Travel Grant Application Information

MICRO 2026 expects to offer student travel grants with support from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and possible additional support from ACM SIGMICRO, IEEE TCuARCH, and other sponsors. The number, amount, and form of the awards will depend on available funding, sponsor requirements, eligible applications, and allowable documented expenses.

One application will be used to consider applicants for every available source of travel support. Each funding source has its own eligibility and compliance requirements, so an applicant may be eligible for one source and not another.

The travel grants are intended to reduce part of the cost of attending MICRO 2026 in person in Athens, Greece, from October 31 through November 4, 2026. An award may not cover the full cost of attendance. Applicants should identify other available support and explain their remaining financial gap.

Eligibility

High-school, undergraduate, M.S., and Ph.D. students may apply. Applicants must:

  • Attend MICRO 2026 in person.
  • Complete the application and arrange for the required faculty-advisor or faculty-reference confirmation by the deadline.
  • Agree to the attendance, documentation, and any sponsor-specific travel-compliance requirements that apply to their award.

Postdoctoral researchers and applicants who will not be students when MICRO 2026 takes place are not eligible.

NSF Eligibility

NSF funds can support only applicants who will be enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students at a U.S. university when MICRO 2026 takes place. Citizenship and visa status do not affect this NSF eligibility. High-school students and students enrolled at institutions outside the United States may still apply, but they can be considered only for non-NSF funding that becomes available.

Applicants who meet the NSF criterion must complete the NSF reporting and compliance items in the application, including U.S.-institution and degree information, the applicable airfare certification, and the NSF allowable-cost acknowledgment. Demographic questions requested for aggregate NSF reporting are voluntary and are not used in award decisions.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed using the following priorities, subject to the requirements of each funding source:

  1. Conference engagement, including authorship, presenting, volunteering, or participation in another MICRO activity.
  2. A clear technical reason for attending and a strong expected benefit from participation.
  3. First-time attendance and attendance by students from institutions with limited travel funding or limited historical participation at major computer-architecture conferences.
  4. Financial need after accounting for support committed by the applicant's advisor, department, or other sources.

Sponsor eligibility, such as institution location or relevant society affiliation, may determine which funding source can support an applicant. Protected characteristics will not be used in award decisions. Reviewers will recuse themselves from applications involving their own students or close collaborators.

At a Glance

  • Application Deadline: September 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM AoE
  • Faculty Confirmation Deadline: September 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM AoE
  • Notification Date: September 23, 2026
  • Conference Dates: October 31 – November 4, 2026

Application Requirements:

  1. Submit the MICRO 2026 Student Travel Grant Application Form by the application deadline.
  2. Ask your faculty advisor or faculty reference to email the Student Travel Award Chair (baris@cs.washington.edu) with the subject line "[MICRO 2026] Student Travel Status and Funding Confirmation – Applicant Name." The message must:
    • Confirm your institution and student status when MICRO 2026 takes place.
    • State what other travel support is available or unavailable to you.
    • Confirm whether your advisor, department, or another source can help cover costs not covered by a MICRO travel grant.
  3. Provide estimated registration, airfare, lodging, and local-transportation costs; identify other funding; and state the remaining financial gap.
  4. Answer the NSF-eligibility question. If you meet the NSF criterion, complete every applicable NSF reporting and compliance item.
  5. If requesting NSF-funded airfare, certify that the airfare will comply with the Fly America Act by using a U.S.-flag carrier or an eligible U.S.-ticketed code-share itinerary.

Application Procedure

Applicants must fill out the MICRO 2026 Student Travel Grant Application Form (link to be posted) before the deadline, September 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM AoE. Student applicants also need to ask their faculty advisor or a faculty reference to send an e-mail to the Student Travel Award Chair (baris@cs.washington.edu) with the subject line "[MICRO 2026] Student Travel Status and Funding Confirmation – Applicant Name," confirming the applicant's institution and student status when MICRO 2026 takes place, stating what other travel support is available or unavailable, and confirming whether the advisor, department, or another source can help cover costs not covered by a MICRO travel grant. The application and faculty confirmation must both arrive by the deadline; the travel-grant committee will not solicit missing confirmations.

Allowable Expenses and Payment

Awards may support conference registration, airfare, lodging, and local ground transportation associated with attendance at MICRO 2026, held October 31 through November 4, 2026 in Athens, Greece. The award notice will identify the funding source, allowable costs, documentation requirements, and payment procedure that apply to each recipient. Since the total available funding is limited, the amount awarded to each student will depend on the number of awardees and sponsor requirements, and will typically cover only a portion of expenses. Please note that funding is not guaranteed and requires attendance at MICRO 2026.

For any NSF-funded portion of an award, meals, coffee breaks, entertainment, amusement, social activities, and costs directly associated with those activities are not eligible for reimbursement. NSF-funded airfare must use a U.S.-flag carrier or an eligible U.S.-ticketed code share. Awardees should verify compliance before purchasing a ticket and retain the itinerary and receipt.

Reimbursement Procedure

Awardees should retain itemized original receipts and proof of payment (e.g., method of payment with the last 4 digits of the credit card number). If proof of payment is not provided on a receipt, the awardee will need to submit separate proof of payment (e.g., a credit card statement showing the transaction). Please block out all personal information and the full account number (except the last 4 digits). Payment will require reimbursement after attendance; an applicant should not assume that an award has been made until receiving written notification.

Awardee Responsibilities

An award is contingent on attendance at MICRO 2026. Awardees will be required to:
  • Check in at the designated on-site location.
  • Participate actively in the conference.
  • Submit a short daily summary of sessions attended, technical lessons learned, and professional activities during each supported day.
  • Provide the receipts, proof of payment, itinerary, and other documentation requested for payment and sponsor reporting.
Failure to complete these requirements may make an awardee ineligible for payment.

FAQs

  • DEADLINE: The travel grant application form AND the faculty confirmation e-mail must be received by September 16, 2026 at 11:59 PM AoE. Your application is considered incomplete without both components.
  • It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your faculty advisor or faculty reference sends the confirmation e-mail before the deadline. The travel-grant committee will not solicit missing confirmations, and no exception will be made for any reason.
  • Can a high-school student or a student at an institution outside the United States apply? Yes. These applicants are not eligible for NSF-funded support but may be considered for other available travel-grant funding.
  • Can an international student at a U.S. university be considered for NSF funding? Yes. NSF eligibility does not depend on citizenship or visa status, provided the applicant is an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled at a U.S. university.
  • Can a U.S. citizen studying at a university outside the United States be considered for NSF funding? No. Eligibility for the NSF-funded portion is based on enrollment at a U.S. university, not citizenship. The applicant may still be considered for other available support.
  • Can postdoctoral researchers apply? No. The travel-grant program is for students.
  • Are meals reimbursable? Meals, coffee breaks, entertainment, and social-activity costs are not reimbursable from NSF funds. The award notice will state the cost rules for the recipient's funding source.
  • How much support will each recipient receive? Award amounts will be determined after funding availability, sponsor rules, eligible expenses, and the applicant's financial need are reviewed.
  • May I register or purchase travel before award decisions are announced? You may make your own arrangements, but you do so at your own financial risk. An application does not guarantee funding. If you may request NSF-funded airfare, verify Fly America Act compliance before purchase.
  • Please save all original receipts. You may need to submit them later.
  • We will do our best to send out notifications by September 23, 2026. Note that award decisions will be made based on funding availability.
  • Awards will be made only after the conference.
  • Depending on the source of funding, some awardees will be required to submit a short essay or summary describing their experience attending the conference.
  • Any questions can be sent to baris@cs.washington.edu.