International travel grants for doctoral student (travels outside Sweden)

Last changed: 01 February 2026

When does the call for applications open?

Applications can be submitted twice a year. The digital application form opens approximately one month before each deadline.

Spring call: deadline 28 February. The activity must take place after 30 April.

Autumn call: deadline 15 October. The activity must take place after 30 November.

Activities that have already taken place before these dates are not eligible for funding.

 

Who can apply? 

Travel grants for internationalisation are available to doctoral candidates at SLU and to researchers employed at SLU who obtained their doctoral degree no more than two years before the application deadline. Applications from doctoral candidates are normally given higher priority than those from applicants who already hold a doctoral degree.

Researchers with a doctoral degree may only apply for funding to prepare for a postdoctoral stay. Applicants who are currently employed as postdoctoral researchers are not eligible.

Doctoral candidates may be awarded a maximum of two grants during their doctoral studies. One additional grant may be awarded within two years after the doctoral degree has been awarded.

International doctoral candidates are normally not funded for visits to their home country.

 

What types of activities are eligible for travel grants?


When funds are allocated, applications are prioritised according to the categories below. Category 1 is given highest priority, followed by the other categories in order:

  1. Long-term study visits (longer than one month) - for doctoral students only

  2. Short-term study visits (shorter than one month) - for doctoral students only

  3. Doctoral courses or multi-day workshops - for doctoral students only

  4. Conferences and associated short workshops - for doctoral students only

  5. Preparation for a postdoctoral stay - for recently graduated researchers only

An important assessment criterion is how essential the planned visit is for the doctoral candidate’s education and how well it fits into the individual study plan. This is considered more important than the applicant’s academic merits. The relevance of the activity must therefore be described in a statement from the principal supervisor.

Subject to the availability of funds, applicants who already hold a doctoral degree may also be awarded grants.

 

The grant covers

- Travel costs
- Accommodation costs
- Conference fees (within reasonable limits)

 

The grant does not cover

- Subsistence allowance (traktamente) or food costs in general. May be covered by the department.
- Research/analysis work which is part of the student´s thesis project. Should be financed by the research project or the home department.
- Bench fees and similar expenses. 

 

Instructions for the application can be found in the expandable menus on this webpage. Please read and follow the instructions carefully for the category of activities for which you plan to apply for a travel grant.

 

Instructions

The application

  • The application shall be written in English.

  • Only one application is allowed per semester. However, a visit abroad may be a sequence of visits that are connected. A plan for such a visit and a motivation for breaking it up in time must be included in the principal supervisor's certificate.

  • The travel grant committee has the mandate to reduce or increase the requested grant. If the total request for funds is greater than the funds available a limit is generally set at 40 000 SEK per person.

1. Long individual study visits (longer than 1 month)

This category of travel grant may only be applied for by doctoral students.
This category have the highest priority. Visits to learn and bring back new methods are encouraged. Study visits must be well prepared and motivated in the application.

The following attachments must be included in the application:

  • Letter of invitation from the host institution
  • Letter of support from principal supervisor and head of department (including signatures).
  • Individual study plan. Submitted version should have been updated and approved by the head of department within the last year.

2. Individual study visits shorter than 1 month

This category of travel grant may only be applied for by doctoral students. 
Visits to learn and bring back new methods are encouraged. Study visits must be well prepared and motivated in the application form.

The following attachments must be included in the application:

  • Letter of invitation from the host institution
  • Letter of support from principal supervisor and head of department (including signatures).
  • Individual study plan. Submitted version should have been updated and approved by the head of department within the last year.

3. PhD courses or multi-day workshops for PhD students

This category of travel grant may only be applied for by doctoral students. 

The following attachments must be included in the application:

  • Letter of acceptance (could be submitted retroactively)
  • Letter of support from principal supervisor and head of department (including signatures).
  • Individual study plan. Submitted version should have been updated and approved by the head of department within the last year.

4. Conferences and short associated workshops (PhD student)

This category of travel grant may only be applied for by doctoral students.
Priority should be given to high-quality conferences and workshops with specialized topics in line with the applicant's research area and the applicant's individual study plan.

Priority should be given to applicants who give their own presentation according to the list below:

Priority 4:1. Applicant has an accepted oral presentation.
Priority 4:2. Applicant has an accepted poster presentation.
Priority 4:3. Submitted abstract of presentation enclosed with application. Priority 4:4. Applicant plans to submit abstract.

The following attachments must be included in the application:

- Abstract of work to be presented (if applicable) and information about accepted form of presentation
- Letter of acceptance (could be submitted retroactively)
- Letter of support from principal supervisor and head of department (including signatures).
- Individual study plan. Submitted version should have been updated and approved by the head of department within the last year.

5. Applicants with a PhD degree - Preparation for post-doc

Grants may be given to applicants with a PhD degree if less than two years have passed (at the time of the call deadline) since the degree was issued. The aim of the application should be to establish a scientific career, i.e. to get a postdoc position or to learn a new skill useful for the research area.

The applicant must be able to show good formal credentials and letters of recommendation from their department at SLU and from the intended postdoc institution. The application should include a motivation of how the grant will help the applicant's future career at SLU or the research area at SLU. Applicants who already have a postdoc position can not get a grant.

The following attachments must be included in the application:

- Letter of invitation from the host institution
- Letter of support from a senior researcher at your SLU department and head of department (including signatures).

What applies if I have been awarded a travel grant?

Any change of the applicant's itinerary is permitted only once and must have been requested and permitted before the journey is initiated. The request should include an explanation of the necessity and a motivation of the changed plans together with a new budget. The request must be signed by the principal supervisor.

Change of category of the activity, e.g. from study visit to conference, is not allowed.

 

Travel report

The applicant's travel report is sent to travelgrants@slu.se within a month from returning from the visit.

Instructions for travel report (for grantees).

Contact

travelgrants@slu.se