The ATLAS RFP states on page 2, Section C: “funds may be requested for travel related to presentations of ATLAS-funded work.” However, page 10, Section f states: “Requests to attend conferences to present ATLAS-funded work are strongly discouraged.” Can you clarify?

Requests for this kind of travel are not disallowed – distinguished from conference travel that doesn’t include an project-related presentation, which may not be requested – but are discouraged and funded only rarely because they tend not to be essential for near-term completion of the work in hand, so not aligned with ATLAS’s overarching goal. Given the extremely limited funds in the program and large number of proposals – too many of high quality to fund – typically panels will look less favorably on funding an activity that might raise the profile of the work in limited professional circles but not markedly contribute to its completion (especially since, once at the ATLAS stage, the work should be in the final stages). Any request, then, should very strongly demonstrate that the conference presentation contributes substantively to the completion of the work in the very near term.