The University's Research, Innovation & Development Trust (RIDT) is offering competitive travel grants to registered Ph.D. candidates. These grants will cover partial expenses related to participation in overseas conferences where the candidates’ research findings are disseminated through first-author papers or posters.
A call for applications is published three times a year, in January, May and October. Applications can be submitted through the Application form (Form A), which will be evaluated by a board made up of representatives of the Doctoral School, the RIDT and the Pro-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer.
Applicants will be informed within one month of the closing date of the call whether their application has been successful. The application must be approved prior to attendance at the conference. Thus, applications for conferences taking place within one month of the closing date of the call or earlier, will NOT be considered.
Grants will be paid as a reimbursement of expenses properly incurred, and can cover conference registration fees, economy class travel and other eligible costs as listed in the General Conditions for Overseas Travel below. Payments are only made once expenses are claimed by completing the Reimbursement Form (Form B) by no later than 15 days after travel has been completed.
The grant will cover 75% of expenses incurred, up to a maximum of €1,750.
The grant is approved once during the duration of the Ph.D. studies.
To be eligible, applicants must:
The following criteria will be taken into consideration when shortlisting candidates and awarding a grant:
It is important that students who wish to be considered for a travel grant read and understand the conditions which appear here. It is understood that if something is not clear, clarification should be sought from the Doctoral School before incurring expenses.
AIRFARE
• All airfare (economy class) receipts must be itemised. Do not book travel packages that include hotel + airfare + transport for one price. Travel insurance is a refundable expense and can be listed as part of the airfare.
• Please keep a copy of the boarding passes.
• All travel must depart from and return to Malta.
ACCOMODATION
• Only hotel room rate and room tax are reimbursable. The name on the bill must be the student’s own. If students are sharing the room, a bill for each occupant should be provided. Itemised receipts for room service are reimbursable and should be submitted along with hotel bill.
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FEES
• Conference student rate (where applicable) registration fees can be reimbursed. A copy of the agenda, flyer or invitation and itemized receipt reflecting form of payment should be submitted on the reimbursement form.
PRINTING OF POSTER
• The cost of printing the poster presented at the conference can be reimbursed against the presentation of a receipt.
TRANSPORTATION
• Ground transportation, such as train, coach, bus, taxi and subway, is reimbursable against a receipt. The use of a taxi is limited to two trips: from the airport to the accommodation and back.
MEALS AND INCIDENTAL EXPENSES
• Meals are reimbursed on an actual basis. Submit itemised meal receipts with date of transaction for reimbursement. Credit card receipts without the itemised dining details are not acceptable.
OUT-OF-POCKET USE OF FUNDS
• In the case of multiple students travelling to the same event, DO NOT share or split costs for meals, rooms, transportation, etc. Reimbursement expenses are tracked per individual and not per event; therefore, expenses must be paid per individual only and cannot be shared or split.
TRAVEL VISA
• The cost of a Travel Visa can be reimbursed against the presentation of a receipt.
NON-REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES
• Airplane WiFi
• Electricity adapters
• Stationery to be used during the conference
• Newspapers/Magazines
• Social functions/Cultural visits
• Gym fees
• Movies purchased as part of the hotel room
• Alcohol/Tobacco purchases (including during meals)
The Reimbursement Form (Form B) must be submitted within 15 days of arrival. Failure to submit within this time period may result in the non-reimbursement of funds. All receipts must be scanned and submitted on the form.
• An individual scan of the original detailed and itemised receipts for ALL expenditures, clearly indicating the amount, method of payment and zero balance. If mode of payment is not indicated on receipts, bank/credit card statements need to be submitted. Foreign receipts should be translated into English. In the case of receipts in a currency other than Euro, please give proof of the amount deducted by the bank/service provider, in Euro. It is advisable that payments are not issued in cash; online or card payments are preferred.
• Proof of conference attendance, including a copy of the conference programme, flyer or invitation clearly stating date and location of the conference.
• A travel report including a detailed resume of the of the conference experience and the accepted/published abstract of the work presented.
It is the student’s responsibility to submit all documentation for the entire trip. Original receipts should be kept by the student for one year as these may be requested for auditing purposes.
Have a look at the fields required on both forms: Application Form (Form A) [PDF] and Reimbursement Form (Form B) [PDF]
Contact us by email or by phone on 23403608.