Important information that all applicants must take part of before any application is submitted to the foundation.
It is a privilege, not a right to be granted a scholarship. Travel grants from the Anna Maria Lundin foundation has for decades contributed to the internationalization of PhD studies at Uppsala University for members of Smålands Nation, all in accordance with the testator. Many researchers have in a preface to their dissertation found reason to thank the Anna Maria Lundin foundation and Smålands Nation in Uppsala for the scholarship received.
FAQ
Here you may find answers to some common questions about foreign travel grants from the Anna Maria Lundin foundation in Smålands Nation in Uppsala. All applicants must take part of the information contained in this memorandum. If you need further information, please contact the Scholarship Secretary or the nation’s Inspector. Their contact information, and the regulations for the Anna Maria Lundin foundation, which the applicants must consider, can be found at the nation website (www.smalands.nu).
The website also includes forms and instructions for the trip report which is to be submitted after the travel is completed. From 16 April 2010, the application process is carried out electronically, and the link to the electronic application form can be found at the nation’s homepage. The final travel report shall however still be sent by regular postage to the nation.
Please note that the statutes and enforcement practices may differ between different
funds. Here are those of the Anna Maria Lundin foundation with Smålands Nation in Uppsala. It is important that the information in the application is correct. If any data is inaccurate or incomplete there is a risk that the application is admissible. It is equally important that the data in the final travel report is accurate and complete. Otherwise, the applicant signed to the trip report that does not pass, may find that he or she may – depending on the circumstances of the case – be found liable to repay all or part of his or her scholarship.
Issues Addressed
1. When are the scholarships announced and who decides?
2. When are the scholarships paid?
3. Who can apply for and be granted a scholarship?
4. For which foreign PhD candidate can you receive a scholarship?
5. For which costs can you be awarded a scholarship?
6. How and when should you disclose your trip? Can a recipient
be required to repay?
7. What if the receiver postpones his or her travel to a later date than applied for
in the application?
8. What stands if the purpose of the travel changes?
9. What if the conference is transferred to a different location than that specified in the
application, but still takes place at the same time and deals with the same substance
as in the application?
10. What if the receiver did not undertake the journey that he or she received scholarship for?
11. How should the supervisor certificate be designed?
12. When do I repay unused scholarship funds?
13. Why withhold ten percent of the awarded grant amount?
14. The cost of the hotel was more expensive than I was granted scholarship for, but
cost of air travel became cheaper. Can I use some of the excess
funds for the flight to pay the over-priced hotel stay?
15. What does it mean that I have to repay?
16. What does it mean that I am entitled to a “surplus repayment”?
1. When are the scholarships announced and who decides who get them?
Scholarships are announced once every semester. According to the statutes of the Anna Maria Lundin’s foundation, the first curator announces the scholarship each year by 15th of March and the 15th of October. Those who decides on the scholarships are the Anna Maria Lundin’s scholarship committee with Smålands Nation in Uppsala. The Board consists of qualified researchers in a variety of scientific disciplines. The Board usually meets in May and December each year.
The executive board of the scholarship Committee may in some cases grant scholarships on smaller amounts. Paragraph 8 of the statutes of the Anna Maria Lundin Scholarship statute: “In the event that an application can not tolerate suspension, the board owns the right to between regular announcement dates award the scholarship amount, not exceeding one-half times the basic amount as stated under the Act (1962:381) insurance.” Connect with Foundation Secretary to seek a grant under this exception. The Board consists of the inspector, Senior curator and one additional member. The function of the Executive board is in general to prepare the work of the scholarship committee.
2. When are the scholarships paid out?
After meeting, the scholarship committee will put down a protocol, where which applicants have been cleared for scholarships funds can be found. Funds can be paid out only when a signed and adjusted protocol is presented, which tends to take about a week to produce after the meeting of the scholarship committee (which usually takes place in May and December each year). The First Curator then distributes the transactions under the control of the nations treasurer.
3. Who can apply for and be granted a scholarship?
To apply for and be granted a scholarship some fundamental conditions must be fulfilled.
Nation affinity and graduate studies with Uppsala University: First, you must be a member of Småland Nation in Uppsala, and you should then have carried at least three terms as a member of Smålands nation and active studies at Uppsala University. This means forexample that if you join in Småland Nation Fall Semester Year 1, you can apply for a scholarship spring semester in year 2 for a journey that begins fall semester in year 2. You do not need to be born in Småland.
Doctoral Student Travel: Second, you must be a PhD student(doctorial candidate) working on a doctoral thesis, and the trip must relate to the doctoral project. You must be a doctoral candidate at a department at Uppsala University.
