Dean's Travel Grant Award

Overview

The ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) is pleased to announce the 2019 Dean's Travel Grant. This grant enables currently enrolled PhD students to spend a period of up to three months undertaking a research visit at an overseas institution(s). The total amount available in 2019 for this grant is $15,000, which will be divided amongst all the winners.

The purpose of this program is to enable outstanding PhD students to:

  • enrich their research by studying for a period of time at an overseas institution(s);
  • develop relationships within the international research community;
  • gain access to resources or expertise that are not readily available within Australia

While students are encouraged to attend conferences during their travel in order to obtain the maximum value from their trip, the primary purpose of this scheme is to fund research visits, and that any conference related costs should be covered by other funds.

 

Eligibility/Requirements

  1. The funds provided can only be used to cover travel, accommodation and incidental expenses as proposed in the original grant application.
  2. Applicants must be enrolled as PhD students within CECS at the time they apply for the travel grant and at the time that they undertake the research visit.
  3. The student must remain enrolled in their PhD program for the duration of their research visit, and continue to receive their scholarship (if applicable).
  4. Applicants must have completed one year full-time equivalent of their candidature, must not have outstanding milestones, and must have successfully passed their Thesis Proposal Review.
  5. The applicant’s supervisor must provide a letter of support detailing how the proposed research visit will contribute to the purpose of this program.
  6. The overseas institution must provide evidence that they are prepared to host the student for the duration proposed in the application, and that they are able to provide adequate local resources and supervision during this time.
  7. The applicant cannot previously have been awarded a CECS Dean's Travel Grant.
  8. Funds awarded must be spent within 12 months of the date when they were awarded.
  9. Funds awarded must be transferred into the professional development account of the student, and spent in line with the standard practice for student travel and expense acquitting of the relevant CECS School.
  10. Within 3 months of the completion of their research visit, the awardee must provide a 2-4 page summary of what they have achieved as a result of their research visit.

Selection basis

Applications will be assessed on the academic merits of the candidates, the extent to which the proposed visit will enrich the applicant’s PhD project, and the strategic value of the proposal to the student, their research group and the College as a whole. Preference will be given to candidates whom, in the view of the selection committee, could not be funded from other sources to undertake the proposed internship or given a similar opportunity.

Applications will be assessed by a small group of CECS academics, including the College Dean or their representative.

Applications must contain:

  1. A letter of support by the Chair of the applicant’s supervisory panel, providing details of how the proposed internship will contribute to the purpose of this program, how it will benefit the student's PhD and enhance their future career opportunities, and why the student cannot be offered a similar opportunity funded from other sources.
  2. The name of each institution to be visited, the proposed dates for the visit, and contact details for the person who will supervise the applicant while they are at that institution.
  3. A letter of invitation from each host institution detailing the resources that will be made available to the applicant during their internship and confirming the local supervision arrangements.
  4. A budget detailing anticipated costs for travel, accommodation and incidentals and a requested amount of funding from the Travel Grant.
  5. A list of all other funding sources for the anticipated travel.
  6. An explanation of where additional funding would be secured in the event that the application was successful, but the grant awarded was smaller than requested.
  7. A statement of at most two pages, written by the student, detailing their intended travel itinerary, the planned research and/or study to be conducted, the advantages of these activities to the applicant’s research, the networking opportunities, and how this all relates to their future career plans.
  8. An up-to-date CV, which highlights the student's exceptional achievements during their PhD candidature at CECS.

Applications must be endorsed by the Chair of the applicant’s supervisory panel.

Applications should be submitted via email to CECS Student Services.

Value

Up to $15,000 (To be distributed amongst all winners)

Application date

Opening date: 10 Sep 2019
Closing date: 8 Oct 2019

Residency

Domestic or International

Contact

Updated:  10 August 2021/Responsible Officer:  Dean, CECS/Page Contact:  CECS Marketing