FAQ

• How much can the Travel Grant cover?
  • As indicated on our website, the Travel Grant can cover t round-trip economy airfare, pre-travel expenses, visa fees, insurance, conference registration fees, and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA).
  • Depending on your LIB proposal, the Travel Grant can cover the full amount for all entitlements.

• Can I apply for a Travel Grant as a co-author of a paper? The principal author will also apply for a travel grant.
  • Yes, you may, provided that you have been recognized as a presenter by the organizers and co-presenter by the principal author.

• Can I apply for a Travel Grant as a participant of a conference? I will not present anything but will only attend.
  • No, the Travel Grant is only for those who will actively participate and present their works at an international conference.

• Can I apply for a Travel Grant for a workshop or a training program abroad?
  • Depending on the arrangement of the workshop or program you will be attending, your application may be considered. There is a higher chance to be considered if you have an active role in the event (e.g. facilitator, moderator, judge, and presenter).
  • If you were accepted into a formal training program, you may explore other grants offered by the OVPAA.

• I have been accepted into a short-term summer school and would like to apply for a Travel Grant. The program involves classes discussing academic topics relevant to my degree.
  • The Travel Grant program only covers research and creative work presentations at international conferences. It does not cover short-term academic courses, especially if these do not involve research workshops and presentations. 
  • The applicants should have working research papers that they wish to develop during conferences or workshops.

• I am a faculty member, but I am not yet tenured, does this mean I am not eligible for a Travel Grant?
• The tenure track of faculty members is a separate employment status from the permanent position for government employees. If you already received a notice of appointment reflecting your employee or Plantilla number, then you are eligible for a Travel Grant.
• For quick reference, faculty members with Plantilla (permanent) positions are eligible while those with COS/JO positions such as lecturers and part-time faculty are not. Those with temporary status and/or employed as UP Contractual are still eligible but they must provide documents related to their appointment or promotion as a faculty member. Preferably, with documents or certification from the HRDO that they are awaiting a Plantilla position.

• My conference will only be held for three days but I will be staying in the country for another ten days. I will be visiting places that I think are important for my academic and personal growth. I will also visit my family and friends. I will be using my funds for the excess days.
  • The Travel Grant for Research/Creative Work Presentation In International Conferences will only cover your presentation at the international conference and cannot be used to support unofficial and personal activities of your travel itinerary
  • The travel days should only include the conference period and the travel days covering the days used for travel before and after the conference. Should the applicant wish to extend their stay then, their airfare and related entitlements will be deducted accordingly.
  • Please note that the Travel Grant is a financial assistance program that uses the public funds of the University of the Philippines. The guidelines are based on E.O 77 s. 2019, particularly Section 14 on the foreign trips of government employees. Any deviation from the intended use of the grant will be grounds for misuse of public funds and disqualification for a Travel Grant.
• I have received a grant from my CU and would like to apply for a Travel Grant to cover the other expenses, how can I go about it?
  • The Travel Grant program accepts applications with external funding but does not cover partial amounts for grant support. Please ensure that any entitlements you want the Travel Grant to cover are requested in full.
  • For example, if your external funding source partially covers your airfare but fully covers your conference registration fee, the Travel Grant will not cover your airfare or registration fee. The grant will only cover any remaining entitlements not funded by external sources.
• I have applied for a Visa and indicated your Office as my sponsor but they need me to send them documents about the university’s official documents, I would like to request these documents from your office.
  • Kindly note that the OIL-System is not your sponsor in the sense that the OIL-System is the primary institution that deployed you. The program only provides you with the financial assistance that you need for your mobilization. You might need to update your visa category per your role as a presenter or researcher.
  • As per our guidelines, the grantees are responsible for their own travel arrangements which include the visa application. If you have any concerns with your visa, you may reach out to the organizers of the conference, embassies,  travel agencies concerned, or through your academic unit which endorsed you to the conference.

• I just submitted my abstract to the conference and am still waiting for the result. Can I still apply for a Travel Grant?
  • Yes, you may still apply for a Travel Grant. Kindly update us when you receive the result so we can process your application.