Foreign travel: Third, the grant is for research travel abroad. Therefore, they can not recieve a grant for a travel within Sweden.
According to paragraph 3 of the statutes of the Anna Maria Lundin’sscholarship fund, the scholarship is based on the following criteria:
“Grantee’s are not paid a certain amount, but available funds are distributed among the applicants according to their inclination and aptitude for scientific work, and taking into account the benefits that would accrue to their thesis that they should receive a scholarship.”
4. For which foreign graduate studies can you receive a scholarship?
Only doctoral projects: First, it should be emphasized that PhD candidate travel must relate to the working under his or hers dissertationproject. Travel must take place before doctoral graduation. Scholarships are not granted for such trips as a student might do at the end of the dissertation project to prepare a so-called postdoctoral projects.
Scholarships may be granted for foreign travel with a variety of purposes, which include:
a) Field studies
b) Graduate courses
c) Conference with presentation
d) Conference with a poster
e) Conference without any presentation
f) Other
In case of competition among several candidates objectives a)-c) tend to take priority over the others, although it need not always be the case. If you are looking for scholarships for a variety of missions (perhaps with different objectives), show your priority between the various journeys.
5. For what costs can you be awarded a scholarship?
Travel: For travel to the location where the research is to take place, between foreign research centers and possibly more expensive travels on the research location that is not covered by the subsistence allowance. Can relate too air, rail, car, bus and ferry, though it must be the cheapest option, for example, travel by economy class in air travel. Information on prices for different missions can be obtained from travel agents (see Yellow Pages for travel agents in Uppsala, Sweden) or from the airline’s website. If you are granted a scholarship and the Board considers that a particular cost item is obviously too high, the Board can reduce this cost item. Save receipts and tickets! They are required for the final accounting of the scholarship received and the travel report.
Accommodation: Refers to the cost of hotel room, apartment or other dwelling during the stay abroad. For longer stays, other accommodations than hotels should be chosen because, ultimately, hotel stays can be very expensive. Do not choose luxury, not even for short stays. In some cases, however, conferences held at expensive hotels, may contribute to stay at the hotel in order to fully participate in the conference. If the diet (“food”) wholly or partly is included in the accommodation fee the allowance is adjusted down accordingly.
For stays up to 30 days or less in the same locality, funding is meant for medium-priced hotels. For extended stays, funding costs are bound to accommodation at guest houses or lodgings.
Save your receipts! They are required when accounting of the scholarship is made in connection with the travel report
Allowance (per diem): Staying abroad does generally generate an extended cost of living, such as for food and lower costs for local transportation. Such costs are covered by the subsistence allowance(per diem). The starting point for the amount awarded to travel expenses is what the Swedish Tax agency indicates the country has at the time of submission of scholarship applications (sometimes referred to as daily subsistence allowance). It should be noted that the scholarship committee is not bound by the Tax allowance-conditions because there is no employment relationship between the grantees and the Foundation Anna Maria Lundin’s scholarship fund. Tax allowance-conditions of stay abroad can be downloaded from www.skatteverket.se (search for “utlandstraktamente”). This amount could be adjusted by the scholarship committee. Normally, the Board recognizes only half a subsistence allowance for travel days.
Note that the allowance from 21 days in the same place will always be reduced by 30 percent. This means that, for 20 days, the grantee receives full allowance and then only 70 percent of the full allowance.
You do not need to save receipts of lunches, dinners and short bus trips covered by the grant of subsistence allowance. This expenditure will not specifically be itemized in the travel report.
Congress Fee: Often it is necessary to pay a fee to participate in an international congress or conference. This replacement is usually fully covered. Just be aware that conferences can include lunch, dinner and lodging. In that case, you are to reduce the amount applied for the conference charge of what you are applying for in terms of items subsistence or accommodation. Save your receipts! They are required when accounting of the scholarship is made in connection with the travel report.
Other: It is possible to obtain compensation for a variety of other costs related to your research trip, such as visas, vaccinations and interpreter. Save your receipts! They are required when accounting of the scholarship is made in connection with the travel report
Note that the scholarship committee is free to adjust the requested amounts for the various cost items. Travel expenses must be reasonable. For odd destinations there should be a proforma invoice from the travel agent attached.
6. How and when should you report your travel? Can a grant receiver be required to repay the grant?
Within two months after completion of the travel, a travel report consisting of a front page (downloaded from the application portal), a travel narrative, and an expense report should be submitted to the foundation secretary of Småland nation.
Travel and Lodging, and Other Costs, such as Congress Fees and Tuition Fees must be supported by receipts. If the grantee did not use the entire amount paid, he or she is obliged to refund the difference. Repayment obligation also exists when the grantee does not undertake his/her research travel that he/she has received a scholarship for. Costs covered by Allowance (such as meals and local transportation) shall not be specified or verified in the travel report.
