Conference Travel & Research Visits

Student Conference Travel & Research Visits

Students must obtain approval and a support statement from their Supervisor in order to travel to a conference or visit an academic institute (even if the visit was previously approved in your PhD Proposal Budget). 

A Conference/Travel Request document must be submitted prior to the travel taking place.

Please note that failure to submit this request prior to travel may result in your expenses not being reimbursed.

PLEASE SUBMIT THE TRAVEL REQUEST FORM AVAILABLE HERE: DTC TRAVEL REQUEST FORM

NOTE: DICE Login required to submit the form. If you have trouble accessing the form please contact Informatics Computing Support. 

The form will request the following information:

1. Name of conference or academic institute you wish to attend (plus conference website if applicable)
   
2. Dates of conference/research visit (plus travel dates if travel is required before the start of the conference)
   
3. Purpose of the conference/research visit with a brief statement about why you wish to attend/visit
   
4. Whether or not you will be presenting your work and/or a poster at the conference, if applicable. (Please note: After the 1st year of your PhD it is expected that presentations will be given at all conferences attended; approval for attendance without presentation will be rare and will require specific justification from the supervisor.)
   
5. A travel budget with an estimated breakdown of expenses (travel, accommodation, meals...)
   
6. Date a response is required by

We will be in touch to let you know if your travel request has been approved, or to ask for more information.

Note that if your travel is dependent on acceptance of  your submitted materials, e.g. for a submission to a competitive conference, and you want to be able to act quickly once you learn of the acceptance, you can submit your travel request in advance.  In this case, specify that you will only attend if your presentation is accepted, and be sure not to spend any money against the approved budget until you know that you have been accepted. 

Long-Term Travel Policy

• While in Edinburgh, students are normally expected to pay for their subsistence, local travel (e.g. buses), and accommodation out of their own stipend.  Similarly, for a trip away from Edinburgh of 10 days duration or more, the DTC can only cover subsistence and local transportation for the first few days at the start and end of the trip, during periods when you are actually relocating and e.g. unable to prepare meals in the usual way.  Accommodation costs for such trips will be reimbursed as follows, depending on the duration:
  
• 10 days-1 month: Accommodation costs will be reimbursed in full, as long as the most economical type of available accommodation is used. 
  
• 1-6 months: Students should try to sublet or move out of their accommodation whenever possible, but where such subletting or moving out is not feasible (e.g. due to the lease contract, or because of the timing of the visit), the cost of long-term accommodation at the visit site will be reimbursed at 50%. 
  
• 6 months or more: Only brief hotel/hostel stays at the beginning and end of travel will be reimbursed; long-term accommodation costs should be paid from the stipend just as in Edinburgh.  You are expected to sublet or move out of your Edinburgh accommodation, and to arrange the timing of such visits to make this practical.
  

• It is a good idea to discuss accommodation options with your host very early, as some Universities have student housing that can be made available, or you may be able to schedule your arrival during a period when student accommodation is available at a low cost.
• Insurance should always be arranged for these visits through the University Travel Insurance policy and should be organised as per the instructions below.  

Travel Insurance

• Travel insurance can be arranged through the University's Travel Insurance Policy but should be arranged PRIOR to any travel taking place.
  
• If you are aware of your exact travel dates when submitting the request form please include these in your request.
  
• Alternatively, once your request has been approved as above, please email the relevant information as requested on the Travel Insurance Application Form to the DTC Admin Assistant using the  neuroinf[a]ed.ac.uk alias.
  The online form will then be submitted on your behalf with the relevant payment information so the payment is made directly from the DTC.
  

Claiming for Conference /Research Visit Expenses

• Only original itemised receipts will be accepted for payment, following the University's Finance policy.

• The most economical method of travelling should be used and travel should be booked as far in advance as possible.
  
• Students are expected to share accommodation wherever possible.  Please inform neuroinf[at]ed.ac.uk of your travel plans as early as possible so that the DTC administrators can let you know of other students travelling to the same destination, to help you set up such sharing arrangements.
  
• Expense claims for meals should only be claimed if not included with the conference during your travel.  Only moderately priced meals will be covered, and only for clearly travel-related reasons; e.g., meals will not be reimbursable for long trips (10 days or more) except during periods of actual relocation at the beginning and end of the trip.
  
• Upon returning from your travel please complete a UoE Claim for Expenses Form and submit to the DTC Admin Assistant in the Informatics Forum, room 5.39 as soon as possible. 
• All claims should be submitted in pounds sterling with a record of the currency conversion attached to your expense claim form.
  

 
Please contact  DTC Administration if you have any queries related to payment or reimbursement of Conference Travel Expenses using the Internal Enquiries form.