mppt-logo-02Travel Grants are available to help with the costs of travel for research in a health-related field. This may include travel to scientific meetings, visits to research centres or travel for training or short-term work in laboratories.

Travel Grants currently have an upper limit of $3,000, although the majority of awards are grants-in-aid.

Am I eligible?

If you’re a New Zealand citizen/permanent resident and a qualified research worker in a health science field in New Zealand, yes.

  • Graduate students are not eligible to apply. However, PhD students in their final year at Auckland and Otago Universities should consult with their research office regarding travel support from the Trust that may be available internally.

    If successful with your application there will be a one year stand-down period before you can apply again. The stand-down period means that you cannot apply for another travel grant for the following three rounds. For example, if you receive a travel grant in the March/April round 2018, your next opportunity to apply for a travel grant will be to the June/July round 2019.

    Please note that applications for travel are not accepted for travel occurring before the Trust Board decision dates (ie no retrospective funding); thus for the March 1st closing date for applications, travel must take place after the April 30th; for June 1st closing date, travel must take place after 31st July; and for October 1st closing date, travel must be after 30th November.

  • Travel Grants may be awarded for research workers attending conferences either within New Zealand or internationally (please do not apply for a Conference Support Grant for this purpose).

Ask the Trust’s office if you’re not sure which category to use or whether you or your proposal are eligible.

 

Reports

If you receive a Travel Grant, the Trust would like a brief report as soon as possible after your travel is completed.

Please download the following template, complete it, and then upload it through your MPPT user account (once you’ve logged in you can do this through a menu item on your dashboard).

The template questions mostly require brief comments; detailed or technical information about the travel isn’t needed. All information supplied will be held in confidence.

If you have any questions, please contact the MPPT office.

When can I apply?

Applications for Travel Grants are considered by the Trust Board three times a year. Please note that following a review in 2017 and beginning March 2018, the Trust will no longer provide retrospective funding for travel. Applications can be created and submitted online in the eight weeks or so prior to these dates:

  • 1 March for travel after the 30 April
    for the April meeting of the Trust Board
  • 1 June for travel after 31 July
    for the July meeting
  • 1 October for travel after 30 November
    for the November meeting

N.B. University/institutional applicants should advise their Research Office of their intention to apply at least 10 business days before the above deadlines. Remember that institutions will have their own internal guidelines which must be followed.

 

When will I hear the outcome?

Funding decisions are made by the Trust Board at its next meeting – usually four to eight weeks after each funding round closes. All applicants are then notified by email. The MPPT office will also send copies of notification letters by post if these are specifically requested by applicants.

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How do I apply?

  1. Create an account
    Your online account lets you create, submit and manage applications. You can also review previous applications, keep your profile and contact details up to date, and upload any reports arising from grants you have received.
  2. Complete the application form
    The online application form will require you to upload one or more documents in support of your application. Please refer to the Document guidelines below.
  3. Provide required approvals
    If you’re based in a university, you should check with the university research office to confirm local requirements before submitting an application.

Document guidelines

  1. Your primary application document should be no more than six pages, with a font size of 11pt or greater. These pages should include the following information:
    • Justification for travel.
    • Travel itinerary including meetings to be attended.
    • Abstracts of any papers or posters approved for presentation.
    • Details of your travel budget: note that quotations are not required unless specifically requested.
    • A note of other funding you have obtained or are seeking for your travel.
    • A list of travel you’ve undertaken in the past three years.
  2. A brief curriculum vitae should be appended to the above application document or uploaded as a separate file.
  3. Upload a letter of support from a senior colleague such as the head of the relevant department. No other referee letters are required.
  4. Note that each application has a limit of 2MB for all attached documents. If you’re unable to compress the necessary information sufficiently, contact the MPPT office.