*Explanation

Many units have funds that may be used to pay student research and travel expenses. Before paying a student’s research and travel expenses, the unit must determine and document whether and why the student or the University of Illinois System is primary beneficiary of the payment.

When the U of I System and the student seem to derive equal benefit, units are strongly encouraged to designate the student as primary beneficiary.

• Student as Primary Beneficiary
  • Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants – The U of I System has determined that students are the primary beneficiaries of Doctoral Dissertation Research Grants such as the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG), even though the system also receives significant benefit from these grants.
  • Research Traineeships – Research Training Grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), graduate research fellowships funded by the American Heart Association (AHA), and other research training grants are educational grants, so the student recipients are primary beneficiary of these payments. Trainees must fulfill the research and teaching requirements as detailed by the grantors, but trainees do not perform services as student or system employees.
  • Scholarship/Fellowship Funds – When the source of research or travel payments is a fund designated for scholarships or fellowships, the student is primary beneficiary.
• U of I System as Primary Beneficiary
  • Example A: A student is asked to travel to a conference held in San Francisco to present a paper on behalf of a U of I System's department.
  • Example B: A student travels to Germany to perform research for the U of I System, which happens to be the same topic related to student B’s dissertation. The U of I System would perform research on this topic regardless of student B’s dissertation topic.
  • Example C: A student is asked to travel to New York City to represent the U of I System in a Scholastic Bowl competition (in this example, the student is not required to be employed by the unit paying for the travel).
  • Example D: A student submits a travel proposal in which the U of I System’s business purpose is effectively described, receives departmental approval that requires a clearly stated deliverable upon the student’s return, and the student presents that deliverable to the department’s satisfaction.
  • Example E: A student is asked to attend a conference or training that will enhance their knowledge and skills to effectively perform their university employment duties (e.g. student Orientation Leader).