Skills Training Funding
Rules and Regs:
- Max amount = £1000
- You may receive only one award for skills training during the course of your degree programme.
- Activities must take place before thesis submission. After thesis submission is not eligible.
- Intended to enable PGR students or groups of students to enhance their training in transferable and generic skills.
- Any activity or event will be considered as long as there is a clear description of what skills will be developed as outlined in the Researcher Development Framework
- Activities specifically related to an individual research project are not eligible for an award.
- This application is NOT intended to support scientific conference attendance.
- Retrospective applications will not be considered.
- The award cannot be used for food and drinks, only for flights, accommodation and other travel related costs, course costs, registration costs.
- Use the application link below for all applications which must be countersigned by your Postgraduate Convenor.
- You do not require an acceptance email from the course/activity organiser before the application closing date.
- It is a condition of the award that a short report (no more than 250 words) must be submitted to the MVLS Graduate School when claiming for expense reimbursement after the activity has taken place.
- If using your own funds for small expenses like buses/trains, keep all receipts and log a reimbursement claim via the online Student Expenses Form.
- Students are required to spend the awarded funds within six months of the date specified on their award notice.
The annual application deadlines are:
- 01 JULY (activities from 01 Aug to 31 Jan)
- 01 NOV (activities from 01 Dec to 30 May)
- 01 MARCH (activities from 01 Apr to 30 Sep)
Owing to minimum two-week time to decision, expected activity dates are given as guide only. For activities in March, July, or November, students are strongly encouraged to apply to the preceding closing date; if not possible owing to late announcement or planning, applications are still welcome conditional on TAAC not being liable for expenses incurred if the Skills & Training application is not funded.
Please note, students are required to spend the awarded funds within six months of the date specified on their award notice. Therefore, applicants should submit their request to the funding round that affords them the longest permitted spending period, particularly when anticipated costs are expected to arise close to or during activities – for example, travel to the airport or other time‑sensitive expenses.
*** Due to high demand there are limited places available. All applications will be reviewed.***
Conference Funding
Rules and Regs:
- Max amount award = £750
- You may receive only one award for Conference Funding during the course of your degree programme.
- Thesis pending students only: the conference you wish to attend must be before you submit your thesis and you must be a registered student. Your application will not be considered if the conference is after you submit.
- Awards are specifically for PG research students registered in MVLS at the time of the conference.
- Retrospective applications will not be considered.
- There is an expectation that funding will also be applied for/gained from other sources.
- The award cannot be used for food and drinks, only for flights, accommodation, conference registration and other travel related costs.
- You do not require an acceptance email from the organiser before the application closing date.
- It is a condition of the award that a short report (no more than 250 words) must be submitted to the MVLS Graduate School when claiming for expense reimbursement after the activity has taken place.
- Students are required to spend the awarded funds within six months of the date specified on their award notice.
The annual application deadlines are:
- 01 JULY (conferences from 01 Aug to 31 Jan)
- 01 NOV (conferences from 01 Dec to 30 May)
- 01 MARCH (conferences from 01 Apr to 30 Sep)
Owing to minimum two-week time to decision, expected conference dates are given as guide only. For conferences in March, July, or November, students are strongly encouraged to apply to the preceding closing date; if not possible owing to late announcement or planning, applications are still welcome conditional on TAAC not being liable for expenses incurred if the travel application is not funded.
Please note, students are required to spend the awarded funds within six months of the date specified on their award notice. Therefore, applicants should submit their request to the funding round that affords them the longest permitted spending period, particularly when anticipated costs are expected to arise close to or during conference activities – for example, travel to the airport or other time‑sensitive expenses.
*** Due to high demand there are limited places available. All applications will be reviewed.***
University Travel Insurance
It is essential that travel insurance is arranged before departing the UK to insure you against injury and your belongings against damage and theft.
You must inform the insurance section of the Finance Office of your intended trip and make them aware of pre-existing medical conditions prior to travelling as this information must be disclosed to the insurers. This can be done via the online form for travel insurance cover and can be accessed at https://www.gla.systa-s.com/myglasgow/insurance/.
