Conference and Kit Funding

Following a recent uplift, all iGGi  2 researchers, not in Write up/continuation, have a funding allocation of £4,000 for the duration of their PhD, divided into the following two pots:

• Conference and Travel fund: £3200  to cover attendance at conferences, workshops and other events

• Kit and Research fund: £800 to cover expenses essential for conducting their PhD research. For example special software and kit, research participant compensation, prototyping materials, field recording equipment, transcription services, and the like

For all iGGi 1 researchers and iGGi 2 researchers who are in write up/continuation the conference fund will remain at the pre-uplift amount of £1800.

The Kit & Research Fund allocation are not available to purchase laptops or replace computing equipment, which are ordinarily provided to PhD researchers by their department. However, funds can be used to enhance equipment if necessary for research purposes. Travel is typically not included unless it is required for field work and data collection, which can be sourced from both your travel/conference and your kit and research costs pots.

Please note that kit purchased from your allocated funds belongs to iGGi and not to you and as such other PGRs could ask to use the kit if required.  However, priority of use will be given to the PGR who purchased the kit. All purchases made from these pots must be approved by your supervisor and iGGi admin. The process for requesting funds and their approval is detailed below.

If you have used up your allocated funding, funding is available for exceptional circumstances (see exceptional funding below), but please do not rely on this being available, as we cannot guarantee that exceptional funding requests will be approved.

Although the approval process is ultimately the same, York and QMUL have different procedures for requesting funds. Please follow the process for the relevant university in order to ensure there are no delays to your request. Please apply for your funds as early as possible so that staff leave and/or any issues that may come up do not impact your ability to get the best price for your trip/purchase. We advise submitting your request at least one month before you plan to travel if possible.  

Do not pay anything out of your own pocket in the hope/expectation that you will be reimbursed. iGGi cannot do this. 

York

1. Log in to and submit a request on the Student Funding portal

2. Your supervisor will be notified to provide a supporting statement on the portal

3. Once the supporting statement is added, the admin team will be notified and review the application

4. After the necessary approvals have been obtained, IGGI admin will email you with details of how to proceed with the purchases

QMUL

1. Complete the relevant form (see below)*

2. Ask you supervisor to provide a supporting statement on the form

3. Send the form to iggi-admin@york.ac.uk 

4. iGGi Admin will review your application and obtain the necessary approvals 

5. Once the necessary approvals have been obtained, iGGi admin will email you with details of how to proceed with the purchases

* If you are applying to attend a conference which requires funding for accommodation and/or travel (flights), in order to streamline our approval process and ensure accuracy in budgeting, we kindly ask that you obtain a key travel quote before completing the Conference approval form. If you don't already have a Key Travel account, please email bookers@keytravel.com to set one up.  By securing a quote beforehand, you can input the accurate travel costs directly into your approval form, reducing the need for adjustments later. 

Additionally, we encourage you to explore other sites for lower prices and present these to Key Travel for price matching options available to ensure the best possible rates.

Please also note: If obtaining a visa before booking your travel is not possible (e.g., due to tight timelines), please request refundable tickets from Key Travel. They offer booking options in case cancellations become necessary.

Although you are expected to remain within your budgets, we appreciate that sometimes events and purchases can be exceptionally expensive, or sometimes an opportunity unexpectedly arises after you have used up most of your budget. Whilst we would advise you to be mindful of this possibility while you still have funds remaining, and try not to use everything on one event or purchase, you can still make an application even if your funds are depleted. You will need to make a strong case for why you should receive the funding, and that the application offers value for money and impact for your research and for iGGi. Exceptional funds are, ultimately, a shared resource available to all iGGi PGRs so it is important that we share them fairly to those with a genuine need.

Applications for exceptional funds will be considered by the iGGi Management Board, which formally consists of the Site Directors and the iGGi Managers. This group meets monthly and applications for additional funds will be considered at this meeting. Applications should be submitted with enough time in advance to gain approval at the iGGi management team meeting before booking for the event is required.

There are a few possible options in this scenario:

• You may be able to apply for funds from your institution.  You might like to check with your supervisor, your local PG administration and/or your Student Union.

• Some conferences provide a bursary.  In some cases this will cover the cost of the registration fee.  

• Sometimes it is possible to volunteer at a conference, in which case you will be able to attend without having to pay the registration fee.