Funding

You want to use your IMPRS Travel Fund? Here is what you have to do BEFORE your trip:

• IMPRS travel funding authorisation. Make your request using this form and send it to the IMPRS coordination office together with your
• Business travel authorisation. If you have acontract with the MPI-AB, please send us the filled MPI-AB business travel authorisation form. If you have a contract with the U KN, additionally also submit the U KN business travel authorisation to the IMPRS coordination office. When filling in the Uni KN form, make sure to tick the box for “Business trip without travel allowance” (below “To the Human Resources Division”) and under “To the Division of Financial Affairs” the box “other funds” and add “IMPRS-QBEE graduate school”.
• Booking. As described above (see Reimbursement), you either book yourself and file a reimbursement later, OR you ask us to book and pay for you.

You paid yourself and want to be reimbursed? This is what you need to do AFTER your trip:

• if you have an MPI-AB contract, please fill out the MPI-AB travel expense report and the MPI-AB list of costs for reimbursement. Attach all proof of payment and (ideally) original receipts and send it to the IMPRS coordination office
• if you have an U KN contract, please fill out the MPI-AB “Auslagenerstattung” and send it to the IMPRS coordination office. If receive additional reimbursement via the U KN, please also fill out the U KN travel expense report and send it to the U KN.

You may add a few extra days to your trip. However, keep in mind that if you are planning a private trip joined to the start or the end of the business trip, this cannot extend beyond five working days or else the IMPRS will not be able to refund you. Furthermore, proof that the actual cost of the travel tickets has to be the same or below the amount, if only the working period tickets would be purchased.

As described above, our Travel Team is happy to help you with organising your trip.

Objective
The IMPRS Bridge Funding aims to enable IMPRS doctoral students without funding to finish their doctoral project. This additional funding through the IMPRS will only be possible after the 3rd year, preferably during the 4th year. The IMPRS funding may be approved upon application for a maximum of 6 months and covers salary (contract based on TVöD 13, 65%) only. Travel, fees, equipment or other are NOT covered! In case of exceptional circumstances, it is possible to apply for a second Bridge Funding. In this case, please provide additional information in the “personal advocation box” on the application form.

Prerequisites / Criteria for eligibility
To be eligible for the Bridge Funding, the following conditions must be met:

• The Bridge Funding phase must be conducted within the research group of their doctoral supervisor;
• There must be no other employment or funding during the contract runtime of Bridge Funding;
• For the contract to be drawn-up, the doctoral candidate must have an address in Germany.

Application procedure
There will be three calls each year: March 15^th, July 15^th, and November 15^th. Please apply for Bridge Funding before the current contract / funding runs out (!) by submitting the following documents to the IMPRS coordination office:

• Bridge Funding application form;
• Letter by the doctoral candidate including...
  • a description of the status of the doctoral project (max 1 page);
  • a realistic plan on how to finish the PhD during the Bridge Funding period, including concrete goals, for example by using a Gantt chart or similar (max 1 page);
  • a statement whether the doctoral candidate has previously received Bridge Funding and if yes, an explanation to why the doctoral project could not be finished within the first Bridge Funding period (please see “personal advocation” below);
• Statement from supervisor on why they cannot assume the requested funding;
• Academic CV of the doctoral student. Please include…
  • publications and conference contributions
  • awards and grants
  • seminars, workshops, retreats
  • time as PhD representative, etc.

• Copies of the TAC meeting minutes specifying the development of the project, financial schedule, and if required respective actions. Reasons for potential non-fulfillment of the TAC meeting requirements should be explained by the applicant;
• Personal advocation (optional for first-time applicants, mandatory for second-time applicants): The candidate can provide additional information relevant to the status of the PhD project including exceptional circumstances responsible for delay. Information may concern family constraints, (mental) illness, residency status and constraints impacting the advancement of the doctoral project. First-time applicants unsure whether or not to make use of the personal advocation box may reach out to the IMPRS coordinator in confidentiality.

Evaluation procedure
The application will be checked for completeness and eligibility by the IMPRS coordinator. The IMPRS board will review all eligible applications. Decisions will be based on the following criteria:

• Duration of the doctoral project;
• First-time or second-time IMPRS Bridge Funding;
• Feasibility to submit the thesis within the requested period;
• Reasonability of the statement from supervisor;
• CV
• TAC meeting reports
• if applicable or necessary: information provided in the personal advocation box

If you or a group of IMPRS doctoral students would like financial support for an event, please put together a mini-application for the funds addressed to the IMPRS board. For any questions and to process your proposal please get in touch with the IMPRS coordinator. 

Within this proposal make sure to include the following:

• Application for event sponsorship:
• Background info:
• Who is organizing:
• Where /When:
• How would this be advantageous for our program and Universität Konstanz in general?
• Budget: including
• Who do you have providing other sponsorship?
• How active you have been to find other sources of funding?
• Diversity statement
• Deadline September/October of the year before the funding is required for large event applications
• for smaller project grants, please apply by 15^th February, 15^th of June and 15^th of October

What can be purchased with these funds?

MPG-IMPRS funds can only be used for what falls under „individual qualification purposes“. This means the IMPRS doctoral students cannot use the money to „donate“ it to their field partners or pay for staff at the field station or contribute to any other running costs of a fieldsite. Likewise, the purchase of material (drone, camera, diving material etc.) doesn’t qualify as „individual qualification“. Material should always be provided by MPIAB/UniKN scientific budget.

If while staying at the fieldsite abroad the IMPRS funds, if granted additionally through the small grant application scheme can be used for such purposes: travel, accommodation, training/workshops, medical costs (diving certificate) at the fieldsite.

Note that you have to apply for the grant beforehand and be awarded it before the payments can be covered.

Most IMPRS PhD students have a work contract with either the UKN or the MPI-AB, but some receive scholarships. To balance out differences in payment levels and social security, PhD scholarship holders usually have an additional contract with either the U KN or the MPI-AB. The salary level and social security included in this “top-up” contract depend heavily on the scholarship, as they come with restrictions. Essentially, PhD students need to negotiate the details of their top-up contract with their supervisor and the respective HR team.

Even if you have been offered a contract, you can still apply for a scholarship and potentially switch from a PhD contract to a scholarship (and back again) during your PhD. As with many things in life, there are advantages and disadvantages to both options: a PhD contract versus a scholarship. Neither is inherently worse or better than the other. Rather, the better option for you depends on your situation, future plans and circumstances.