Financial Aid to Attend International Seminar/Conference/Symposium Abroad

The programme is to encourage quality research, mobility and networking among postgraduate students of UPM. Successful applicants can use this financial aid assistance only once during their PhD candidature.

Application requirements
a) Applicant must be a registered PhD student with good academic standing and has never received financial assistance under this scheme.

b) Priority is given to applicant who has not exceeded 6 semesters of study.

c) Applicant must have attended the Putra Sarjana presentation skills seminar organised by the School of Graduate Studies or have presented a seminar at the faculty/institute prior to the application.

d) Applicant MUST BE INVITED AS AN ORAL PRESENTER. The presentation must be related to the applicant's PhD research work. The invitation letter must be submitted together with the application form.

e) The application form (GS-46) can be downloaded from this PU/S/BR05/GS-46 form. The completed application form must be submitted to the Graduate School at least 40 days before the date of the seminar/conference/symposium.

f)  A copy of presentation slides for the seminar/conference/symposium must be included in the application form submitted to the Graduate School.  The submitted slides must fulfill the followings:

1. The slides have been reviewed and approved by the main supervisor or supervisory committee.
2. The slides must use the University’s standard Power Point template which can be downloaded here.
3. The slides must be well-organised and prepared in English.
4. The slides must include a statement of appreciation to the University for the support that has been provided.
   
   

g) International applicant is only allowed to apply if seminars / conferences are organized outside their home country.

h) The application form (GS-46) must be endorsed by the academic advisor or the Chairman of the Supervisory Committee and Dean of Faculty/Director of Institute.

i) Only attendance to seminar/conference/symposium organized by registered association / university / research institute / academic organization / government agency will be considered for financial support.  Supervisor and faculty/institute are responsible to check and ensure that the seminar/conference/symposium is not organized by commercial organizer.

j)  Application that does not fulfill the above requirements will not be processed.

Please note: 

1. All applications will be evaluated by the University Selection Committee.  A conditional offer will be given to successful applicant and he/she is required to do a mock presentation of conference paper in front of the University Conference Support panel. The conditional offer may be withdrawn if the panel is not satisfied or if the applicant fails to present. An official offer letter will only be issued if the panel is satisfied with the presentation.
2. Any appeal or claim on expenses submitted by the applicant after attending the seminar/conference/symposium without prior funding approval from the university will be rejected.
   
   

Reimbursement Guidelines
a) The current rates for funding under this scheme are as below:

b) Claims must be made within 30 working days after the date of the seminar/conference/symposium.

c) All claims must include original receipts or proof of payment. The following items are permitted for reimbursement:

1. Food
2. Accommodation
3. Air travel based on economy class tickets and provision of boarding pass. (Malaysian Airlines or Air Asia is preferred).
4. Land travel based on provision of bus or railway tickets. Receipts must be provided for taxi fares.
5. Others [visa, travel insurance, medical treatment for minor ailments)
   
   

Report Guidelines
A report of the attended seminar/conference/symposium must be submitted to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), UPM within one month after the conference date. Include the following items in the report:

1. Briefly explain your goals for attending the conference/seminar/symposium.
2. Illustrate how your presentation fits into the overall schedule/programme of the conference/seminar/symposium. Submit a copy of your abstract and presentation PowerPoint.
3. Briefly explain how the conference/seminar/symposium enhances your experience as a postgraduate student.
4. Briefly describe any initiatives/efforts made for future collaboration at the conference/seminar/symposium.
5. You may include suggestions to improve the administration of “Financial Aid to Attend International Seminar/Conference/Symposium “.
   
   

For further inquiries, please contact Admission and Institution Unit, School of Graduate Studies, UPM at sgs_intl.programme@upm.edu.my.

Updated:: 25/01/2021 [aslamiah]