Doctoral Research Fund

You can apply for up to $5000 to fund:

• Research-related consumables
• Field work
• Literature/library searches
• Travel, accommodation, general subsistence needs 

All applications will be considered taking into account application quality, research needs, supervisor support, project appropriateness, and total research funds available.

• You must be enrolled for a PhD in the Arts at the University of Auckland when applying, and can receive only one DRF grant during the course of your doctoral enrolment. 
• You can still apply if you are a PhD student funded by scholarships or outside sources.
• If you are in your provisional year of registration, you can apply. Upon completion, you'll need to provide confirmation of re-enrolment from the Dean of Graduate Studies before being able to get funds. 
• If you are a doctoral student and a member of the academic staff, you probably won't be eligible for the DRF. If you are eligible for the Faculty Research Development Fund, apply for that instead.

• DRF grants are for one to two years. Timelines related to expenditure must feature in the application. Unspent funding at the end of the grant period remain with the Faculty.
• Let your supervisor know that they'll be asked to submit a confidential letter of support and talk with them about your application.
• The  University of Auckland has a supplier agreement with Orbit for travel, accommodation and car rental. In compliance with the University travel policy, all travel must be booked through Orbit.
• When you make a request for budget accommodation, it's expected you'll use student or youth hostels (or similar).
• Reimbursement of approved expenditure is only made when you submit receipts and invoices. However, for application budgeting purposes, use the following per diem rates. These are a guide to the reasonable cost of meals, travel and internet access while travelling in a region.

These include:

• Expenses incurred prior to the award of a grant.
• Conference attendance. There's an expectation that standard PReSS account awards and School funds will provide the financial support to enable doctoral students to attend conferences.
• Payment for computers, cameras, and video recorders. Students should seek loans of laptops, cameras and video recorders through their supervisor using the Faculty loanpools managed by Arts IT. Non-consumables such as equipment and software purchased with DRF monies remain the property of the Arts.
• Reimbursement requests not specified in the submitted budget. They are approved only with prior permission of the Associate Dean Research, and should only involve minor variations. Expenditure may be subject to audit.
• Travel insurance. The University has insurance that covers staff and students travelling overseas on authorised business for up to 90 days. If you'll be overseas for longer, you'll need to make private arrangements for insurance.

• There will be three application rounds per year, closing at 5pm on 1 March, 1 July and 1 October. Late applications are not accepted.
  
• If successful in your application, you must return the signed acceptance form within one calendar month to arts-drf@auckland.ac.nz.
• You and your supervisor will be told of your grant, and the money will be deposited into an Arts account. Money will be released on a reimbursement-only basis.
• You need to check your available balance before incurring costs. You must also get your supervisor's signature and approval of expenses before withdrawals. This is to verify that there has been no overspending or inappropriate spending.
• Original tax invoices must be presented when claiming reimbursement and all expenditure must comply with the University of Auckland Travel Policy.

Research fund report

A brief written report on the research project should be submitted to arts-drf@auckland.ac.nz by students within three months of the expiry date of the award. This should also be signed by your supervisor. Please use the report template below, which requires the following:

• Details from the original application
• A written report of the achievement
• A financial statement indicating how funds have been expended and a statement as to how any unspent funds are to be used.

Reimbursement claims are to be submitted using CONCUR. Find further information on how to prepare and submit a claim here.

Please submit one expense claim for all your expenses instead of one claim per expense item.

Required documentation for Expense Claims: 

• Your supervisor’s approval that the expenses can be claimed from your DRF fund. An informal and dated email is sufficient. If possible try to avoid screenshots from you mobile phone that do not show a date. We must see your request for approval along with the reply from you supervisor.
• Your receipts relating to the expense claim plus a screenshot of the currency converted if applicable.
• A current account statement of your PReSS balance.

Send your application to arts-drf@auckland.ac.nz.