FAQ

For the full list of application requirements, please refer to the ▶ current/recent call for applications on the Networking Grant website. Please note in particular that the contact you would like to establish has to be a new one for you and your working group. The Networking Grant does not support research stays with existing contacts or conference visits.

New implies that neither you nor your working group should have had any cooperation with and any kind of contact to the person or working group abroad. There should not have been any exchange of ideas so far, including no exchange concerning your considered stay abroad, between you/your working group and the contact person/working group abroad.

Please merge all documents listed under "application documents" in the ▶ current/recent call for applications under “application documents” (excluding the Excel table) into one PDF file. Please make sure they are in the same order as stated in the list. Submit the PDF file and the completed Excel table as a separate file to ▶ networkinggrant∂khys.kit.edu. Only complete and punctually submitted applications will be taken into consideration.

While our forms are only provided in English, we accept answers and documents in both German and English.

For reasons of taxation and social security legislation, funding is only possible

1. if the scholarship holder is employed at KIT with an income that exceeds 520 Euro per month (no “Minijob") or
2. if the scholarship holder is not employed at KIT. In that case a funding agreement (“Zuwendungsvertrag”) has to be concluded with KIT (the agreements will be made available for you to sign in good time before the travel period.

If you are employed with a “Minijob” at KIT with an income of 520 Euro per month or less during the travel period of the Networking Grant, funding is in general not possible due to taxation and social security legislation reasons. However, if the “Minijob”-employment is being suspended for the month/s in which you are travelling, funding is possible.

These details are needed to assign the funding sums correctly ("steuerrechtliche Zuordnung"), in case of questions from the tax authority.

In exceptional cases it is possible for you to visit a contact person who works in an industrial research institute or in the industry. Please consult KHYS to clarify if a funding based on this contact might be possible. You will need feasible reasons to explain why the contact person might be important for your research/scientific career.

You can find the travel period for your funding in the Information Sheet Networking Grant, which was sent to you via e-mail together with the letter of grant approval.Your trip should take place within this period. In case travelling is not possible due to the current situation with the coronavirus please contact KHYS to discuss the further proceedings. You may also consider the option of changing your contact person during the funding period (see question ).

The grant covers a stay of up to two weeks. If you make two trips with your grant (to different hosts) you are allowed to stay up to two weeks per trip.

Yes, you can split the funding and make up to two networking trips with your grant. However, please be aware that you have to visit different hosts with each trip. It is not possible to visit the same contact multipe times.

Yes, in the planning phase and before the first appointment at KHYS you can still change your contact person. However, you need to fill in the form Application New Contact (available in the ▶ download area on the Networking Grant website) and hand it in at the first appointment at KHYS. Please note that your supervising professor needs to sign the form. Nevertheless, the contact you would like to establish must be a new contact (see question "How does KHYS define the term "new contact" in the Networking Grant?") for you / your working group and the destination must be outside of Germany. After the first steps are completed (appointment at KHYS, advance payment, successfully submitted travelling application), a change of contact person is possible only in exceptional cases and requires previous consultation with KHYS.

It is important that you check requirements for travelling to (e. g. required vaccination, visa) and the situation in your destination country (e.g. public health or safety issues) in good time before your stay. Among other things, please consider the following: Grant recipients are responsible for ensuring that they have adequate health, accident- and casualty insurance coverage during their stay abroad.

If aplicable, please consult the embassy / the consulate of your respective destination country to clarify which type of visa you might need for your trip.

KHYS itself does not have a checklist. Mawista.com provides a checklist for studying abroad, ▶ Checkliste zum Auslandsstudium (German only) which contains a lot of important steps which might apply for your stay, too. Besides, the web pages of DAAD (▶ Länderinformationen, currently only available in German) provides background information on the country, higher education, education and research in your destination country. Furthermore, you can find testimonials, addresses of important organizations and link tips in the service area. Maybe your destination institution has an equivalent to the ▶ KIT International Scholars & Welcome Office (IScO) which provides information and assists incoming international scientists.

For all business trips and deployments to other European countries (EU, EEA, CH), all employees of KIT are obliged to carry an A1 certificate. Non-employees of KIT should contact the personnel departments of their respective employer. This regulation does not apply to scholarship holders.

For business trips and deployments to third countries (outside EU, EEA and CH), business travelers must apply for a so-called deployment certificate for the respective country. This regulation does not apply to scholarship holders.

You can find further information and links for the corresponding application processes in the KIT Intranet via ▶ https://intranet.kit.edu/downloads/formulare/201908_pse_a1_certificate.pdf. Please note that during the stay you may not perform any work for and are not subject to directives of host institutions. However, this does not refer to provisions regarding regulatory requirements and safety/security.

