of the gift for scientific travel and research expenses by other faculty members, graduate students or Ph.D. students of the mathematics department. Gifts will not be transferred.
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What reporting will be required on Travel Support for Mathematicians gifts?
Annual progress reports and financial statements, and invoicing, will not be required.
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Note regarding potential referral of an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI)
Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations The Simons Foundation, Inc. reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (SFI) for consideration and funding, in which case SFI’s grant policies would apply.
The Simons Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of gifts to mathematicians to support collaboration and travel.
2024
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Zahra Aminzare
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Dan Barbasch
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Erin Beckman
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Roya Beheshti Zavareh
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Lea Beneish
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Christine Berkesch
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Deniz Bilman
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Martin Bridgeman
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Fabrice Baudoin
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Kenneth Bromberg
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Daniela Calvetti
Travel Support for Mathematicians Online Application
All applicants for this grant must use our new grants management portal, the Simons Award Manager (SAM), to submit applications.
If you are applying to the Simons Foundation for the first time, please register in SAM before selecting “Create Application.” Instructional videos about using SAM can be found here.
If you have a ProposalCentral (pC ) account, a profile was created for you in SAM using the email address associated with your pC account. Please select “Forgot Password?,” set a new password for your SAM account and then select “Create Application.”
Applications and grants previously submitted in pC will still be managed in pC.
To create a new application, click on the button below. After creating an application, navigate to the “Applications in Progress” section on your homepage to access the in-progress application.
Create Application