Graduate School
MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY RESEARCH STUDENT CONFERENCE* FUND
The aim of this fund is to assist postgraduate research students in attending national or international conferences* to present their research. The fund can assist with the costs of travel, conference registration fees and accommodation expenses, and are intended to supplement the applicant’s own contribution or funds from other sources.
Please pay careful attention to the deadlines on the Conference Funding website and make sure that you are making your application within the correct timeframe.
Aim of the fund:
To provide postgraduate research students with the opportunity to refine their research by exposing it to external peer review by presenting a paper, poster or other work at a conference (‘*conference’, as used in this document will also relate to other research events and exhibitions). The fund will also provide postgraduate research students with the opportunity to network and interact with some of the best researchers in their field.
Who is eligible?
Manchester Met Postgraduate Research Students: Home, EU, overseas, full-time, part-time, distance learning PhD students, professional doctorate students, and collaborative students in these categories are all eligible to apply for conference funding support.
The fund is not open to permanent members of staff who are students or to students who are Associate Lecturers or Tutors. Postgraduate Teaching Assistants are eligible. Staff members should discuss conference attendance with their line manager or the Head of Faculty Research Degrees.
Conference funding supportwill not be approved until Registration (RD1) has been approved.
What can be claimed?
The fund can be used to provide a contribution towards the costs of travel, accommodation and conference fees that are incurred as a result of the attendance at overseas and UK conferences. The maximum contribution will be £250 for UK conferences and £400 for EU and Overseas conferences.
Conditions of use:
Only one application per student per academic year will be permitted. Priority will be given to students who have not received funding in previous years. The maximum number of applications each student can submit is two.
Before submitting an application, students needto investigate alternative funding sources. Students are required to provide evidence to show that they have investigated both internal and external sources of funding for conference attendance and evidence of both should be provided with the application. The Director of Studies or supervisors will be able to guide students to appropriate sources.
Application Process:
Students will be required to complete the application form within the correct timeframe, having read these specific notes of guidance. Conference attendance will need to be evidenced by the organising body to indicate that the student is presenting a paper, poster or other work and the form is signed by the Director of Studies or Primary Supervisor.
An application form must be submitted to the Manchester Met Graduate School by the deadline stipulated on the website, within the correct timeframe. Forms should be sent to Madelyn Hickman (). A reply will be sent to confirm receipt. Retrospective applications or those not fitting with the timeframes mentioned on the Conference Funding websitewill not be accepted.
The application will be reviewed by the Head of Graduate School and decisions will be sent via email to the student and supervisory team within around2 weeks of consideration by the Head.
On return from the conference, students will be required to:
(i) complete a FIN1C form and submit it within one month of returning from their conference. The form must detail all legitimate expenditure and original receipts (or DoS-signed photocopies) should be attached.
(ii) complete a short Conference Experience Report(template will be provided) and returned to the Graduate School for use on our web pages – please note that submission of this report is a condition of payment.
Please note that retrospective changes to an application cannot be made.
Criteria:
You must provide evidence to show that you have been accepted to present a paper/poster/other work at a research conference. We are unable to fund attendance at a conference if you are not presenting your research. The aim of this scheme is to give students the opportunity to disseminate their research. It is not designed to support students who wish to attend courses, schools or to take up internships. Other forms of presentation equivalent to giving a paper, including those relating to practice-based research, will be considered and will be judged on a case-by-case basis by the Research Degrees Committee. Any alternative forms of presentation such as the performance or display of creative outputs must be delivered in conjunction with some form of critical reflection or written articulation of the work.
Applications will be considered only in cases where your Director of Studies or main Supervisor agrees that the conference is relevant to your research.
Students must seek internal and external funding for conference attendance in the first instance and this should be evidencedin the application. In exceptional cases, the student, supported by the Director of Studies or main Supervisor, may present a case where no funding opportunities exist in their field/area of studies. For further information on sources of funding, please consult your supervisory team, Head of Faculty Research Degrees, Head of Department or Research Centre Head.
