ACS PRF Scientific Education (Type SE) Grants

The SE program assists with the travel expenses of foreign (defined as non-U.S. and non-Canadian) scientists who participate in major symposia in this country (or in Canada). The symposium topic must be "fundamental research in the petroleum field" to be eligible for support.

Type SE proposals for ACS symposia should be written on behalf of an ACS division, rather than the principal investigator’s institutional affiliation; proposals for support of non-ACS symposia should be written on behalf of the institution organizing the symposium. Funding for foreign travel assistance is currently limited to $1,500 per foreign speaker with a maximum of $4,500 per symposium (three or more visiting speakers).

The PRF Advisory Board makes recommendations on Type SE proposals during meetings three times per year: September, January, and May. Type SE grants must be approved by the ACS Board Committee on Grants and Awards, acting on recommendation of the PRF Advisory Board, before the symposium for which support is requested. For example, the May PRF Advisory Board meeting in any year is the last at which requests for support of symposia at the Fall ACS National Meeting in the same year can be considered.

Nature and Scope

ACS PRF Scientific Education grants assist with the travel expenses of foreign (defined as non-U.S. and non-Canadian) scientists who participate in major symposia in the United States or Canada in accordance with the ACS PRF Transfer Agreement:

“The recipient (ACS) shall use all funds exclusively for advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the ‘petroleum field,’ which may include any field of pure science which in the judgment of (ACS) may afford a basis for subsequent research directly connected with the petroleum field.”

Funding Criteria

Recommendations for funding for Type SE proposals are made on a case-by-case basis and are competitive.

Eligibility Requirements

The symposium topic must be "fundamental research in the petroleum field".
Each eligible speaker must be from a foreign (non-U.S. and non-Canadian) non-profit institution, and must give a petroleum-relevant or alternate-energy presentation.
The sponsor of the symposium must be a non-profit scientific or educational institution.
The meeting or symposium must be accessible and open; symposia whose attendance is by invitation only, or where facilities sharply limit attendance have not been favored for support by the PRF Advisory Board.
The results of the meeting or symposium must be publishable in peer-reviewed literature.

Eligibility, Terms and Conditions for Scientific Education (Type SE) Grants

Budget Guidelines

If the request is for support of foreign speaker travel to a symposium that is part of a larger conference or meeting, present a budget for the individual symposium only.
If the meeting is not broken into smaller symposia, present a budget for the entire meeting.
The "Amount Requested" should not be greater than "Total Expenses" minus "Total Revenue."
Present any budgetary detail or explanation that is not apparent in the formal budget as an addendum to the budget.

Limitations

The SE program does not support travel of American scientists to similar meetings in foreign countries, on the rationale that more American scientists derive benefit from having foreign speakers travel to North America, and that support helps American organizations to enhance the value of their programs and, in some instances, to meet their obligations as hosts for international meetings.
The symposium for which a proposal seeks funding must occur after both the PRF Advisory Board and the ACS Board Committee on Grants and Awards have had the opportunity to consider the proposal. For example, the May PRF Advisory Board meeting in any year is the last at which requests for support of symposia at the Fall ACS National Meeting in the same year can be considered.