Research Student Conference Travel Grants

The Research Student Conference Travel Grants were established by the University to subsidise attendance by Higher Degree by research candidates at conferences in Australia and overseas to present a paper or poster that will result in a significant improvement to the quality of their thesis.

The University provides limited funds for assistance on a competitive basis for travel to conferences by postgraduate research students. This award will be titled the Research Student Overseas Conference Travel Grant.

Benefits

Eligible applicants can receive up to:

a maximum of $2,500 for international travel or
a maximum of $500 for domestic travel.

The grant will remain accessible until the allocated funds for the current year have been exhausted. Once the budget for the period is depleted, the grant offering will cease until the commencement of the subsequent year or until additional funding is made available.

Eligibility

Candidates for Research Student Conference Travel Grants:

will normally be enrolled in the University in the second year full-time equivalent of a Masters degree by research or in a Doctorate by research; and,
must have received their confirmation of candidature and will have 6 months or more remaining of their candidature upon return; and,
must be presenting a paper or poster at a conference; and
must have the unqualified support of his/her supervisor; and
must not be members of staff eligible for AOU travel funds; and,
not have been in previous receipt of the Research Student Conference Travel Grant in their current candidature; and
not be under examination at the time of application

Application Information

Applications will be opened on the 1st of January each year and will remain open until the funding allocation is exhausted. Applications for conference travel support must be submitted online with all supporting documentation no less than 6 weeks before the intended conference dates. Incomplete and retrospective applications will not be accepted.

Students should not pay for travel insurance when booking flights as this can be arranged and paid for by the University receiving the Conference Travel Grant funding.

If available at the time of application the following should be provided; an abstract of the paper/poster to be presented and written confirmation that the paper/poster has been accepted.

Please note that acceptance to present at the conference is not required to apply, the committee will assume that acceptance is forthcoming. However, funds will not be awarded until evidence of acceptance is received.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be merit selected including meeting eligibility criteria, the content of the application and the support of the Supervisor. The Scholarships team together with the HDR Scholarships Committee approval will endeavour to review and process applications 4 - 6 weeks from receipt of a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Supporting Documentation

The following supporting documentation must be supplied with the application:

The quality and international standing of the conference. Indicators may include the relationship of the conference to professional associations or journals; the reputation of the organisers; the reputation of invited or keynote speakers; the history and frequency of the conference; a description of the peer review process; information on whether and how conference proceeding will be published and whether these comprise full paper or abstracts.
Relevance of the conference to the candidate’s study. Indicate how well the conference is focussed on the area of the candidate’s study or if the conference has a wide scope if there are specific components such as special sessions or workshops closely related to the study.
The progress the student has made toward completion and research outputs. Indicators may include a list of significant milestones completed compared to ones still to be achieved; a list accepted publication (please provide full citations); positive contributions to the study resulting from attendance at previous conferences.
Expected impact on the thesis. Presenting work at a conference benefits the student by providing exposure, obtaining feedback from experts, meeting researchers with common interests, and becoming aware of current trends and direction in the field. These benefits are taken as self-evident and need not be reiterated. Instead, please describe any further expected benefits to thesis specific to the conference.

Scope of Support

Assistance will normally be limited airfare costs direct to the location of the conference up to the maximum allowance for international and domestic travel. Subject to the availability of funds, only a portion of these costs may be covered.

In cases where travel is not permitted/recommended by DFAT or Flinders University, the grant may be used to cover the cost of registration to a virtual conference.

Additional Requirements

Recipients who receive a Research Student Conference Travel Grant are required to:

remain enrolled at the University for at least six months after attending a conference, or they will be required to refund the amount allocated to them. This provision will not apply to students who are in the last six months of their candidature and will submit their thesis in that time. Students can not be under examination at the time of application or intended travel.
Successful recipients must provide a brief written report to their supervisor and the HDR Scholarships Committee on return from the conference; and
be available to present a verbal report to the Higher Degree Research Scholarships Committee upon request; and
present to the Scholarships Office the original receipts up to the amount awarded.

Conditions of Award

How to apply

Applications should be submitted online through the Flinders University Student System. Applicants will need to login and navigate to the My Scholarships tab to submit an application. The application form for this scholarship is called “Research Student Conference Travel Grant”, or you can search for it by the keyword "conference travel". Please ensure all of your personal details are up-to-date in Student System before applying as you will be assessed using the information in the Student System, including your home and semester address, citizenship etc.

Submit an application