June 1-5, 2018

Travel Grants

Submit a Travel Grant Application

To submit a Travel Grant Application please click on the button above, it will direct you to the application submission portal. Please review the Travel Grant Guidelines  below prior to submitting an application.

1. Grant Overview

a. Application timeline

b. Important Documents and Links

Online application platform: Link

2. Purpose

HTAi offers Travel Grants to support HTA stakeholders who would otherwise not be able to attend the HTAi Annual Meeting for the purpose of presenting their work or otherwise benefitting from participation in the global HTA community. These grants are funded directly by HTAi and in some cases, are sponsored by external parties on an unconditional basis.

3. Eligibility

To be eligible for an HTAi Travel Grant, applicants must qualify to represent one of the following groups:

a. Applicant resides in a low or middle-income country (as defined by the World Bank Link);
Please note: Individuals temporarily residing in a high-income country but maintaining permanent residence in a low or middle-income country may apply for an HTAi Travel Grant. However, preference may be given to individuals currently residing in low or middle-income countries.

b. Applicant is a patient or care-giver who can provide patient insights relevant to health policy and health technology assessment and is associated with a not-for-profit patient engagement network.

c. Applicant is a full-time student enrolled in a post-secondary education programme or course for HTA (provide a certificate of enrolment)

In addition, the applicant must meet at least one of the following criteria:

a. Be a participant in the submission of an abstract for a panel or workshop or have an abstract submitted for an oral, vignette or poster presentation;

b. Demonstrate a current link (volunteering, employment or academic) to an HTA agency, government body, or academic research centre, or to another area of the health system with clear relevance to the field of HTA;

c. Demonstrate clear interest in becoming involved in the field of HTA (e.g. through study or the establishment of HTA activities in the applicant’s jurisdiction). Applicants need to be able to provide a letter of support in relation to becoming involved in the present or the future.

HTAi strives to support as many individual participants as possible. Consecutive applications are welcome. However, additional scoring points will be granted to those applicants who have not received a Travel Grant in the last two years to allow for diversification of funding.

4. Application Process and Timeline

a. Application Requirements

All applicants are required to complete the HTAi Travel Grant Application Form and submit it electronically, through the HTAi online Application Platform (Link), along with all requested supporting documentation. HTAi will accept proposals by email ([email protected]) for those with extenuating circumstances (i.e. visually impaired).

b. When applying for a grant, applicants must submit:

b.1. Details about their organisation, (its not-for-profit status, contributions made by for-profit organisations and its interest in HTA) and/or a description outlining that they are a patient with interest in health policy and health technology assessment (if applicable);

b.2. If a student, certificate of enrolment, indicating educational institution and HTAi related programme and/or courses (if applicable);

b.3. Provide a letter of support in relation to becoming involved in HTA in the present or the future (if applicable);

b.4. A statement explaining why they are applying for a grant for the Annual Meeting. Applicants should describe how they plan to implement what they have learned at the Annual Meeting in their own organisation and patient networks, or to their studies as the case may be;

b.5. An estimate of the direct travel, accommodation and registration costs that the applicant expects to incur to attend the Annual Meeting and any costs that their own organisation can cover (expenses eligible to be covered by HTAi Travel Grants include economy travel and accommodation for the duration of the Annual Meeting and meeting registration costs at the early bird rate);

b.6. Confirming a statement, indicating that they have read and understood the Travel Grant Guidelines and post meeting requirements (for details see 6. Post Meeting Requirements).

c.  Changes to the Application

After the Travel Grant submission deadline, no changes to the content can be made.

d. Timeline

e. Scoring of Applications

Applications are scored and ranked according to a standardised scoring framework and grants are allocated accordingly. Applicant scores will be made available to employees of the HTAi Secretariat, the Travel Grant Application Review Panel as well as members of the HTAi Executive Committee, the HTAi Board as well as the Annual Meeting Committee for quality checks and process oversight.

All HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grant applications are scored according to the following criteria:

e.1. Eligibility group and criteria (please see 3. Eligibility)

e.2. Relation to HTA
Applicants are asked to explain their relation to HTA in current position (work/study/volunteering/patient care-giver)

e.3. Extent to which the applicant’s attendance is likely to advance HTAi’s mission to promote the development, understanding and use of HTA

e.4. Applicants attendance at previous Annual Meetings and receipt of Travel Grant funding in previous years

f. Identical Scores

If the situation arises where top candidates receive identical scores, the HTAi Secretariat will consider secondary characteristics in the allocation of funding, in the following descending sequence:

g. Results & Acceptance by Applicant

Successful applicants will be notified by email, until January 26, 2018 and must confirm acceptance by return e-mail within the given timeframe, February 16, 2018. Furthermore, Successful applicants must register by the Annual Meeting Early Bird Registration Deadline (March 31, 2018).  Failure to do so will result in the loss of the Travel Grant, which will be awarded to the next highest scoring applicant on the waiting list.

All decisions related to Travel Grants by the Executive Committee are final.

h. Transferability of Travel Grants

Travel Grants are non-transferrable, with no exceptions.  If a recipient is unable to accept or utilise a travel grant for any reason, the recipient must inform the Secretariat at [email protected] and that grant will be awarded to the next highest scoring applicant.

5. Value

Successful applicants will be notified by email prior to the Early Registration Deadline and must confirm acceptance by return email. Grant amounts will reflect:

a. The grantee’s score relative to other applicants

b. Applicant’s estimated costs to attend the Annual Meeting

c. HTAi’s overall budget approved by the HTAi Board for Travel Grants, including any amounts received from sponsors/donors.

Expenses eligible to be covered by HTAi Travel Grants include economy direct travel, transportation (to and from airport), accommodation for the duration of the Annual Meeting and meeting registration costs at the early bird rate. Travel times can include 1 night before and after the official conference days.
The grant ceiling for Vancouver 2018 is US$2,200.00 per individual.

6. Post Annual Meeting Requirements

Successful applicant(s) will be asked to provide a detailed expense report identifying all expenses incurred, including ALL receipts for those expenses, a filled-out wire transfer form to allow for payment and an Annual Meeting Attendance Report to the HTAi Secretariat no later the one month after the last day of the Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting Attendance Report must provide:

The report has to be filled out and submitted a month after the last day of the conference at the latest. Travel Grant funds will only be released after submitting the report. Reports have to be completed and submitted electronically (to [email protected]). If required, editing may be completed by the HTAi Secretariat and the reports may be showcased on the HTAi website. By submitting a Travel Grant application, Travel Grant holders confirm their consent to have their report published online e.g. HTAi website, Annual Meeting website, HTAi Social Media channels and to use it for marketing and promotional activities.

7. Payment of Grants

Grant funding will be released no sooner than 30 days after the last day of Annual Meeting and only after ALL necessary documentation has been completed as required. Recipients will be required to submit a detailed expense report providing a description of expenses incurred, including valid receipts for ALL expenses, a wire transfer form and an Annual Meeting Report of Attendance. All required forms completed in their entirety must be submitted to the HTAi Secretariat [email protected] no later than 30 days after the last day of the Annual Meeting.  Grants may only be paid to individuals, and cannot be made to organisations.

In exceptional cases, the Secretariat may agree to pay for economy direct travel and registration costs in advance of the Annual Meeting.  Exceptional cases must be properly explained with submission of the Travel Grant Application. If approved, funds would not be released to individuals, the booking of economy direct travel and registration would be done on the individual’s behalf by the HTAi Secretariat. These alternate arrangements must be approved by the HTAi Secretariat and the alternate arrangement would be communicated with the notification of acceptance to the applicant.

No funding will be released if the respective Annual Meeting country does not grant a travel visa to the applicant thereby preventing the applicant from participating at the Annual Meeting.

8. Responsibility & Administration

HTAi’s Annual Meeting Committee has the overall responsibility to provide a standardised process for awarding HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grants. This includes the HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grants Guidelines, the Travel Grant Application questionnaire, and a standardised scoring framework and decisions on responsibility of tasks.

