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GraCe Travel Scholarships

In the year 2024 doctoral candidates of the University of Freiburg (except from the Faculty of Medicine) can apply for travel scholarships for conferences, provided that the travel costs cannot be covered by funds of their institute, their doctoral program, or their doctoral scholarship donors.

The scholarship covers:

  • travels to or online formats of meetings, conferences, symposia, and summer schools that are relevant for the applicant’s dissertation and to which he or she will be making an individual contribution (e.g. talk, poster).


The scholarship does not cover:

  • research stays such as field work or research at archives;
  • conferences the applicant has already attended at the time of the application.


Recipients receive reimbursements for:

  • the participation fee as well as accommodation and travel costs in accordance with the State Law on the State Law on Travel Costs. For journeys within Germany and up to a duration of approx. 10 hours, only 2nd class train tickets can be reimbursed. When traveling by plane, a climate compensation (e.g. via Atmosfair) has to be paid. Employees of the University of Freiburg should use their university office address as invoice addresses.
  • as a rule, 50 % or 75 % of the costs you applied for. In exceptional cases, the costs of outstanding applicants can be reimbursed by 100 %.


Please note: Generally, GraCe travel scholarship cannot be combined with a business trip.

Applicants who already have received a GraCe scholarship should be aware:

  • generally, funding is possible every twelve months and two times in total.
 
Application procedure:
You may send your complete application documents (see list below) to GraCe by mail at any time. The selection committee meets up to four times a year in order to decide on which applications are to be accepted (as a rule, in January, April, July, and October). The application deadline for the next meeting of the selection committee is April 17, 2024. Applications arriving later will be considered for the following meeting in July 2024. Directly after the committee has made its decision, we will send you a letter to let you know whether your application has been accepted and, if so, what costs your scholarship will cover. If your application is accepted, you will receive a reimbursement as soon as we have received, after your trip, all the documents (in original) showing the costs of your travel. You will receive information on how to document your travel costs along with your letter of acceptance.

Main criteria for getting a GraCe Travel Scholarship
  • relevance of the travel for the dissertation project
  • relevance of the travel for the applicants’ scientific advancement
  • the applicants’ financial needs

 
Application documents:

  • completed application form originally signed by you and your dissertation supervisor;
  • motivational letter emphasizing the significance of the conference for the dissertation project as well as for the applicants' scientific advancement (max. 2 pages)
  • curriculum vitae including the grades of your university diploma, duration of your doctoral studies, type of dissertation (monographic or publication-based), list of publications, awards/prizes, funding (e.g., amount of the scholarship, percentage of a full-time position), already attended conferences and conferences funded by a GraCe travel scholarship as well as social and political involvement (volunteer work);
  • confirmation from the organizers that your individual contribution has been accepted – a printed email is sufficient;
  • confirmation of your acceptance as a doctoral candidate issued by your faculty – both a recognition of your (foreign) degree and a confirmation of supervision by your dissertation supervisor are not a confirmation of acceptance;
  • if you are an employee at the University of Freiburg: confirmation from your superior that the travel expenses cannot be reimbursed, e.g. as a business trip;
  • if you are a member of a structured doctoral program: a letter from the coordinator confirming that the travel costs cannot be covered with program funds;
  • if you are a scholarship recipient: a letter from the scholarship organization confirming that they cannot reimburse you for the travel costs. If the scholarship organization has a general policy of not providing travel funding, it is sufficient to make reference to this policy;
  • an estimation of the expected costs for participation fee, accommodations and travel (proof of participation fee, a copy of travel connections from the Deutsche Bahn, a copy of your flight information including costs, a copy of the calculation of the climate compensation, a copy of the hotel room rates) – we only consider documented costs;
  • information on applications for travel funding you have submitted or will submit to other organizations;
  • if you wish, you may make further reference to your financial situation. We reserve the right to check the validity of these statements and request evidence.
 
Please do not staple your application documents.

Only complete applications will be passed on to the selection committee. If you have any questions concerning the GraCe travel scholarships, please contact us before submitting your application.
 
Send your application to:
Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg
Freiburg Research Services
Graduate Centre
Fahnenbergplatz
79085 Freiburg