Please complete this form at least seven days prior to departure. Please note that postgraduate students who do not submit the online form from the Finance Office will not be covered by the University’s Travel Policy
The policy will cover postgraduate students whilst on a journey either outside the UK; or within UK (but only if it involves air travel or an overnight stay).
You must advise the insurance section of the Finance Office should the dates of your travel subsequently change from those originally provided.
If a student still wishes to travel to an area that the Foreign Office advises against visiting, then they must obtain authority to undertake the journey from the Dean. A risk assessment must be undertaken before any decision is made. If the trip is duly authorized, then the individual should contact the Insurance Section to determine if special travel insurance is required as such a journey may not be covered by the existing group travel policy.
AirBnB Prohibited
- The use of Air BnB accommodation bookings is prohibited on all bookings.
- It is the responsibility of students to ensure they comply with this policy.
- Airbnb is prohibited as the University has a duty of care to students (& staff – same prohibition applies) - it is unregulated and may not meet safety standards, it does not offer 24-hour assistance to travellers in the event of cancellation or emergency and some funders do not allow the use of Airbnb.
- Book travel using the University Travel Hub:
Book Travel & Accommodation
Travel & Accommodation Policy
All travel and accommodation for programme-related activities must be booked through our approved University travel partner, Selective Travel. This requirement ensures compliance with University audit standards, access to the best available rates, and responsible use of public funds.
Reimbursement of travel or accommodation booked personally (outside Selective Travel) will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances, and only when a clear explanation is provided.
Your own funds can be used for small expenses like buses/trains if they can't be booked via Selective Travel. Keep all receipts and log a reimbursement claim via the online Student Expenses Form.
University Finance is applying this policy strictly, and expenses may not be reimbursed if the correct booking process is not followed.
In line with the University’s Environmental Travel Policy, students are encouraged to use public transport wherever it is available and practical. Taxis should be used only in exceptional situations, such as:
- transporting heavy or bulky materials,
- late‑night travel for personal safety, or
- when no reasonable public transport alternative is available.
In these cases, an explanation will be required to support any expense claim.
Thank you in advance for following these procedures. They help ensure fairness, transparency, and responsible environmental and financial spend across all our research programmes. Please note that this communication is also being sent to programme supervisors so that they are aware all students have been informed of this policy.
If you have any questions about the booking process or what qualifies as an exception, please feel free to get in touch.
Reimbursement Process
- Booking travel and accommodation through Selective Travel and you have a quote from them:
- Inform the graduate school and we will provide a letter of approval with a project code to give to Selective Travel for charging.
- Book online and avoid phoning Selective Travel to book; they will charge you £4 for the priviledge.
- Reimbursements for smaller amounts (buses/metro/trams/city tourist tax, etc):
- Submit a student expenses claim in the Student Expenses Portal as soon as you can. You must have receipts or proof of payment describing exactly what the payment is.
- Paying for a course or conference, three options:
- Use your own funds and submit an expenses request through the Student Expenses Portal as soon as you can to be reimbursed quickly.
- Put costs through your supervisor’s general running cost budget, other project code, or a purchasing card from your local PGR admin, up to the maximum amount of the award, the costs can be reclaimed by completing a reimbursement form below. The graduate school will reimburse the project codes used.
- If using a purchasing card from your local PGR admin, we will provide a letter of approval with a project code for the admin to charge to.
- All expenses must be processed for reimbursement before 31st July.
- When emailing the graduate school about reimbursements, in the email subject line write 'Skills Training Reimbursement' or 'Conference Support Reimbursement', to allow us to capture your email quickly.
- Use the forms below if your supervisor needs reimbursed because you have used their general funds project code, or other project code. List your costs, include all Agresso transaction codes, the project code to reimburse to.
| Conference Support Reimbursement Form | Skills Training Reimbursement Claim |
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If you have any further questions please contact the Graduate School at mvls-gradschool@gla.systa-s.com.
Contact Us
- Applications for both the skills training and conference support must be emailed to the MVLS Graduate School:
mvls-gradschool@gla.systa-s.com. - Applications which must be countersigned by your Postgraduate Convenor before submission to the Graduate School.
- For more information, contact the MVLS Graduate School (mvls-gradschool@gla.systa-s.com).