-ESRC funded students should use their RTSG funds to attend conferences in the first instance. If a student has spent their RTSG allocation they will be eligible to apply to this Graduate School Fund.
-AHRC funded students are encouraged to apply in the first instance for the AHRC Travel Funds available at Faculty Level. If they have already received support through the AHRC during the current academic year they will be eligible to apply for the Graduate School funds.
Assessment and award:
Once your application has been considered by the Head of the Graduate School, you will be notified of the decision. If you are successful in gaining funding, an email will be sent to you, which will give details of your entitlement.
Attached to the email will be:
(i) a FIN1C form for you to complete and submit to the Graduate School to make a claim with your original receipts.
(ii) a short Conference Experience Report template to be filled out and returned to the Graduate School for use on our web pages– please note that submission of this report is a condition of payment.
If you are unsuccessful, you will be sent an email detailing the reason for this.
Payment will be made up to a maximum contribution of £250 for UK conferences and up to £400 for overseas and EU conferences. As there are only limited funds available, we would recommend that travel should be by the most economical means available, and must be by standard-class public transport except in exceptional circumstances. Students should, where possible, also register early for conferences to take advantage of ‘early-bird’ registration fees.
Once your attendance at the conference has been approved, you may not change the dates or details of the conference without prior authorisation from the Graduate School.
Travel insurance cover:
Manchester Met does not provide travel insurance for students.
Here are some points below to consider below when you are searching for an insurance provider and what that insurance should cover as a minimum:
Essential:
•Medical and Hospital Expenses (unlimited cover advisable but no less than £2 million).
•Repatriation (unlimited cover advisable but no less than £2 million – sometimes combined with medical expenses).
•Personal Liability (no less than £1 million)
•Kidnap and Ransom
•Legal expenses cover
•Personal accident (in case death, injury or illness causes lasting consequence)
Desirable:
•Emergency replacement of Passport, visa, Travel Documents or Driving Licence
•Personal Belongings and Equipment
•Travel Delay/Cancellation/Curtailment (flights and accommodation costs)
•Personal accident (in case injury or illness causes lasting disability)
•Cover of student loan cost (not always available – normally only on student insurance packages)
Without purchasing your own accident and travel insurance your personal effects, medical expenses, travel risks are not insured and you have no cover for incidents and accidents that occur on your trip. It is therefore imperative that you buy personal accident and travel insurance. If you are EHIC eligible then it is advised you apply for one as some insurance companies may state you must get an EHIC card to make your insurance policy apply. Please remember to check your insurance policy wording carefully!
The University will not provide compensation for general losses or expenses abroad to students. It is your responsibility to ensure that the travel insurance you purchase is adequate for your needs and you must pay any excesses on the policy. Therefore, any reimbursement for losses will have to be sought from your personal travel insurance provider.
For your safety and so the University may help you quickly if you are incapacitated abroad, it is helpful to ensure you send the basic details of your travel insurance to the MMU staff trip organisers (which must include the policy number, insurer name and insurer overseas emergency contact number - this is a minimum) and make sure you print off a copy of your policy to take in your hand luggage.
*The term ‘Conference’ is used throughout for simplicity. It is intended to be interpreted in its widest definition and include all forms of recognised research dissemination that are available to MMU research students. These may be formal oral presentations at academic conferences, art exhibitions, music recitals with oral or written articulation of the research supporting the score, symposia, posters, or other forms of research output that can demonstrate clear involvement of the student as the main ‘presenter’ of the work and where there is direct or indirect peer involvement in an appropriate form of critical analysis made available to the student. The final decision on the appropriateness of the research request will remain with the Head of Graduate School.
If you have any queries regarding the completion of the forms please contact the Graduate School. Completed forms should be returned to Madelyn Hickman () Tel: 0161 247 3623
Conference Fund Guidance, version 4.0, 19/07/2017