Applications

We request that applicants provide the following information, to the best of their ability:

Financial Need

• The total expenditure that the successful applicant would incur in attending the conference:
  • The cost of travel
  • The cost of accommodation
  • Conference fees (including any optional elements such as courses or tutorials)
  • Any other costs that would be incurred (e.g., visa, subsistence, etc.)
• The total amount that the applicant can find from other sources:
  • The amount that the applicant is prepared to pay from his or her own pocket
  • The amount that any other organization (e.g., the applicant's employer, a local TeX users group, etc.) will contribute to the applicant's budget
• The minimum award that would permit the applicant to attend the conference [1] 

Academic Merit

• The uses to which the applicant already puts TeX or LaTeX
• The additional uses to which the applicant hopes to put TeX or LaTeX if he or she is able to attend the conference
• The applicant's membership status of any TeX-related users group or analogous organization

Bursary History

• The applicant should list previous applications for TUG bursary awards and the outcomes of those applications.

In addition, applicants should ensure that their applications are sufficiently detailed so as to enable the Committee to make an informed decision without seeking further information from the applicant.

[1] This information will not be used in assessing the merit of the application, nor will it be used in determining the amount that would be awarded. It will be used only after all applications have been considered, in order to ensure that the amount the Committee is prepared to award is sufficient to meet the applicant's needs. If the amount an applicant states is the minimum bursary that would allow him or her to attend the conference is greater than the amount the Committee is prepared to award, then no award will be made, since to do otherwise would be of benefit neither to the applicant nor to other potential recipients.

Deadlines and Decisions

Applications must be submitted using electronic mail and received no later than Friday, June 9, 2006. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

All bona fide applications will be acknowledged by electronic mail; the Committee reserves the right not to acknowledge the receipt of any application that is, in its opinion, frivolous or purely for financial gain.

Applicants will be advised of the success or failure of their applications by electronic mail, which will be sent no later than Friday, June 30, 2006.

The decision of the Committee is final; the Committee will not enter into further correspondence with unsuccessful applicants.

Anonymity

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence, and the identity of applicants will be known only to members of the Committee. If it would be necessary to disclose the identity of an applicant to any person or anyone outside of the Committee (to permit, for example, the direct payment of conference fees), the explicit permission of the applicant will be sought before such disclosure is made.

Accountability and Openness

The details of individual bursaries will remain solely the knowledge of the Committee and of the successful applicants; the Committee will submit a summary of all applications and bursaries to the TUG Board, who may in turn elect to relay this summary information to bursary donors, TeX user groups, or other interested parties. The summary may also be posted on the TUG web site.