The HTAi Secretariat is responsible for the management and administration of the respective Annual Meeting Travel Grants, including initial review of applications.  The Travel Grants Application Review Panel, with the support of the HTAi Secretariat, will provide recommendations to The Executive Committee who will review all scores assigned and arrive at final rankings and awarding decisions.

All communications regarding the Notification of Acceptance for Travel Grants or payment of Travel Grants will be processed by the HTAi Secretariat.

9. Appeal

All decisions related to Travel Grants are final.

10. Contact

HTAi Secretariat
Telephone: +1 780 448 488 ext. 234
Fax: (780) 448-0018
E-mail: [email protected]

11. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is eligible to apply for the HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grant?
A: HTAi offers Travel Grants to support HTA stakeholders who would otherwise not be able to attend the HTAi Annual Meeting for the purpose of presenting their work or otherwise benefitting from participation in the global HTA community. HTAi provides travel grants to three different groups of applicants. Please see the detailed list of eligibility criteria under 3. Eligibility.

Q: If I am eligible, am I guaranteed the grant?
A: No. In addition to the eligibility criteria, every applicant has to provide further information that will be scored and compared to other Travel Grant Application submitters. Successful applicants will be notified by email and must confirm acceptance by return email (by February 16, 2018) and register for the Annual Meeting prior to the Early Bird Registration Deadline (March 31, 2018). For more details please see 4. Application Process and Timeline.

Q: I applied and received the HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grant before; can I apply again?
A: HTAi strives to support as many individual participants as possible. Consecutive applications are welcome. However, additional scoring points will be granted to those applicants who have not received a Travel Grant in the last two years to allow for diversification of funding.

Q: Where can I find the HTAi Annual Meeting Travel Grant Application Form?
A: All applicants are required to complete the HTAi Travel Grant Application Form and submit it electronically, through the HTAi online Application Platform (Link), along with all requested supporting documentation. HTAi will accept proposals by email ([email protected]) for those with extenuating circumstances (i.e. visually impaired).

Q: What is the deadline to submit my application?
A: The deadline to submit your application for a Travel Grant is November 24, 2017.

Q: What type of expenses are eligible for funding?
A: Expenses eligible to be covered by HTAi Travel Grants include economy direct travel, transportation (to and from the airport), accommodation for the duration of the Annual Meeting and meeting registration costs at the early bird rate.

Q: What level of funding can I expect to receive if my application is successful?
A: Grant amounts will reflect:

a.    The grantee’s score relative to other applicants.
b.    Applicant’s estimated costs to attend the Annual Meeting.
c.     HTAi’s overall budget approved by the HTAi Board for Travel Grants, including any amounts received from sponsors/donors.
d.    The grant ceiling for Vancouver 2018 is USD 2,200.00 per individual.

Q: If I am offered a Travel Grant, how do I collect my award?
A: Grant funding will be released only after grantees have incurred expenses and provided a report thereof as well as submitted their Report of Attendance. Grants may only be paid to individuals, and cannot be made to organisations. Please see for more details 7. Payment of Grants

Q: What if my travel plans change after I complete my application?
A: The maximum amount of awarded Travel Grant will stay the same and cannot be adjusted to changed travel plans. No funding will be released in case the respective Annual Meeting country does not grant a travel visa to the applicant, which results in preventing the applicant from participating at the Annual Meeting.

Q: Can I receive payment of my award before my departure date?
A: Only in exceptional cases the Secretariat would agree to pay for economy direct travel and registration at the conference in advance. Exceptional cases have to be properly explained with submission of their application. In case of approval, funds would not be released to individuals, the booking of economy direct travel and registration would be done on the individual’s behalf by the HTAi Secretariat. These alternate arrangements must be approved by the HTAi Secretariat and the alternate arrangement would be communicated with the notification of acceptance to the applicant.

Q: Is there a minimum or maximum length of time for travel?
A: Travel times can include 1 night before and after the official conference days. The official conference days for the HTAi Annual Meeting in Vancouver are from Friday, June 1 to Tuesday, June 5, 2018.