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R User Groups, Conferences, and Special Project Grants

This page describes how to apply for grants to support R user groups, conferences featuring R, and R Special Projects.

2023 RUGS Program

The RUGS mission is to facilitate the person-to-person exchange of knowledge in small group settings on a global scale. We continue to believe that the most effective way for people to learn from and about each other, and to set and accomplish common goals is to meet face-to-face on a regular basis. RUGS grants are intended to help people form enduring R user group communities. Active user groups may apply for grants on a yearly basis. Because it is likely that the persistence of COVID-19 will again limit in-person events in 2023, the RUGS program will support virtual events as well as in-person events.

The R Consortium RUGS Program has grown from being a relatively modest R user group support program to being the primary vehicle for the R Consortium to award Social Infrastructure Grants. Social Infrastructure includes meetings, events, conferences and any other activity intended to strengthen social, organizational, and identity structures of the R Community. 

These grants do not include support for software development or technical projects. Grants to support the R ecosystem’s technical infrastructure are awarded and administered through the ISC Grant Program which issues a call of proposals two times each year.

đź“Ś Find your local R User Group here

Structure 

In 2023, there will be three categories of RUGS Program grants that are described in detail below:

  1. User Group Grants
  2. Conference Grants 
  3. Special Projects Grants

Duration of the 2023 RUGS Program

The 2023 RUGS Program will open on March 1, 2023 and close at midnight PST on September 30, 2023.

How to apply for a RUGS Program Grant

To apply for a grant fill out this form. Be sure to select the correct box to indicate whether you are applying for a use group, conference, or special projects grant.

 

User Group Grants

The intent of user group grants is to facilitate the person-to-person exchange of R knowledge in small group settings on a global scale. We continue to believe that the most effective way for people to learn from and about each other, and to set and accomplish common goals is to meet face-to-face on a regular basis. User group grants are intended to help people form enduring local R communities. Active user groups may apply for grants on a yearly basis. Because it is likely that the persistence of COVID-19 will again limit in-person events in 2023, the RUGS program will continue to support virtual events as well as in-person events.

Requirements

To be eligible for a RUGS grant, a user group must:

  1. Have R as a primary focus
  2. Adhere to the Code of Conduct published on the R Consortium website
  3. Agree to participate in the RUGS meetup.com Pro program and use their meetup.com site to announce and track meetings
  4. Acknowledge the R Consortium as a sponsor and display the R Consortium logo on the group’s website
  5. Agree to write at least two blog post per year about their group’s activities for possible publication on the R Consortium Blog
  6. Comply with the instructions completing a W9 Form (US based groups only) or Wire Transfer form (Groups based outside of the US)

Structure

R user groups grants under the RUGS 2023 program come in two parts:

  1. R user groups that are not already participating in the RUGS meetup.com Pro account will be enrolled into this program. The R Consortium will pay the group’s meetup.com fees for twelve months after acceptance into the program. Thereafter, the R Consortium will continue to pay meetup.com dues for participating groups as long as the groups comply with the requirements above, remain active, continue to meet at least once every three months, and use meetup.com to schedule and announce meetings. User group organizers do not need to re-apply for meetup.com Pro account participation if the group’s meetup.com account remains active.
  2. Cash grants typically vary between $200 and $1,000 and depend on group size and special needs.

Notes

  1. R-Ladies maintains a separate meetup.com Pro account. R-Ladies groups must apply directly to R-Ladies for acceptance into their program. They will not be automatically entered into the RUGS meetup.com Pro account.
  2. The R Consortium maintains the right to terminate the RUG’s Pro program at any time. Additionally, The R Consortium has the right to terminate a group’s participation in the meetup.com Pro program if they do not comply with the requirements specified in the Code of Conduct.

Before applying for a grant

  • User group must have R as a primary focus
  • Agree to write at least two blog posts per year about their group’s activities for possible publication on the R Consortium Blog
  • provide university credentials (i.e. university email address, university phone number and university address)
  • Individuals participating in RUGS grant program must be the same individuals receiving funding
  • Applicants must submit billing documentation (W9 or wire transfer form) within one week of contract signature
  • Applicants must specify on application if they’re requesting funding for a *new* meetup group or an existing meetup group
  • Existing meetup groups must provide url for their existing meetup group

After Receiving a Grant

  • Adhere to the Code of Conduct published on the R Consortium website
  • Agree to participate in the RUGS meetup.com Pro program and use their meetup.com site to announce and track meetings
  • Acknowledge the R Consortium as a sponsor and display the R Consortium logo on the group’s website, upon grant approval/funding
  • Comply with the instructions completing a W9 Form (US based groups only) or Wire Transfer form (Groups based outside of the US)

2023 Conference Grants

To qualify for a RUGS program conference grant, an event must be focused on the R language, offer at least one full day of technical talks and presentations, and aim to attract participants with diverse backgrounds. RUGS conference grants are for conferences organized by non-profit or volunteer groups.

