One of the ways that OpenMRS Inc. supports the OpenMRS open source community is by sponsoring contributors to attend OpenMRS events such as conferences and hackathons. Sponsorship requests are processed by a Travel Committee appointed by OpenMRS Inc. The sponsored travel is meant to help those that would like to attend events but are unable to do so for financial reasons. Follow the request instructions to request sponsorship. All OpenMRS contributors are encouraged to apply! Funding each year is set by the OpenMRS Inc. budget and is limited, and will be awarded based on merit of each application.
Travel grant policy overview
OpenMRS contributors can be sponsored to further the development of the OpenMRS community and its software, as well as to spread the word about OpenMRS.
It is your responsibility to always choose the most economical option whenever possible. OpenMRS Inc. spends a significant portion of its budget on sponsoring travel for community members, and it is unlikely that there will be enough funding to support all of those in need. The Travel Committee will look for the most economical options and use those costs as a reference when deciding on a sponsorship.
Remember, the money you save is the money that can help someone else travel and participate. It also means we might be able to help you again in the future.
Duties of sponsored applicants
- Write a report about your event at its conclusion. Blog posts are the preferred type of report.
- Be available to meet with the event's advisory board members, or the event sponsor(s).
- Be available to help other event attendees, especially those who want to get involved with OpenMRS.
- Inform the Travel Committee as soon as possible if you cannot attend the event.
- Important: Provide copies of original receipts (not bank or credit card statements) for all relevant costs.
About your event report
In your report, you can describe talks you attended, activities you participated in, new people you met, how this event changes or encourages your involvement in OpenMRS, and so on. It can be written as one blog posts, or several blog posts. If you cannot write a public report for some reason, you must email it to the Travel Committee. You must write about the event and your attendance, because your report will help OpenMRS Inc.:
- Justify its investment in you,
- Show potential sponsors the impact of sponsoring travel, which helps raise money for future travel, and
- Spread the word about OpenMRS and accomplish the OpenMRS mission of providing Health IT systems to the under-served.
What costs are eligible for sponsorship?
- Travel costs: flight tickets, train tickets, etc.
- Accommodation: hostel, hotel, etc.
What is NOT eligible for sponsorship?
Tax laws, as well as other laws and policies prohibit sponsorship of certain types of costs, such as:
- Travel and accommodation if you do not attend the event, for example due to a rejected visa application,
- Local travel (unless explicitly permitted in advance),
- Food,
- Taxes,
- Extra charges for bank cards,
- Visas, passports, etc.
Exceptions to WHAT can be sponsored
OpenMRS Inc. may sponsor extra costs when the applicant explicitly requests (and obtains an explicit approval from the board) to attend a specific event. Any such costs must be discussed with the Travel Committee before incurring them and are subject to the Travel Committee's approval. In the case of approved meals, a daily limit is established for each country, and the number of days will be limited to the duration of the event.
Exceptions to WHO can be sponsored
OpenMRS Inc. may occasionally sponsor people who are not current contributors, such as previous Google Summer of Code students who had a good track record in their projects and have the support of the GSoC/OPW administrators may be partially or fully sponsored to attend to an OpenMRS event. These exceptions must be pre-arranged with the Travel Committee.
Invitation Letters
OpenMRS Inc. or the host individual/organization may be able to provide an invitation letter, which may be required or recommended for applying for a visa. OpenMRS Inc. may also be able to provide a letter of travel sponsorship after the Travel Committee approves the travel sponsorship. Please follow the provided instructions for requesting such letters.