Please note that the information on this page is subject to change with no warning. If you are unsure of any aspect of your application, we encourage you to get in touch with us at [email protected].
Along with the funding you get from research councils, your school, the government, and many more sources, you can apply for funding from postgraduate(su).
We have two pots of funding availble to all postgraduate students which you can find more information about underneath. These are the Social Grant, which is aimed at subsidising social activities that help develop the postgraduate community, and the Conference/Research fund, which aims to help postgraduate students with costs incurred by conferences or research activities. Both of these exist to help every postgraduate student at UEA, so please use them, and encourage others to do so too!
Before you make your application, please make sure you read and understand the Terms of Reimbursement so that you are familiar with what we can and cannot fund, as well as how the reimbursement process works. There are also some restrictions and guidelines in the final page of each application form (forms are found below). Please read these carefully before starting your application.
Funds are restrictive, so please don't be disappointed if your application is rejected by the Committee. We only consider applications in advance of the event (at least two weeks before the date of the event), and of high quality and detail. Applications that do not meet this standard will be returned for further development.
How your application is assessed
We will endeavour to get back to you about your application within 10 working days. Funding applications will generally go through two stages of approval. If it fails on any points in Stage 1, it will be returned to you for improvements. However, applications that fail in Stage 2 are rejected and no further amendments can be made at this point. If your application is rejected, you are more than welcome to submit a new one, however the new application will have a refreshed 10 working day turnaround period.
Stage 1 (Administrative)
Here, your application is assessed based on how well it follows the guidelines set out in the application forms. Specifically, we will be looking at whether your application adheres to the following:
- Does not aim at subsidising charity fundraising or donating Students' Union affiliated money to other charities
- Does not request funding for flights within Western Europe (including domestic flights), as set out by our Environmental Policy
- Does not request funding for a house party
- Does not quote unreasonably high prices (for example, we recommend a maximum spending of £15 per head for subsidised meals)
- Does not request funding for luxury items (such as limousine transport)
- No more than 50% of the requested funding will go towards alcohol
- Costs are broken down satisfactorily, with each item for which funding is requested being as specific as possible. Vague items such as "travel costs" will not suffice. However, "Train tickets from Point A to Point B" are specific enough. To guide you with this, make sure that every item you request funding for can be directly derived and matched from any receipts you will provide afterwards.
Stage 2 (Voting)
If your application goes through Stage 1, it will be passed to the Postgraduate Committee for voting. The committee may then vote to approve, reject, or cover part of the funding requested. When voting, Postgraduate Committee members will consider whether:
- Participants or beneficiaries will also contribute to the cost of the activity (in other words, whether the requested funding is a subsidy rather than a coverage of the entire activity cost)
- Any questionable expenditures are claimed
- The items for which funding is requested are not already supplied by the Students' Union
- There are two reasonable quotes attached (to demonstrate that you've "shopped around" for the best deal), and whether these quotes are viable
- The activity is inclusive (particularly for the Social Grant)
- The activity will last for a long amount of time
- The activity will have any long-term impacts or whether it is sustainable
- You have already applied for funding within the academic year
- Storage is required (if so, please e-mail [email protected] with requirements before submitting a grant request)
The Social Grant
Every year, lots of student-led postgraduate events are made possible because of the Social Grant. Whether you'd like to host a social event, a dinner, a trip to the coast, or anything else that involves fun and community-building, this grant can help you cover some of the costs. Here is an example of best practice for an idea of how to appropriately break down costs and describe your event.
To apply for the Social Grant, please complete this form and return it via e-mail to [email protected]. Please remember to refer to the last page of the form for some guidance before starting your application. Feel free to e-mail us at the same address to ask us any questions you have as well!
The Conference/Research Fund
We understand that the postgraduate experience can sometimes extend well beyond campus. Where your funding options for attending a conference or covering your research costs are narrow, postgraduate(su) is here to help you! Through the Conference/Research Fund, you can claim back for any major expenses incurred to you by a conference you attended or some research you conducted.
To apply for the Conference/Research Fund, please complete this form and return it via e-mail to [email protected]. Please remember to refer to the last page of the form for some guidance before starting your application. Feel free to e-mail us at the same address to ask us any questions you have as well!