For good examples of conferences, please see Bioconductor, Rencontres.

Conference grants do not apply to workshops. A conference is a singular event at a particular time and place, involving hundreds of participants and tens of speakers who have been selected from applicants responding to the call for abstracts. It is expected that conference organizers will have expenses that include paying for a venue, arranging for insurance to cover a possible financial loss, providing multiple meals for attendees and arranging for housing for people traveling from out of town.

A workshop is an event that may be easily replicated using materials developed by a small number of workshop leaders who may also be the workshop organizers. If you are seeking funding for a workshop please apply under the special grants section below. Note that we will only consider workshops using high-quality teaching materials developed by the speakers. We also expect that these materials will be made available in a publicly accessible repository with an appropriate open source license. You will be asked to submit a sample of your workshop materials before a decision for funding is made.

If you are seeking a sponsorship for your professional event, please reach out to sponsorship@r-consortium.org.

Requirements

Before applying for a grant

To be eligible for consideration, a conference must::

  • Be organized around the R Language or demonstrate that there will be significant R content.
  • Have a web page that provides basic typical information such as:
    • The theme or purpose of the conference
    • The date, time and location of the conference
    • Registration fees listed for classes of attendees (e.g. corporate, student etc.) and mechanism for people to register
    • Sponsorship details (R Consortium logo should not be posted until grant is approved and contract is signed) along with details on classes of sponsorship and any associated benefits.
    • A list of sponsors
    • A section on how to submit talks and a mechanism for people to submit talks
    • A list of keynote speakers (if any)
    • A schedule of talks and events
    • A list of confirmed speakers
    • Information about travel and housing
    • A code of conduct that uses or is compatible with the R Consortium’s Code of Conduct that provides information about how conference participants can report violations or seek help.

After Receiving a Grant

  • Applicants must submit billing documentation (W9 or wire transfer form) within one week of contract signature
  • Conference organizers must:
    • Acknowledge the R Consortium as a sponsor and display the R Consortium logo on the conference website.
    • Provide at least one full admission ticket for an R Consortium member. Write a short report after the conference summarizing what happened, describing highlights, and providing key metrics for the conference including demographics for the attendees in a way that would be suitable for publication as an R Consortium blog post.
    • Offer the R Consortium the same benefits that conference offers to other sponsors at the same level of support.
    • Comply with local Covid-19 public health protocols.

Note

Any grant relating to a specific activity will be canceled if (a) the activity to which it relates is canceled without rescheduling, or (b) the activity has otherwise not occurred within 365 days of the date of the grant, 

Special Projects Grants

While we believe it is essential to support user groups and R conferences we don’t believe that these kinds of events comprise everything that can be done to support the R Community. With our Special Projects Grants categories, we hope to stimulate the imagination of local R community builders.

Requirements

Before applying for a grant

To be eligible for consideration, a request for a special purpose grant must be accompanied by a proposal to be uploaded as part of your application. The proposal must:

  • Make a business case for the project
  • Describe how it will benefit the R Community
  • Describe who will participate
  • What it will cost to participate
  • What will happen
  • What work products (if any) might result
  • When and where the project will happen
  • Who will manage and produce the project
  • How much it will cost
  • Include a detailed breakdown of how grant money will be spent
  • Have a Code of Conduct 

After Receiving a Grant

  • Applicants must submit billing documentation (W9 or wire transfer form) within one week of contract signature
  • Acknowledge the R Consortium as a sponsor and display the R Consortium logo on any associated online websites or promotional material
  • Applicant billing information must match applicant contact information
  • Participants must:
    • Event participants must adhere to the Code of Conduct
    • Comply with local COVID-19 public health protocols

Also, note that any training materials developed with R Consortium funds must be made publically available with an open source license.

How to Apply for a RUGS, Conference, or Special Projects Grant

Apply for a grant by filling out this form. Be sure to select the correct box on the form that indicates whether you are applying for a RUGS grant, a conference grant, or a special projects grant.

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