Region 8 IEEE is quite diverse in nature covering Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The average income across countries in this geographical area differs significantly. That is why the R8 Voluntary Contribution Fund (IEEE R8 VCF) has been created. The fund provides support for technical and professional activities of members with low income. The main sources of the fund are voluntary contributions donated by IEEE members during the annual renewal of their membership.
This support is not intended for general education or living costs, but for specific activities that qualifying members of Region 8 are hoping to pursue. The fund mainly provides support for travel and subsistence of members participating in conferences and related events that are located within the geographical boundaries of Region 8 and which are organized or sponsored by IEEE R8 organizational units. In addition, it provides support for technical activities of IEEE Student Branches belonging to Region 8.
The fund might be able to support related activities that do not strictly fall into either of these categories. Please contact the R8 VCF Coordinator Andreas Koltes (koltes@ieee.org) to discuss your project ideas.
Applying for Event Attendance Support
In order to apply for financial support attending a qualifying event in Region 8, all applications have to fulfil the following criteria and follow the application process detailed below.
Eligibility Criteria
The applicant must have been a member of IEEE Region 8 for more than 12 months and must be in good standing, i.e. must have membership dues paid up.
The gross personal income of the application from all sources must be less than 10,000 USD per year including scholarships, social benefits, etc.
The vent must be a conference or related technical event sponsored or co-sponsored by an IEEE organizational unit belonging to Region 8.
A paper or another contribution must have been accepted for presentation at the conference (only one support grant per contribution).
The event must either take place within the geographical boundaries of Region 8 or be a purely virtual event.
Support is available for travel and subsistence only (economy travel and accommodation). Current student and graduate student members are eligible to receive support for meals as well.
In order to help with the COVID-19 related situation, registration fees for virtual conferences financially or technically co-sponsored by IEEE Region 8 can be covered as well (currently limited until the end of 2021). The fund does not provide support for other types of event registration fees.
The maximum support provided by the fund is 1,000 USD.
Only applicants who have not been supported by the fund within the last 5 years are eligible. Current student and graduate student members may receive funding twice within 5 years up to a combined total amount of 1,000 USD.
Current Region 8 committee members are not eligible.
The completed application form has to be sent by the applicant to the Section Chair or the Section VCF Officer for endorsement.
Afterwards the completed form has to be forwarded electronically to the R8 VCF Coordinator by the Section Chair.
The R8 VCF Coordinator will get in contact in case any clarifications are needed and otherwise inform the Section Chair and the Applicant by e-mail of the decision made.
Please note that VCF grants are normally paid as reimbursement after the event took place. The (partial) advance payment of grants might be possible if justified. Please get in touch with the R8 VCF Coordinator if this is required.
In order to allow for sufficient time for the local Section Officers as well as the R8 VCF Coordinator to process the application and to clarify any open questions, it is recommended to contact the local Section at least 6 weeks before the funds are needed.
Grant Holder Information
At the event, the grant holder acknowledges the support of the IEEE R8 VCF during the presentation of the paper or other contribution accepted for support.
After the event, the grant holder is expected to send a short project report along with a completed expense form IEEE R8 Expense Sheet (January 2015 V12) and scans of the receipts to the R8 VCF Coordinator.
Transfer of the funds to the grant holder will be coordinated between the R8 VCF Coordinator and the R8 Treasurer when satisfactory documentation has been provided.
Applicants should not rely solely on the VCF as a source for financial support and are required to report on the use of any funds after the project is finished. If any funds are sent in advance and not used according to VCF rules, Region 8 is entitled to ask for reimbursement.
In case of any questions, please feel free to contact the R8 VCF Coordinator.
Applying for Student Branch Support
The VCF provides support for technical activities of IEEE Student Branches located in countries within the geographical boundaries of Region 8. To be eligible, a Student Branch must have existed for more than 12 months and must be located in a country with average gross income of an electrical engineer under 10,000 USD per year.
There are no strict requirements for the type of technical activities that can be funded. Any Student Branch hoping to apply for support should first contact the local Section Chair or Section VCF Officer explaining the aim and expected outcomes of the project emphasizing its benefit to members of the Student Branch and (if applicable) to IEEE members in general. If the Section endorses the project, the Section should contact the R8 VCF Coordinator to discuss details.
Based on the number of applications and available funds, some Student Branches may be asked to find partial funding from other sources (the Section might help).
