Travel Grants Information
Each year VSS endeavors to support travel to and accommodation at the annual meeting through a travel grants program, subject to availability of funding. For 2027, we are pleased to announce funding from Elsevier/Vision Research, NIH/National Eye Institute and NSF. In addition, in 2022 VSS introduced the John I. Yellott Travel Award.
Guidelines for Applications
Travel grants are available to both US and non-US individuals and are open to Undergraduates, Post-bac researchers, Graduate Students and Postdocs.
Eligibility criteria are as follows:
NEI Travel Grant: Undergraduate students, Graduate students, and Postdocs. Must be US citizen or permanent resident in the US.
Elsevier/Vision Research International Travel Award: Graduate students, Postdocs. Must NOT be US citizen or permanent resident of the US.
Yellott Award: Graduate students, Postdocs. Any citizenship or residency.
NSF Undergraduate Travel Award: Undergraduate students. Must be US citizen or permanent resident in the US. These grants are available to undergraduates who are the first author on a regular submitted abstract or who intend to submit an undergraduate just-in-time poster submission.
Undergraduate Travel Award: Undergraduate students. Any citizenship or residency.
Travel grants are intended to increase representation of the broad VSS membership, including individuals facing significant financial and personal obstacles to their attendance at our international conference.
All applications will be evaluated on a balance of many criteria, including scientific quality of the submitted abstract and need.
Applicants must be the first author on an abstract at the 2027 meeting. Previous VSS travel award recipients are not eligible (2020 and 2021 award recipients excluded).
Grants Selection
Applications will be reviewed by a committee appointed by the VSS Board of Directors.
Schedule
Intent to Submit Application (during abstract submissions): December 3, 2026
Applications Open: January 5, 2027
Deadline to Apply: January 19, 2027
Recipients Announced: February 19, 2027
Travel Award Applications will open on January 5.
VSS 2027 banner design by Harini Sankar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Required NEI Disclaimer: Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by 1R13EY037110-01 from the National Eye Institute. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Vision Sciences Society, vss@visionsciences.org