by the Lalita and Ravindra Nath (LRN) Foundation

Objectives

1. To promote advancement in Communications and Networking Engineering research by providing international travel awards to meritorious students who present papers at COMSNETS annual conference in Bangalore, India (www.comsnets.org).
2. The selected students will be provided funds to participate in reputed international conferences.
3. The selected students have to be in an Indian University who are conducting competitive research and who will benefit by presenting their work, receiving feedback and from interactions with their peers and faculty at other institutions.
4. To establish criteria for selection of students for these awards.

Criteria

1. The awardee should be selected from students who are presenting original research (that has lead to a paper or a poster paper) at the annual COMSNETS conference
2. Consideration should be given to match needs and merit so as to provide opportunities to promising students who may not otherwise be able to attend international conferences
3. Typically the student should be enrolled in a Master’s or a PhD program. In exceptional circumstances, the student could be enrolled in a Bachelor’s program.
4. A candidate previously awarded LRN travel award will be ineligible to apply again unless the research being presented is not related to the previously awarded project
5. Candidates who have previously received travel funds from another source will be eligible to apply
6. COMSNETS will match the funding amount that the LRN foundation provides; the sum total from the two sources will be provided to the selected candidates.

Process of selection

1. Students will apply for the award in the first week of January 2016, before the commencement of COMSNETS conference.
2. The application will include a research abstract in which the applicant is a first author, a reference letter from the mentor that will also describe the role of the applicant in conducting the research to be presented.  
3. A committee formed by COMSNETS and LRN foundation will evaluate all applicants and select three to five deserving candidates in an unranked order, and will provide comments on their assessment of the students.
4. So as to eliminate any perception of bias, the list with the applications will be provided to the Board of the LRN Foundation who will select at most two candidates for the award each year. It is important to maintain a high standard for the award; hence the actual number of candidates awarded may vary if quality applications are not received.

What the award will cover?

1. All travel expenses including transportation, boarding and lodging in the conference city.
2. Total amount will be a maximum of INR 50,000.00 per award and will include a certificate of the award signed by the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of COMSNETS Association and the Board of LRN Foundation.

Timelines

The awardees will be announced at the time of the COMSNETS Banquet and the certificates would be given to the students by the President of COMSNETS Association, the General Chairs of COMSNETS and a member of the LRN Foundation if they are able to attend the meeting.

The announcement of the award and the list of awardees will be posted on the COMSNETS website and the newsletter. The LRN foundation website will provide a link to the COMSNETS website and newsletter.

Submission Instructions

Please fill this form to apply for Travel Grants: https://goo.gl/BA1NUa