• My conference will be held from the last week of the month to the first week of the month. This is in between two cycles, can my application be considered for the current cycle so you can process it immediately?
  • Please refer to the official start of your conference. If you missed the deadline for your conference period then it will be included in the out-of-cycle regardless if your conference period is in between two application cycles.
  • Due to the high volume of applications, the Travel Grant team will strictly follow the deadlines for the cycle and focus on expediting the release of grants for qualified applicants.
• I currently do not have any receipts and invoices since I haven’t paid anything yet. What should I upload?
  • In the case of the registration fee, you can upload screenshots of the actual amount that you need to pay from the organizers or their website. For other receipts such as visa and insurance, you may upload quotations in place of receipts and invoices.
• Can I apply for a Travel Grant even if the venue is in the Philippines? The organizers are from international organizations/universities.
  • No, the Travel Grant is designed to provide financial assistance to UP representatives presenting abroad. Its guidelines are tied to the E.O. 77 s.2019’s section for international trips. You may explore other grants from other Offices.
• Can I apply for a Travel grant for two closely held conferences? I will only have one international trip but I need to attend two conferences in two venues in that country.
  • The Travel Grant can only cover one conference per application. Any expenses related to the other conference will not be covered. Regarding the airfare, a justification/appeal letter subject to the OIL Director’s approval will be required. Depending on the decision, the grantee’s airfare may be deducted accordingly.
• Can I still apply for a Travel Grant even if I have a pending liquidation?
  • No. 
• Will my chance for a Travel Grant depend on my designation? Will I have a higher chance if I use my faculty designation compared to my student designation?
  • No, differences in designations are the least of the considerations. So long as you qualify for the grant, follow the process properly, and provide the needed documents you will be given a Travel Grant. 
• I am coming from another region and need to process my visa in Manila before my actual departure. Will the Travel Grant cover my local flight and accommodations for this trip?
  • No, the Travel Grant will only cover the airfare and DSA during the conference period. All expenses incurred before the actual departure will fall under the pre-travel expenses which is a set amount of 3,500 pesos.
• I have received a grant from my CU, does this mean I am no longer eligible for the Travel Grant?
  • Depending on which item was covered by the CU, you are still eligible for the Travel Grant. You will only be disqualified if you have a co-existing grant with any of the programs under OVPAA or UP System Offices.
• I will not be able to attend my conference due to unforeseen circumstances, am I still eligible for another application? Will the Travel Grant cover my pre-travel expenses?
  • So long as you have returned the grant for your canceled conference, we can consider your application for the next conference.
  • If you were not able to present at the conference (even virtually), we cannot cover your expenses and you need to return the whole amount of your grant.
• Why is the release of my grant taking so long?
  • The average processing time upon endorsement to the System Accounting Office is at least 15 working days depending on the volume of applications and completeness of application documents. This is why our cycles are designed to allow the grantees at least 3-4 months of preparation.
  • If you are a grantee under the reimbursement track, please be guided that the priorities are the applicants for the current cycle. It also depends on the number of reimbursement applications before yours.
• If you are a grantee within the cycle:
  • Your application documents may be under review or have been flagged by the respective Offices at the System level and they need some clarification on certain items.
  • Due to the volume of applications, there are other pending applications before yours.
  • Rest assured that the TG Team actively monitors the progress of each application and will update the grantee if there are any concerns on their application documents.
• I have lost some of the documents for the liquidation report, what do I do?
  • For lost boarding passes, you may ask your airline to issue a travel certificate.
  • For receipts, you may present other proof of payment (SOA or email confirmation of transaction). If paid in cash and with no other proof of payment, then you will need to return the amount granted to you.
• I wish to apply for the out-of-cycle application but I no longer have the airfare quotations for my trip, what can I do?
  • Flight details/ airfares are indeed time sensitive and past flights are hard to find. Regrettably, if you cannot produce three quotations, we cannot include your airfare in the approved Line-Item budget (LIB).
  • This applies to other documents, if you cannot produce the required documents, the items will not be included in the (LIB) of your grant.

GRANT CONDITIONS

• The grantee is responsible for processing necessary travel documents such as travel authority, visa, foreign exchange permit, and others. They are also responsible for their travel arrangements.
• The grantee should keep all actual printed copies of their boarding passes and official receipts.
• The financial assistance shall be provided and released directly to the grantee through checks. However, if the grantee cannot personally receive the financial assistance, a representative may receive the check. They will only need a duly signed authorization letter with a photocopy of the representative’s valid government-issued ID. 

UP shall be free of any liabilities or damages in connection with the release of the financial assistance to the grantee or grantee’s representative.

• The grantee must sign the compliance to liquidate clause included in the application form of the Travel Grant Program based on COA regulations. (COA Circular No. 2012-001, Prescribing the Revised Guidelines and Documentary Requirements for Common Government Transactions)
• The grantee must attend the post-travel grant liquidation session.
• Unexpended funds must be returned to the UP-System Cash Office located in the basement of Quezon Hall. Information on how to return the unexpended funds will be provided after the review of the liquidation report.
• Grantees who fail to submit required liquidation documents will be tagged by the UP CU Office of the University Registrar (OUR), and the Office of International Linkages (OIL) as grantees with accountabilities. Grantees with accountabilities cannot re-apply for the grant, and students with accountabilities will not be cleared by the OUR.

DISQUALIFICATION OF GRANT

• Non-compliance and disruptive actions
  • Applicant/s who neglect or refuse to send the needed requirements for at least ten working days due to unjust reasons will not be entertained. 
• Misconduct
  • Applicant/s who have shown negative and unreasonable behaviors and actions during the period of their engagement with UP OIL will be disqualified from the grant.
  • Applicant/s who have pending administrative cases will be disqualified from the grant.
• Failure to declare external funding
  • Applicant/s who fail to report any external funding and have been tagged by the System Accounting Office shall be disqualified from the grant.