Background

The co-chairs of ICIS 2019, Helmut Krcmar (Technological University of Munich) and Jane Fedorowicz (Bentley University) recognize that attendance at academic conferences is financially burdensome for scholars from developing countries. Together with AIS, the conference chairs created a program to support Ph.D. students and young scholars from the UN’s list of low and medium human development countries to travel to ICIS 2019 in Munich.

We recognize that presenting research at our most prestigious conferences is an essential aspect of a scholar’s professional, educational, and research development. Further, the diversity of participants involved in our conferences is fundamental to our development as a research community. This travel grant provides a mechanism to allow Region 2 scholars with a demonstrated financial need to attend ICIS 2019 in Munich. These awards augment the four Bocconi doctoral student grants generously provided through this existing AIS program.

Funding Sources

The ICIS TUM/Bentley Travel Grant Program is named after the home universities of the co-chairs, each of which generously sponsored the conference at the platinum academic level. Additional funding for the program comes from other generous conference sponsors, and from the recently announced Munich Experiences program (MucX), wherein conferences attendees can bid to participate in many exciting professional or social experiences unique to the Munich setting of the conference.

Scope

The program will grant up to ten stipends for participation at ICIS 2019, with a maximum of $2,000 per recipient. This program is only open to applicants from AIS Region 2, the home region for this year’s conference (Europe, Africa and the Middle East). Applicants can be Ph.D. students enrolled in IS Doctoral Programs or junior faculty from IS (or similar) departments. Covered expenses include conference registration plus travel expenses (up to the maximum grant amount) such as transportation to/from the conference, hotel accommodations, and meals.   No other uses of the funds are allowed. Awardees will be preregistered for the conference, with the balance of their award presented by AIS staff upon arrival.

Timeline

The application process opens soon and applications are due no later than October 31, 2019. Early applications are strongly encouraged.  Final decisions will be announced no later than November 15. 

Selection Criteria

The ICIS 2019 Conference Chairs will make the final selection of winners of the ICIS TUM/Bentley Travel Grant Program, using the following selection criteria. 

• Only (A) candidates enrolled in Doctoral Programs majoring in Information Systems from Universities located in AIS Region 2 countries, or (B) junior faculty from Region 2 universities whose research and home department are in an Information Systems domain will be considered for these awards. 
•  Applicants must be at a university in a Region 2 country listed as medium or low development on this list: low and medium human development countries.
• Candidates will also be evaluated along three lines;

1. Progression in their Doctoral Program / their junior faculty career
2. Stated benefits of attending the conference
3. Participation in the conference as an author, reviewer, attendee, presenter, other. 

For more information, contact Maximilian Schreieck.