Purpose

The Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC) will offer travel awards to undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral trainees to enhance their training experiences in LCRC-affiliated laboratories and to increase the national exposure of LCRC research projects. This award program aims to provide funding to support travel to national meetings where the applicants have been selected to present their work.

Eligible Applicants

• Undergraduate (Junior or Senior) students, graduate students in their 2-5 years in the program, and postdoctoral trainees within 3 years of receiving their PhD 
• The applicant’s PI must be an LCRC member
• The applicant must present either a poster or a platform presentation at the conference (within the continental United States) for which they are seeking funding.
• Travel must begin no earlier than July 1, 2025 and be completed before December 31th, 2025
• Trainees who received a travel award in the previous two funding period are not eligible 
• Trainees from laboratories that were already awarded two LCRC travel awards in the two prior funding periods are not eligible

Budget Information

Direct costs may not exceed $2,500 (indirect costs are not allowable). 

Applications must submit a budget that can include conference registration fees, accommodations, and other travel-related expenses. The maximum award cannot exceed $2,500, but it may vary based on the number of successful applications and the available funds. International travel is not eligible.

Conference and travel expenses will be reimbursed for the actual costs incurred, up to the amount of the funded travel award.

Application Instructions

To be considered, complete applications must include the following:

• NIH Biosketch of the applicant
• Budget (Budget may not exceed $2,500)
• Conference abstract
• Cancer relevance statement (no more than 100 words)
• Training relevance statement (no more than 100 words)
• Confirmation of abstract submission/acceptance
• Approval of the mentor

Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Impact and Relevance to Cancer
• Academic and Professional Development
• Presentation Quality
• Conference Impact
• Clarity and Quality of Application
• Programmatic Alignment to the Research Program of the Applicant (Cancer Biology, Genes X Environment, Translational Oncology, Population Science)

Award Requirements

Award Requirements will include submitting a concise conference summary that highlights outcomes such as publications, collaborations, and career-related benefits, as well as participating in and presenting research at the annual LCRC Travel Award Symposium.