GraCe Travel Grants
In 2026, doctoral candidates of the University of Freiburg (except for the Faculty of Medicine) can apply for travel grants for conferences, provided that the travel costs cannot be covered by funds of their institute, their doctoral program, or their doctoral scholarship donors.
Participating in conferences is essential for the progress of doctoral projects, as well as for increasing the visibility and career prospects of doctoral candidates. By funding conference travel, the University of Freiburg enables doctoral researchers to present themselves and their work at both national and international levels. Thereby, the university encourages active engagement in scientific discussions and networking within the academic community. Through scholarly exchange and constructive feedback, doctoral candidates gain valuable input for the further development of their research.
- Doctoral candidates at the University of Freiburg (except for the Faculty of Medicine)
- Funding can generally be obtained every twelve months and two times in total.
- Travels to or online formats of meetings, conferences, congresses, symposia, and summer schools that are relevant for the applicant’s doctoral project and to which they will be making an individual contribution (e.g. talk, poster).
- Research stays such as field work or research at archives
- Events the applicant has already attended. Retrospective funding is not possible.
- As a rule, between 50 % and 75 % of the costs you applied for; in exceptional cases, the costs can be reimbursed up to 100 %.
- Reimbursable costs are the participation fee as well as accommodation and travel costs in accordance with the State Law on Travel Costs. Further information can be found in the application form.
- If possible, the institute should contribute to the travel costs. This must be agreed upon in advance and be confirmed by the supervisor’s signature on the application form.
Please note: Employees of the University of Freiburg should contact GraCe in advance of their application to discuss the business trip request process..
- 1st round: 15.01.2026 by 13:00, travel period starts from 15.02.2026 onward
- 2nd round: 16.04.2026 by 13:00, travel period starts from 17.05.2026 onward
- 3rd round:02.07.2026 by 13:00, travel period starts from 09.08.2026 onward
- 4th round: 01.10.2026 by 13:00, travel period starts from 01.11.2026 onward
Please note: The start of the travel period is to be understood as the earliest date for the respective round. For example, you can also apply for a conference trip in October 2026 in the 2nd round.
Main criteria for getting a GraCe travel grant
- Relevance of the travel for the doctoral project
- Relevance of the travel for the applicants’ scientific advancement
- The applicants’ financial needs
- Send your complete application documents to GraCe.
- Directly after the committee has made its decision, we will send you the notification letter.
- If your application is accepted, you will receive a reimbursement as soon as we have received, after your trip, all the documents showing the costs of your travel. You will receive information on how to document your travel costs along with your letter of acceptance.