Always contact the nation’s foundation secretary prior to repayment of a scholarship, so that the correct amount can be reimbursed. This is of course only if you have not already received a recovery payment form from the nation.
The design of the final travel report is defined by the electronic reporting system. Templates can be found at the reporting systems website. Download template for reporting expenses.
The report shall be sent by regular mail to:
Stiftelsesekreterare, AML
Småland Nation
S:t Larsgatan 5
753 11 Uppsala
NOTE: If the grantee does not submit a trip report, the scholarship fund then concludes that the journey has not been undertaken. In such cases the grantee will be required to repay the entire grant. If a travel report has not been received despite reminders, legal actions will be taken.
7. What if the grantee postpones the travel to a later date than that put down
in the application?
If the grantee postpones the travel to a later date, he or she should apply to the Scholarship Board to receive an extension (“prolongation”).Scholarships are granted provided that it is made during the period specified in the application. The grantee must state why he or she wants to postpone the trip. If the fellow does not receive such permission, he or she is obliged to refund the sums paid out by the foundation.
8. What stands if the purpose of the travel changes?
If the purpose of the travel changes, the grantee must submit a new application for the new purpose of the trip. The scholarship is granted provided that it is made with the purpose stated in his or hers application. If the grantee is not authorized to change the purpose of the trip, he or she is obliged to refund the sums paid by the foundation. The travel plan may be amended by decision of the Scholarship Board’s executive committee.
9. What if the conference is moved to a different location than the one specified in the application, but still takes place at the same time and deals with the same substance as in the application?
If the conference is moved to another location but still carries the same topic and takes place at the same time, the graduate must report it to the foundation secretary. Generally, the scholarship is valid for the other place. If costs change relative to the initially granted scholarship, the scholar in particular shall seek compensation for these. Please contact the Foundation Secretary. In normal cases, the scholarship committee is to decide in these cases.
10. What if the graduate receiver did not undertake the journey that he or she received scholarship for?
If the graduate does not undertake a research trip, he or she is required to repay the amount received. Reimbursement shall be made promptly. Contact the Foundation Secretary before making payment. Ultimately, the Foundation Anna Maria Lundin’s scholarship fund will take legal action to recover the scholarship.
11. How should the supervisor certificate be designed?
The Supervisor certificate is important when examining applications. It must relate to the applicant’s general qualifications and the importance and need of the applicant granted scholarship. Avoid general supervisor certificate that doesn’t reflect the travel at issue. The certificate should also contain contact information to the supervisor.
12. I have made the trip but did not use any/all of the scholarship funds disbursed. When do I repay the excess funds?
After the graduate has made the trip he or she shall submit a trip report. Trip report must be received by the Foundation Secretary within two months after the trip is finished, see above under paragraph 6.
The scholarship committee decides how much the fellow must repay. If the fellow will refund before he or she has received a decision regarding the repayment obligation, it causes administrative related problems for the scholarship fund.
13. Why withhold ten percent of the awarded grant amount?
Normally the foundation will withhold ten percent of the awarded grant amount. The purpose of this amount is to be an incentive for the graduate to soon after returning home to submit a trip report, in order for the grantee to collect this amount.
14. The cost of the hotel was more expensive than I was granted scholarship for, but cost of air travel became cheaper. Can I use some of the excess funds for the cost of the hotel?
No, the graduate cannot transfer funds from one cost item to another.
15. What does it mean that I have to repay?
This means that the scholar shall repay all or part of the scholarship to the scholarship fund. It can apply regarding to that the research trip was never made or if the granted scholarship exceeded the actual costs. If the scholar has made a research trip he or she shall submit a trip report. Do not make any repayment until your travel report has been approved and thus know the amount you are liable to repay. Contact the Foundation Secretary before payment. Ultimately, the Foundation Anna Maria Lundin´s scholarship fund will take legal action to recover the resulting scholarship. It has been decided that from 2011 that a grantee is not required to repay small amounts below SEK 1000.
16. What does it mean that I am entitled to a “surplus repayment”?
If, after the fellow has submitted his travel report is found that there are remaining scholarship funds to be paid out, the graduate is then “filling payment justified”. This means that the graduate will receive additional scholarship funds. These funds normally corresponds to the ten percent of the scholarship amount withheld until the travel story has been submitted and approved. If the filling amount of the payment is under 250 SEK no refund will be made. The reason is to reduce the administrative burden on the scholarship committee and transfer costs would be too large in proportion to the amount to be repaid.
