Each year, the Office of the Provost and Vice-President Academic grants financial assistance for academic conferences sponsored by the University or by its faculty, and in some cases for conferences in which there is either substantial participation by or partnership with SFU co-sponsors. In this way, Simon Fraser University helps enhance the national and international visibility of our academic community and its commitment to excellence and innovation.

I am pleased to advise that funding will again be available to support conferences in the 2023/2024 fiscal year, the amount of which will be determined with the upcoming budget review. Virtual, hybrid or in-person conferences will be eligible to receive Provost’s funding. Due to the heavy demand for these funds, the Provost may not be able to support all of the costs and organizers are encouraged to look for other sources of funding to support the event. Similarly, we encourage applicants to provide evidence that realistic registration and other fees are being charged to attendees to defray costs. Unspent balances are to be returned to the VPA Conference Fund.

It is recommended that applicants contact Justin Ankenmann, Acting Associate Director of Meeting, Event and Conference Services (MECS) at local 23012 early in their planning process. There is no charge for an initial consultation. Valuable assistance with conference planning is also available at the MECS website: www.sfu.ca/meetandstay/.

Please complete the Conference Fund Application Form, expanding each section as needed to include the requested information. Requests for University support for conferences scheduled in the 2023/2024 fiscal year should be submitted to the appropriate Chairs and Directors of Academic departments/schools/centres who will forward them to their Deans for comment. 

Due Dates are as follows:

(for Applicant):  Thursday, October 27, 2022 to the appropriate Chair/Director, or to Dean in non-departmentalized Faculties
(for Chairs/Directors):  Wednesday, November 9, 2022 to the appropriate Dean
(for Deans):  Thursday, December 1, 2022 to the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic

Questions can be directed to Rebecca Sum at vpa_mgr@sfu.ca.