FAQs/Guidelines

Who can apply for a travel allowance from the Young Researchers Fund?
The travel allowance is open to doctoral candidates who are officially admitted to their Faculty at Heidelberg University (Annahme als Doktorand*in). Eligibility for funding ends at the end of the month in which your doctoral studies at Heidelberg University end for other reasons (e.g. termination of your doctoral studies in Heidelberg or transfer to another university to pursue doctoral studies).
Note: The funding is awarded in the form of allowances. The award of an allowance does not establish an enployment relationship between Heidelberg University and the recipient. The recipient of the allowance may not be obligated to perform any specific academic service or employment activity in connection with the allowance.

What kind of trips are supported by the travel allowances?
You can apply for a travel allowance to:

• carry out a research trip (in Germany or abroad) for the purpose of gathering data or research work in libraries or archives, conducting interviews, use of special equipment, networking etc. The research trip must be relevant to your doctoral project.
• attend a conference (in Germany or abroad) with direct relevance to your doctoral project.
• attend a summer or winter school (in Germany or abroad) with direct relevance to your doctoral project.
• attend a workshop (in Germany or abroad) with direct relevance to your doctoral project.

Note: You have to go on the trip within the time period mentioned in the call for applications.
Please note the Heidelberg Unviersity’s travel regulations as well as the country-specific travel warnings made by the Federal Foreign Office.

What are the selection criteria?
A travel allowance from the Young Researchers Fund will be awarded on the basis of the following criteria:

• Performance in the completed course of studies with relevance to your doctorate
• Level of innovation as well as social relevance of the work
• Of secondary importance: abbility to afford the trip

Which costs can be covered by the travel allowance?
The following costs can be covered:

• Costs for outward and return trip as well as local public transportation (airfare, train faire, tickets for public transportation)
• Costs for accommodation without meals (hotel, private room rental, guesthouse apartment), at the most from one day before to one day after the event
• Conference fees (registration / participation fees)

Please note that the following costs cannot be reimbursed:

• Costs for meals,
• costs for books, photocopies and leasure activities,
• costs for private travels and
• costs for trip cancellation insurance.

Notes:

• When applying for a travel allowance, you must adhere to the principles of economy and cost effectivenes. Train travel (2nd class, economy fare) is preferable to air travel.  
• Travel expenses of up to € 1,500 can be reimbursed from the Young Researchers Fund. The amount awarded for a travel allowance will be based on the expected expenses that you list on your application form. If your actual expenses exceed the amount for which you have applied, the difference will not be refunded.
• Reimbursement will be made after the trip has taken place on the basis of the submitted receipts. You must send the the original receipts together with a copy of your approval of the travel allowance to Division for Foundations and Assets | Department 8.1 Foundations and Assets | Seminarstraße 2 | 69117 Heidelberg no later than one month after the trip has taken place.
• If your trip is financially supported by an external funding, please submit a copy of your application to the external organisation / institution.

When does the trip have to take place?
The trip must take place in the half-year following the application period. The time period will be mentioned in the call for applications.

When can I apply?
The application period will be mentioned in the call for applications. Your application must be submitted before the start of the trip. If your trip takes place during the travel period and before the end of the evaluation period, we will not be able to notify you of the results of your application before the trip begins. Note: Applications received after the deadline as well as incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Can I apply for a travel allowance before I have received the acceptance confirmation (from the conference / summer or winter school organisers) or invitation letter? 
Yes. In such cases, the award of a travel allowance is conditional upon the receipt of the acceptance confirmation / invitation letter. Please indicate on the application form when you expect to hear from the organiser / research institute and submit the acceptance letter as soon as you receive it via email to the Graduate Academy.

How can I apply?
The application for a travel allowance takes place in three steps:

1. Fill out and send the online application form (link)
2. Fill out the application form and send the application documents via email to the Graduate Academy:  

   ga-docs@uni-heidelberg.de

    Documents to be submitted:
   • Application form (PDF document)
   • Degree certificate of the last course of studies
   • Acceptance as a doctoral candidate or enrolment for doctoral studies
   • If applicable, confirmation of acceptance (conferences, etc.) / invitation letter (research travel)
   • If applicable, confirmation of funding for acquired external funding
      
3. Evaluation by your first doctoral supervisor (PDF document)

The evaluation must be sent via email by your first doctoral supervisor directly to the Graduate Academy
ga-docs@uni-heidelberg.de
by the end of the deadline mentioned in the call for applications. If it is not possible for your first supervisor to fill out the evaluation form for you (e.g. due to illness, parental leave etc.), you can ask another professor in your subject area to evaluate your application and complete the form for you.

Please note: Please fill out the application form eletronically. Save the form on your computer before filling it out, otherwise your data may not be transmitted correctly. After filling out the form, please save it again. Please use an Apple or Windows operating system to fill out the forms. The forms are not compatible with a Linux system.

All three steps must be completed by the end of the application deadline and the required documents must be received by the Graduate Academy by the end of the deadline mentioned in the call for applications.
Note: Applications received after the deadline as well as incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Can I apply for a travel allowance if I receive another grant for the trip?
External co-funding ist possible. Please mention it at the appropriate place in the form who will provide the funding and how much you will receive or to whom you have applied for financial support.

Do I need to submit any additional documents other than those listed under “application documents“?
Further documents such as publications, presentations, additional recommendation letters or CVs etc. do not have to be submitted and will not be considered in the selection process.

When will I be notified of the decision regarding my application?
The evaluation of the applications received is expected to take about 6 weeks. You will receive a notification after the decision has been made. Please refrain from asking questions about the status of the selection decision. Thank you very much.
Please note: If your travel date still falls within the period of the assessment, we will not be able to inform you before your travel date whether your application will be approved. It is not possible to accelerate the selection decision.

How will the travel allowance be paid?
Reimbursement will be made on the basis of the expected expenses indicated in the application form. Expenses that exceed the calculated amount will not be refunded. Expenses for which you do not have a receipt cannot be reimbursed.
You must send all your receipts (original receipts) with a copy of your approval of the travel allowance no later than one month after the trip has taken place to Division for Foundations and Assets | Department 8.1 Foundations and Assets | Seminarstraße 2, 69117 Heidelberg.

When will I receive the travel allowance?
If you are awarded a travel allowance, your expenses will be reimbursed after you have completed your trip. Please note that the documents required for the payment need to be submittted to the relevant office no later than one month after the trip has taken place.

What happens to my travel allowance if I cannot go on my planned trip?
The travel allowance is not transferable to another person or to a different trip. Therefore, if you are unable to carry out your planned trip, you will automatically forfeit your travel allowance. In this case, please inform the Graduate Academy as soon as possible. We recommend that you take out trip cancellation insurance. Please note that these costs are not covered by the travel allowance.

What happens if my research trip has to be postponed?
It is possible to postpone a research trip; however, in this case you must contact the Graduate Academy as soon as possible in order to notify us of the new dates. The travel allowance will apply to the postponed trip only if the purpose and destination of it remains unchanged.