Please note that the aim of the Networking Grant is to support the doctoral researchers of KIT in establishing a new international contact which is useful for them personally. You are certainly permitted to conduct research together. However, if your main interest is doing research with international colleagues you may consider other options for funding programs. The Networking Grant can also be used as preparation for a longer research period abroad. For this you could use the Research Travel Grant. On our website you can also find a list of other funding institutions that can financially support stays abroad or guest stays.

Once you have received a letter of grant approval for your original cotact idea, it is up to you who and how many people you contact. If th original contact idea cannot be realized or proves to be less suitable, you may apply for a new contact. The form Application New Contact is available in the ▶ download area.

KHYS generally appreciates if the Networking Grant provides useful possibilities to generate new contacts beyond the one you chose for your funding. However, to ensure that those costs can be reimbursed, please inform us as soon as possible about the changes to your plans. The standard procedure would be to fill in the form "Application New Contact" (▶ Networking Grant >>> Downloads) and hand it in at KHYS in due time before your journey. Please bear in mind that this form has to be signed by your supervisor. If you spontaneously meet another promising contact person during your initial travel and if you afterwards can plausibly explain that this contact meets with the funding aims of the KHYS Networking Program, KHYS will take a favorable view on that. However, there is no guarantee that those costs will be covered.

You have to make sure that your employee status does not change during the funding period (from employee to non-employee or vice versa). This is important because the procedures at KIT for the funding of employees and non-employees are different. If a change in your status is planned, please inform us in good time before your trip, so that we can prepare the appropriate process for your case.

To guarantee a smooth processing of your travel expenses claim, you should arrive at the earliest one day before the beginning of the official business. If you arrive several days before the beginning of the official business you must hand in a comparaitve offer of a KIT partner travel agency in addition to your documents. THe comparative offer must refer to the start date of the official business, or (for longer travel durations) the day before. Only the cheaper offer can be reimbursed.

As an example: if you arrive on a Saturday (e.g. more expensive flight), but your official business starts on Monday (e.g. chepater flight), only the costs of the Monday flight can be reimbursed, because it is the beginning of the official business. That means for example, that if a flight should be more expensive on Saturday (day of the arrival) than on Monday (day of the beginning of the official business) only the costs of the flight at the time of the beignning of the official business can be reimbursed.

The same principle applies to your return journey. The last day of your official business ocunts as departure date. For longer journeys, iti s the day after the end of the official business. The last day of official businesso or cases with sufficient travel times the day after the last day of official business is seen as the fictitious date of departure. Generally, overnight stays can only be reimbursed one day before the beginning of and one day after the end of the official business.

You can book tickets via the KIT partner travel agencies. A list of the current KIT partner travel agencies is included in the information sheet you receive together with your funding approval.

It is also possible to use a travel agency of your choice, or book offers on the internet. In this case you have to hand in at least one comparative offer of one of the KIT partner travel agencies to verify that the offer you want to book is not more expensive than theirs. You might require your institute's customer number to get a free comparative offer. Please ensure that your institute does not make any payments in advance. All costs have to be personally paid by the grant recipient. This means your name has to appear on every bill (either as customer or recipient). Travel insurance products can not be reimbursed.

In addition to hotels it is also possible to book private rooms or other types of accommodation. Please note that the costs per night in a foreign country should not exceed 90 Euro (after consultation with KHYS 120 Euro) and that you need to hand in a bill for your travelling expenses claim. The bill must provide the following ifnormation:

• Your name
• Duration of stay at the accommodation (arrival, departure)
• Total amount of the accommodation costs

To get reimbursement for your travel expenses you have to hand in a document to prove that you have paid the bill (e.g. bank statement/credit card receipt). If you have paid the bill in cash, please make sure you get a receipt.

Please also note that the KHYS funding does not include a daily allowance, an accommodation flat rate or any other expenses for your personal consumption. In principle, only accommodation costs without breakfast will be reimbursed.

If the official business (i.e. the visit of your contact person) cannot take place without these extra costs, they can usually be reimbursed. However, you will need a receipt for all of your expenses. In case you need to pay an administration fee, KHYS needs a written confirmation in which you explain why the official business could not be realized without that payment.

In that case you are obliged to hand in an additional comparative offer of one of the KIT partner trav-el agencies (see Question 3.4). Your journey will be treated as if you had departed from KIT or your home, therefore you will need a comparative offer with departure from Karlsruhe or your home. Note that if your planned journey is more expensive than the comparative offer, only the costs of the comparative offer can be reimbursed. Please consult KHYS before the travel booking to clarify if KIT might reim-
burse additional costs of your planned journey.

Any extension of the stay for private reasons requires the prior consent of KHYS. That is the only way to ensure that you will receive full reimbursement of your travelling costs. Please bear in mind that costs for conference visits are not covered within the framework of the Networking Grant even if your contact accompanies you to the conference or if she/he hosts the conference. Please also note that you have to hand in a comparative offer from a KIT partner travel agency. (see Question 3.1).

