Travel-, conference- and mobility grants

During your PhD-studies you are expected to and probably wants to participate in national and international conferenced. Maybe you also wish to spend time at another university abroad?

There is a variety of funders to apply at. Your school may open calls for internationalization funds (check with your supervisor or the head of your school) and there are funders who grants participation, travels and stay.

To find funds

There is a plethora of funds to explore, how to proceed?

• register for an account at the research funding database Research Professional (intranet Inforum) and set up a search in your research area.
• ask your fellow PhD-students, your supervisor and other researchers for advice.
• read thesis and see who makes it to the acknowledgements section, often funders for travels and others are receiving gratitude
• start with what is specific for you – your field, the theme of your thesis, the place you are from, associations and federations you belong to and so on.

Advice on how to apply

• Make a list of possible funders and lay them out in a calendar to see when different funders are in season. Many funders will have one or two periods of open calls, some are open to applications continuously. Always plan ahead!
• When you find the perfect funder for you – start with an exciting, important and feasible idea. Present it at the very beginning of your application and motivate why you should have money for this and why now.
• Follow the funder’s directions. I some cases your supervisor will have to certify that you can apply for the grant. Ask for a certificate in good time. Some funders will ask for a birth certificate (“personbevis”) which will take a few days to requisition from “Skattemyndigheten”. You may also require to have a contribution for the conference accepted to be granted funds for travels. Make sure to enclose a confirmation of acceptance to the conference.
• Describe the project, the trip or your participation in the conference. Be sure to motivate the costs and specify how the applied money will be spent.
• And then the fine tuning – make your application look good and appealing. Don’t write longer than necessary – the presentation of a good idea can be held short.

Tips!

See if your supervisor can provide funds for participation in international conferences and activities.

Keep in mind that if you are employed as a PhD-student you are entitled to an allowance, on the contrary to those who are funded by education grants.