Funding limitations

●    Expenses covered by the fund may include, but are not limited to:
○    Travel of child/dependent to meeting site with parent/guardian
○    Travel of another caregiver to meeting site or parent/guardian’s home
○    Offsetting costs of on-site care at meeting
○    Offsetting costs of at-home care outside of normal working hours of the parent/guardian
○    Recipients must verify that funds requested for child/dependent care are due to travel for university business and are above and beyond already incurred expenses (e.g. standard daycare or caregiver expenses)
●    Maximum $500 to be requested
●    It is encouraged to check the conference or society website for additional support options
●    The funds received may be taxable to the recipient but are not subject to tax withholding. It is the individual’s responsibility to determine if taxable and ensure proper handling.

Eligibility

●    Current graduate student (enrolled in at least 3 credit hours) or postdocs (full-time) within the University of Utah Department of Biochemistry
●    Dependent care request must be for attendance at a future meeting/conference
●    Trainee is expected to submit an abstract for a poster or oral presentation at the meeting/conference
●    First review for support will be in early November 2025 for meetings that start on/after Dec 1, 2025.  

How applications will be evaluated

Rotating committee of faculty and students that evaluates the application. There will be one faculty member designated as the Chair of the committee.
Determination will be based on these criteria:
●    Current student or postdoc within core or affiliated labs of the University of Utah Biochemistry Department
●    Priority given to students/postdocs whose attendance at a professional meeting/conference is at risk because of dependent care obligations. 
●    Impact of the meeting/conference on the professional development of the trainee
●    Preference will be given to those who have not previously received Biochemistry dependent care travel funds