Conference Travel Fund

The Conference Travel Fund (CTF) is managed by the Office of Research Development and enabled by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) through the University Capacity Development Grant. It is intended to supplement funding obtained from other sources and provides financial support to emerging researchers who are planning to deliver oral presentations at conferences aligned with their masters, doctoral or post-PhD research.

Objectives:

• Build and strengthen research profiles of early- and mid-career researchers
• Promote opportunities for collaboration and networking

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants must be emerging researchers with academic, administrative or joint academic and administrative professional appointments at Nelson Mandela University. In general, this includes Professional, Administrative and Support Services (PASS) members of staff who are pursuing masters and doctoral degrees. Applicants on contract must be appointed for at least 12 consecutive months which cover the grant period, in order to be eligible.
• Newly appointed emerging researchers must be in their first or second year of appointment.
• Applicants must be in the final stages of their masters or doctoral degrees to be eligible.
• Applicants must have an abstract accepted for oral or poster presentation at the conference.
• Professional, Administrative and Support Services (PASS) members of staff are eligible to apply for CTF.

Ineligible Applicants for Internal Research Grants:

• Researchers who received or hold a valid NRF A, B, C, Y or P rating.
• New Generation Academics Programme (nGAP) academics who are in their first and second year of appointment are excluded from applying. They should apply instead for the DSI-NRF Research Development Grant.
• Applications from postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows or similar will not be accepted
• Applications from Contract staff members who are appointed for a period of less than 12 consecutive months which cover the grant period will not be accepted.
• These grants may not be held concurrently with grants that provide funding for lecturer replacement such as the NRF-funded Black Academics Advancement Programme.

Application Process:

• Please download and complete the application form on this page.
• It is highly recommended that researchers submit applications for the CTF, three to six  months prior to the conference such that approval and processing can be managed timeously.
• All relevant sections must be completed, duly authorised and submitted via email to Ms Jadine Januarie along with supporting documents.
• This call has no closing date, applications received will be reviewed each month and outcomes communicated to applicants.
• Applications will be accepted until available funds have been exhausted. It is therefore advisable that applications be submitted as soon as possible because the first come first served rule will be applied.
• Ineligible, incomplete, and retrospective applications will not be considered.

Overview of the Review Process:

• A Review Committee, comprising of the DVC: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, the Directors of Research Development and Research Support and Management, will assess the merits of each application, taking cognisance of the recommendations of the Head of Department (HOD) and the relevant Director of School (DOS) and the alignment of the proposed outputs with the strategic imperatives of Nelson Mandela University and the identified Institutional/Faculty Research Themes.

Award and Period of funding:

• The CTF will contribute towards the cost of local and international conferences and is capped at R40,000. The grant should be expensed in the academic year in which it is awarded. No carry-over of unspent funds will be permitted, and the funding is not transferable to another grantholder. First-time applicants will be prioritised for funding. The grant covers:
  • Conference registration fees.
  • Accommodation – cost of room in hotel, motel, or conference centre and related taxes. Charges for television, phones, movies or other services will not be reimbursed.
  • Travel – by public carrier (i.e. flight, train or bus) or use of a personal vehicle will be reimbursed in accordance with Nelson Mandela University policy at a rate no greater than the applicable per diem rate. Carpooling is encouraged where Covid-19 safety protocols can be applied.
• Items that are not funded by the CTF are as follows:
  • Expenses related to personal days, or travel occurring before, during, or after a conference attendance that are not directly connected to the conference.

Conditions of the award:

• Awards are only made if a paper or poster is being presented. Attendance for professional development reasons without presenting is not supported.
• The research being presented must adhere to all university requirements, including policies related to the ethical conduct of research, the protection of human participants, and the use of animals in research.
• Eligible researchers should apply well in advance, as awards will not be made for conferences already attended (no retrospective applications will be considered.
• It is NOT a requirement for the abstract to be accepted for presentation by the conference travel application submission date. Should the acceptance of the paper/poster, including proof of registration not be available at the time of submission of the application, then a provisional award may be made pending the receipt of the paper/poster’s acceptance.
• Applicants may apply for one national conference per degree programme. Completing doctoral candidates may apply for one international conference just prior or post submission for examination. Those in the post-PhD category may be eligible to apply for one international conference once every two years. However, subject to this, applicants cannot apply for both a national and an international conference in the same year. Preference will be given to national conference attendance due to budget constraints.
• All funding from other sources must be reported to the Office of Research Development and the total funds received by the applicant shall not exceed the total expenses.
• The award must be taken up within the financial year in which it is awarded. Should funds not be utilised in the year of award, the applicant is required to contact the Office of Research Development as such funds will need to be returned for reallocation.
• Successful applicants agree to post-grant reporting requirements. You are required to submit a report to the Office of Research Development within 30 days after the conference.
• Please note: The CTF should not be the primary source of funding for the applicant, as the CTF is unable to fund 100% of eligible costs.

Documents to be submitted with the application:

• Abstract/ summary of paper(s)/poster(s) to be presented and proof of acceptance
• Conference details (e.g. where, when and who the organisers are)
• Quotations for provisional budget must come from an official Nelson Mandela University appointed travel agent (e.g. Rennies)
• Proof of invitation for research visit and itinerary (if applicable)
• Relevant supplementary information

Reporting:

• Successful applicants agree to post-grant reporting requirements and will be required to provide proof of progress in terms of envisaged outputs. Recipients of the CTF are required to submit a report to the Office of Research Development within 30 days after the conference.

 

IMPORTANT: The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPI Act) has been promulgated and implemented on 1 July 2020. All personal identifiable information provided by applicants shall be treated in accordance with this statute and only used for academic and academic administration purposes, as indicated by the Nelson Mandela University Privacy Policy. By applying, emerging researchers provide consent for use of all their personal identifiable information provided to the university for the aforesaid purposes.

 

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