Travels and Grants
Travel
Whenever you travel, no matter if go to the field or to a conference, you need to file a travel authorisation form BEFORE your trip.
Depending on your work contract, you either need to use the MPI-AB travel authorisation form or the U KN travel authorisation form and send it either to your respective MPI-AB department’s assistant (Sabine, Dago, Katrin) or to the U KN, reagrdless of whether you are travelling for business purposes abroad or within Germany. The Business travel authorization is required to:
- inform your supervisor who also has to sign for your financial reimbursement,
- to make sure you are properly insured,
- to prepare your official deployment abroad (Entsendung) which is taken care of by Human Resources (HR)
If you are a MPI-AB PhD student, you can find all the required forms and contacts on the intranet (MAX) under Travel. If you are a U KN PhD student, you can find all the rquired forms and contacts on the (German) U KN website.
Reimbursement
Depending on your agreements and arrangements with your supervisor, the MPI-AB, the U KN, or the IMPRS, you may be eligible for financial compensation. If that is the case, you need to file a travel expense report either for the MPI-AB, the U KN, or the IMPRS.
Please clarify your eligibility for financial support with your supervisor, the MPI-AB, the U KN, or the IMPRS BEFORE you purchase anything!
When planning your trip and you are eligible for financial compensation, you have two main options:
- you book (and pay) everything by yourself in advance and ask for a refund later. This has to be done within 6 month or else you cannot be refunded anymore. Please also keep in mind that it may take up to several weeks until you receive your refund; OR
- you reach out to our Travel Team who will do the booking (and payment) for you. However, this is only possible if you contact them in due time before your trip!
If you are a MPI-AB PhD student, you can find all the required forms and contacts on the intranet (MAX) under Travel. If you are a U KN PhD student, you can find all the rquired forms and contacts on the (German) U KN website.
Grants
As a PhD student of the IMPRS, you have a 1’500€ travel fund that you may spend on conference fees, accomodation, or travelling. Besides the travel fund, you may also apply to bridge funding or small grants, please see below for more information.
The IMPRS offers each of its doctoral students 1’500 € travel fund to be used e.g. for conference registration fees, travel expenses, or accommodation. In order to be able to use your travel fund, you have to make your request before your trip using this form. Please also keep in mind to file your respective business travel authorisation form and travel expense report, if required.
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”.
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.
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 15th, July 15th, and November 15th. 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 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 15th February, 15th of June and 15th 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.