Reimbursement of further travelling expenses via your institute is generally possible, but only after you have been reimbursed for your travel costs through the Networking Grant. If you have further expenses, you may claim them from your home institute in as a subsequent billing. Please note that double funding is not permitted and only additional costs may be covered. We recommend that you check with your institute beforehand to see if they might cover any additional costs.

You can either book rail tickets directly via Deutsche Bahn or use a travel agency of your choice. To avoid problems at the stage of reimbursement, please use the KIT major customer discount (“Großkundenrabatt”) when booking rail tickets (It will be automatically deducted from your claim at the stage of reimbursement). To use the discount, please ask the KIT Travel Expenses Office (“KIT Reisekostenstelle”) to activate an account for you. If you own a private BahnCard you are obliged to use it for business travel.

If you are employed at the Large-Scale Research Sector (Großforschungsbereich) please use the forms of Campus South for all matters regarding the reimbursement of travelling costs. Moreover, you also have to hand in a copy of the travelling application form of Campus North due to insurance matters and to be granted a leave of absence.

As a rule, KIT will reimburse the cancellation fees provided that you have demonstrably applied for your visa in good time. Optimally, you can proof that you have submitted all required documents in good time (e.g. by a written confirmation of the consulate). We recommend to check the expected processing time and to adjust the travel plans on the basis of this information.

Please make an appointment with Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) of KIT at the latest five weeks prior to the trip and follow these steps as described under Question 5.1.

Usually, the travel expenses advance payment of 1,500 Euro will be transferred to your bank account four weeks before the trip takes place. If you have already paid bills, e.g. a bill for the flight, you can bring the respective bill and a bank statement showing the payment to the first appointment at KHYS. This amount may possibly be transferred at an earlier date to your bank account.

Please note: The advance payment cannot be made during or after your trip and the final accounting after your trip may take some time. Thus, if you do not apply for the advance payment early enough, the reimbursement of your expenses may take several weeks after your trip.

2nd appointment at KHYS: At the latest five weeks after your return to KIT you should make another appointment with KHYS and bring the documents as described under Question 5.2.

After having received the final accounting of the travel expenses, you will submit your final report within four weeks to ▶ networkinggrant∂khys.kit.edu. For details see the answer to the question Question 6.1.

You receive all relevant forms together with your letter of grant approval from KHYS. For the travel advance payment and the processing of travel expenses all applicants, regardless of whether they are employees of KIT or not, need to follow these steps:

• Fill in the first page of the official KIT travel application form of Campus South (= Reiseantrag Networking Grant) including your signature (center right) and the signature of the head of your institute on the bottom left.
• If you are employed at the large-scale research sector (= Großforschungsbereich) please also use the forms of Campus South for all matters regarding the reimbursement of travel costs. However, due to insurance matters and to be granted a leave of absence you also have to fill in the travel application form of Campus North before your trip.
• Fill in the advance payment form (= Vorschussantrag Networking Grant). The entire advance payment of 1,500 Euro can be transferred to your SEPA bank account up to four weeks prior to the beginning of the journey. If you have already paid bills, e.g. for the flight, you can bring those to the (first) appointment at KHYS. Please remember to also bring a bank statement which documents the respective payment. The corresponding amounts may possibly be transferred to your
  bank account earlier than four weeks before your trip.
• Fill in the document Information about the contact person.
• All changes of contacts need to be approved by KHYS. If your contact person respectively contact institution originally stated in the application form has changed, please contact KHYS well in advance and fill out the form Application New Contact. Please note that your supervising professor needs to sign the form. As long as the new contact(s) has/have not been approved by KHYS, you cannot request the advance payment.

Please bring the completed and signed documents to the appointment with KHYS. If you are planning to go on two trips in the framework of the Networking Grant, please let us know before the appointment. Since the travel application form remains with KHYS the grant recipient has to ensure that the KIT institute is informed about his or her absence during the stay.

Please bring the completed second page of the official KIT travel application form of Campus South (= Reiseantrag Networking Grant) and all relevant originals of your travel receipts and corresponding bank/credit card statements. Once they are complete, KHYS will send your documents to the travel expenses office for final billing. There are two possible outcomes:

• In case the travel expenses add up to less than the advance payment of 1,500 Euro you received prior to your journey: You will receive a demand for payment from KHYS amounting to the respective remaining sum. Please transfer the demanded sum within two weeks to the indicated bank account.
• Should the costs for your journey be higher than the than the maximum of 1,500 Euro granted within the Networking Grant, your institute may reimburse further travel expenses. In this case, you have to ensure that only the additional costs are covered and that double funding does not occur. This process can only take place once the travel expenses accounting process has been concluded by KHYS.

You can find a template for the final report in the ▶ download area of the Networking grant website. Please send the final report at the latest four weeks after having received the final accounting of the travel expenses to ▶ networkinggrant∂khys.kit.edu.