Travel grants and facilities

Travel grants

The Centre for Research in the Humanities provides doctoral students in the School of Humanities financial support for attending conferences abroad or for short study visits. Each grant is 75.000 ISK (70.000 for travel before 10 August 2017).

Doctoral students can also apply for travel grants from the University of Iceland (Division of Science and Innovation). Application deadline is 1 May each year. Further are available on University's Grants and Funds website.

Regulations for the grants

Eligibility

Ph.D. students at the School of Humanities, resident in Iceland, are eligible for the travel grants of the Center for Research in the Humanities. The student must be enrolled and maintain an active status according to the student’s supervisor on the time of the travel and the semester before the travel. If the student is on his/her first semester the supervisor must confirm that the work on the study has started.  Grants are not awarded if a Ph.D thesis has already been submitted.

Applicants are expected to apply for a grant from the University of Iceland (Division of Science and Innovation) if they fulfill the conditions (like having a presentation at the conference). Othervise they are not eligible for the travel grant of the Center for Research in the Humanities. The same travel can not receive two grants, i.e. from the Division of Science and Innovation and from Center for Research in the Humanities.

PhD students with a grant including a travel grant can apply for one travel grant from the Centre for Research in the Humanities for the schoolyear 2019-2020. From 1 August 2020 the Centre will not provide travel grants in those cases.

Number of grants

Each Ph.D. student may receive up to three grants (3x75.000 ISK), but no more than one each school year.

Types of accepted travels

A grant may be awarded to attend an announced conference abroad, whether or not the student is a speaker at the conference. 

Applications for other kinds of travels will each be evaluated.

Examples of travels that may be awarded a grant include: travels to obtain sources or collect data (at least 10 days), e.g., to a better equipped library (at least 10 days), travels to attend a seminar or a workshop for at least one whole day.

No less than two out of three grants awarded must be to attend a conference.

Examples of applications that will not be funded include travels abroad for a joint degree, travels to a supervisor or a Ph.D. committee or for a longer stay abroad not necessary for the student’s study. However, a student residing abroad for a joint degree may receive a grant to travel to Iceland for an important conference.

A grant will only be awarded for an actual travel back and forth. The student must be able to provide evidence that the cost of the travel was at least 30% of the amount of the grant.

The student’s advisor must be involved in the decision to make the trip. Only travels that directly relate to the Ph.D. research project will be funded.

Applications, deadlines and payment

Applications must be submitted before traveling, using a format found on the Center for Research in the Humanities’ website. Applications may be submitted all year long. Grants will be awarded after the return of the student, when she/he has provided sufficient travel documents (normally a copy of flight tickets and boarding passes). The grant will then be deposited to the student’s bank account. As the grant is taxable, grantees are advised to keep receipts for all cost.

Application form for travel grants

Conference Grants - Conference fee

PhD students at the School of Humanities, University of Iceland, can apply for grants from the Centre for Research in the Humanities to cover conference fees. The following conditions apply:

1. The PhD student presents a paper on a subject relating to the PhD thesis.
2. The fee is 100 Euros or more (early bird).
3. The PhD student is registered at the University of Iceland and has paid the registration fee.

PhD students can apply for a conference grant in conjunction with a travel grant. The conference can be in Iceland, abroad or online. The staff of the Centre for Research in the Humanities evaluates the applications and confers with the PhD supervisor in case of doubt. It is necessary to apply for the grant prior to the conference.

Application form

Interlibrary loans

PhD students get free interlibrary loans at the University Library. Costs are covered by the relevant faculty. The PhD supervisor has to email the library a confirmation that the faculty will pay for the student's interlibrary loans.

Copying

The School of Humanities gives PhD students free access to copy machines in Nýi Garður and Gimli. To get access the students need to contact the office of the School of Humanities to get a personal access code.

The Centre for Research in the Humanities offers facilities to PhD students in the School of Humanities in an open space on the top floor in Gimli and in Veröld. It has a number of workstations with an access to a printer and photocopier. Use of the facilities is free of charge, but to be eligible PhD students must be registered as full time students with the university and must make proper use of the facilities.

In granting access to the facilities the length of time that an applicant has waited is taken into account (i.e. how long since the application was received).

PhD students are granted access to the facilities in Gimli and Veröld through the Centre for Research in the Humanities as soon as a place becomes available and for one year at a time unless their project is completed before the year is out. Access is extended annually unless there are reasons against it, e.g. if the facilities are not used according to the regulations.

It is understood that PhD research and related work are the equivalent of full time employment, which will be undertaken in large part in Gimli, at least 20 hours per week. If there is a waiting list for a desk the Centre for Research in the Humanities reserves the right to revoke access from those who have made little use of the facilities (less than 20 hours per week) with four week‘s notice without warning and have them vacate their work station and return the keys. They can then enter the waiting list anew and have another opportunity to demonstrate their need.

PhD students must be enrolled as full time students and vacate their work station no later than October 1 if they have not paid the registration fee for the academic year.

Since the facilities are within an open space, it is necessary to behave with appropriate consideration to others. When one no longer has need for the facilities one must vacate the space even if the period is not finished and return the keys.

Those who temporarily do not need the use of their reserved study facilities, such as when travelling abroad, are not allowed to give other students access to the area or their desk. They must notify the facility provost if their absence is expected to last two weeks or more, and clear out their desk plus associated storage so that another student can use the facilities in the interim. If the absence is for 8 months or more, however, they must cancel their study desk reservation, clear out the desk and return the keys. An application for a new study desk may be filed once the student returns. Absence for two months without informing the provost is interpreted as a resignation.

It is normally expected that the total period of use is not longer than about four years, but this depends on how the facilities are used and how the program of study progresses.

Application form.

Facility provosts

• Gimli: Dagbjört Guðmundsdóttir
• Veröld: Atli Dungal Sigurðsson

Those who prefer a space in Gimli should send the application to Dagbjört, dagu@hi.is, with Cc to Margrét Guðmundsdóttir, project manager at The Centre for Research in the Humanities, mgu@hi.is.

Those who prefer a space in Veröld should send the application to Atli, ads26@hi.is, with Cc to Margrét Guðmundsdóttir, project manager at The Centre for Research in the Humanities, mgu@hi.is.