Department Fieldwork Fund

There are two application dates for this fund every year:

• Round 1 application deadline: last Friday of March
• Round 2 application deadline: last Friday of September

Download the Application Form. (Rich Text Format - can be read by most word processors.)

Purpose of Grants
This is an initiative by the School of Political Science, Criminology & Sociology to assist research-only higher degree students in the Department who wish to:

• travel within Australia to access key source material not available locally;
• travel overseas to obtain source materials;
• conduct surveys;
• transcribe interview tapes and focus group sessions;
• (in special circumstances) participate in research workshops.

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Conditions of the Grant

• Grants must be spent within 12 months of approval;
• Recipients of grants are required to provide a report to the Department's Research and Graduate Studies Committee on their return;
• Applicants are expected to obtain discount airfares wherever possible;
• Applicants for travel assistance are required, if they are eligible, to also apply for matching funding from the Arts Faculty’s Travel for Research in Postgraduate Study (TRIPS) scheme or PhD Fieldwork Scheme.

Matching funding can also be obtained from the Melbourne Scholarships Office through the MATS, PORES and AFTS schemes. Information about these schemes is available through the Faculty of Arts website.

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Eligibility

• Students must be currently enrolled in a PhD or Masters Degree by Research in the School of Political Science, Criminology & Sociology at the University of Melbourne.
• PhD students must have their candidature confirmed
• Students are eligible for one full grant from the Departmental Fieldwork Fund scheme throughout the duration of their candidature.

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Value of Grants

• Grants will be awarded of up to $1,000 per candidature.
• Applicants who are not applying for TRIPS can only be awarded up to $750

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Costs Eligible for Funding

• Airfare, train/bus fares to destination;
• Local travel at research/conference site;
• Accommodation;
• Workshop fees

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Permission to Study Away From the University

• PhD candidates studying overseas must obtain (via the School of Graduate Studies) the written approval of the PhD Committee;
• Masters candidates studying overseas must obtain approval through the Faculty of Arts Postgraduate Office.

Important note: all students undertaking research-related work off campus are required to undertake a risk assessment. Risk assessment is now required for grant applications.
Download a risk assessment application form (Rich text format, 90 kB).

Applications
Applications are to made on the Postgraduate Fieldwork Fund Application Form. This form is available for downloading at the top of this page, or from the Postgraduate Administrator - email polpgrad-info@unimelb.edu.au

• The completed application must have the endorsement of the student's supervisor.
• Applicants should clearly identify the relationship between the activities to be carried out under this grant and their thesis.
• Applicants must demonstrate that they have reached a stage where overseas fieldwork or other travel can be used to best advantage.
• Applicants should state precisely what they intend to do in each of these places, and make it clear that their research project will be substantially improved by access to the resources detailed in their application.
• An application to attend a research workshop will be considered if the student is delivering a paper.
• Applicants must give an itemised estimate of their travelling expenses.
• Completed applications should be typed or filled out on a word processor.
• Applications should be submitted to the Political Science Departmental Office.

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