Conference and Workshop Funding
While completing your postgraduate studies you will find it beneficial to attend conferences, workshops or summer schools at other universities or research institutes. This gives you the opportunity to learn specialist material from experts in your field and to present your research to the academic community. You may also wish to visit and work with a specialist at another institution during your tenure. We have collected here some avenues you should explore to help cover the expenses related to your travel.
Talk to your Supervisor
You should always ask for your supervisor’s advice about which conferences or summer schools would be beneficial for you to attend and you will most likely need a recommendation from them to secure any of the funding sources listed below. After exhausting the following avenues of support your supervisor may be able to allocate some of their own grant money to cover the costs of attending an event that they think is of particular benefit to you.
Domestic (and NZ) travel
Domestic Conferences
If you are presenting a talk or poster at a domestic conference then the school will cover your expenses if you have the approval of your supervisor!
AMSI Events
If you are attending an event affiliated with the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) then you can apply via the AMSI website to defray the costs of travel and accommodation.
AustMS and ANZIAM
Events run by the Australian Mathematical Society (aka AustMS) and ANZIAM (AustMS’ industrial and applied branch) may cover some of the travel and accommodation expenses of student attendees. You will need to be a member of AustMS (and ANZIAM if relevant) to claim this: membership is free for postgraduate students and joining up is something worth doing early in your tenure. See the relevant society’s websites for further information.
Overseas travel
<– Almost certainly, most researchers in your area are located outside Australia, and get together at conferences that are mostly a very long way away. Most specialist summer schools relevant to you will typically also be overseas. Going overseas is important for you both to expand your academic horizons and to make yourself known internationally. –>
PRSS
The University and the School of Maths and Stats together annually provide funding for postgraduate students to attend conferences overseas. The cap is $3000 which is usually enough to cover your trip. Preference is given to those presenting a talk or poster. Some years it seems everyone (who presents) gets what they asked for, some years (e.g. 2018) not, but they try and spread the money around so you might only be a bit short (maybe ask your supervisor for the rest).
In 2017-18 the application date was around April but this has changed in the past and will hopefully change in future. Note that with an April application date, often you have to register and book flights well in advance of when you get the money or even find out if you get PRSS. Talk to your supervisor: the most common strategy here seems to be just pay out of pocket and wait/hope to be reimbursed.
The application form may be found via the following link (take note of the next application date).
K. E. Bullen scholarship
The school offers the K. E. Bullen scholarship, which is essentially a named PRSS award (with a slightly higher cap of $3500), for PhD students in Applied Maths. It has historically been due around the same time as PRSS.
Details can be found at
Faculty of Science Scholarships
The Faculty of Science awards a range of other postgraduate scholarships. Check them out:
Check the Conference website
When planning to attend a conference, workshop or summer school check the event’s website as there may be funding or accommodation available for attendees.
Research visit funding
Funding from the host institution
Look around the website and talk to your potential host: there may be money for visitors.
Phillip Hofflin Scholarship
The school offers the Dr. Phillip Hofflin scholarship, which every year funds a student to visit another university in order to assist in their research. It is typically due at the same time as K. E. Bullen and PRSS.
Details can be found at
University of Sydney Grants-in-Aid (GIA)
Students who wish to visit another university or research institute in order to support their research may apply to the university’s Grands-in-Aid program. According to the Faculty of Science, very few people apply for these so they are worth checking out. More information can be found via the following link.
Endeavour Fellowships and Scholarships
The Australia Awards-Endeavour program provides a variety of scholarships for Australian citizens and permanent residents to do medium- and long-term research visits overseas. Applications open in early July.
[Endeavour Fellowship] https://internationaleducation.gov.au/Endeavour%20program/Scholarships-and-Fellowships/australian-applicants/Pages/default.aspx