Foreign stays: requirements for PhD students

Scholarship increase

Budget of 50% of the scholarship amount for periods of foreign stay - from the 38th cycle onwards

All PhD students are guaranteed an additional budget of 50% of the scholarship amount for foreign stays. The budget:

• does not apply to stays with a duration of less than one continuous month;
• does not apply to stays at the place of residence;
• is guaranteed for the first 180 days (also non-continuous, i.e. as the sum of several periods of at least 30 days each);
• will be paid from the 181st day based on the funds available, as certified by the Board of the PhD Student's department or the department proposing the PhD programme;
• may be combined with other incentives that finance the costs of foreign stays abroad, in compliance with the specific reporting rules related to the research project carried out as part of the PhD course (e.g. PON, PNRR, etc.);
• may be combined with the international mobility grants paid by the University under the ‘Erasmus Plus - Mobility for internships’ and ‘Erasmus Plus - Study’ Programmes only for the first 180 days of the period abroad (even if not continuous); may be combined with the 'Marco Polo' incentive up to the maximum amount allocated under that incentive.

The additional budget of 50% is disbursed in the form of:

• scholarship increase for PhD students with scholarships. The file is managed by the PhD programme degree Unit;
• reimbursement of mission expenses for PhD students without scholarships. The file managed by the department of affiliation.

The additional budget for research periods abroad may be used for up to 12 months. This period may be extended to eighteen months only for PhD programmes jointly supervised with foreign institutions or activated pursuant to Article 3 para. 2 Ministerial Decree 226/2021.

30% increase in the study grant for foreign stays - up to the 37th cycle

For periods abroad, PhD students with scholarships receive an increase of 30% of the scholarship amount. This increase:

• does not apply to stays with a duration of less than one continuous month;
• does not apply to stays at the place of residence;
• is guaranteed for the first 180 days (also non-continuous, i.e. as the sum of several periods of at least 30 days each);
• will be paid from the 181st day based on the funds available, as certified by the Board of the PhD Student's department or the department proposing the PhD programme;
• may be combined with other incentives that finance the costs of foreign stays abroad, in compliance with the specific reporting rules possibly related to the research project carried out as part of the PhD course (e.g. PON, PNRR, etc.);
• may be combined with the international mobility grants paid by the University under the ‘Erasmus Plus - Mobility for internships’ and ‘Erasmus Plus - Study’ Programmes only for the first 180 days of the period abroad (even if not continuous);
• may be combined with the 'Marco Polo' incentive up to the maximum amount allocated under that incentive.

Requirements to apply for a scholarship increase

Authorisation and closure of the period abroad for all the cycles

All PhD Students, with or without scholarships, who intend to spend a period abroad must request authorisation from the Academic Board, regardless of the duration of the stay and whether or not they receive mobility incentives (e.g. increase in the scholarship, 'Marco Polo', 'Erasmus Plus', etc.). The authorisation allows the extension of insurance also abroad.

The authorisation from the Academic Board must indicate:  

• host body;
• start and end date of the stay;
• planned activities.

After obtaining authorisation, PhD students should send to aform.udottricerca@unibo.it:

• the details of the resolution adopted by the Academic Board or the provision of the coordinator;
• the invitation letter, in English, issued by the contact teacher or the legal officer of the host body, addressed to the PhD students, or to the coordinator or supervisor.

In the event of an extension of a period abroad that has already begun, the details of the new decision taken by the Board and the new end date of the stay must be sent.

At the end of their stay, PhD students must request a letter from the host body certifying the period of their stay, indicating:

• the start and end dates of the stay (coinciding with those authorised by the Academic Board or, in any case, included within that time interval);
• brief summary of activities carried out.

The return letter must be:

• issued on or after the end date of the stay;
• drafted in English, on headed notepaper;
• written by the coordinating teacher, director or administrative head of the foreign body.

We recommend visiting the section Organising mobility abroad safely: protocol, vaccination prophylaxis and online training course (MOOC) on the University Intranet (reserved access with @unibo.it credentials).  

Procedure for applying for a scholarship increase for foreign stays of more than 30 days

PhD students with scholarships may apply for the scholarship increase

• in two instalments (advance and balance) paid at the beginning and end of the period respectively;
• or in one lump sum at the end of the period.

Advance of contribution for the foreign stay

PhD students with scholarships may request payment in advance of half of the requested increase for a foreign stay authorised by the Academic Board/Coordinator. This advance may only be requested for stays authorised by the Board of at least 90 days.

The request can be sent to aform.udottricerca@unibo.it using the specific advance request form (in Italian) [.pdf 327 KB].

The request for an advance must be sent at least 30 days before the start of the period abroad in order to allow, after checking the documents sent, payment of the contribution in the month of departure, taking into account the timing of monthly payments to PhD students (due on the 26th of each month). Otherwise, the advance will be paid in the month following departure.

Please note: PON and PNRR grant assignees must check that their research periods abroad correspond to those entered in the ministerial reporting applications.

Balance of contribution for the foreign stay

At the end of the period abroad, PhD students with scholarships who have received an advance on the grant increase must submit a request for the balance using the appropriate scholarship increase request form (in Italian) [.pdf 220 KB] together with the return letter, drawn up according to the instructions above. The application must be submitted within 6 months of the end of the stay, otherwise the financial benefit will be forfeited.

Please note: the balance of the scholarship increase will be calculated based on the number of days authorised and actually spent abroad, as indicated in the return letter. The payment of the increase, taking into account the timing of monthly payments to PhD students (scheduled for the 26th of each month), will take place within 60 days after sending the documentation to the office.​

Request for an increase in the scholarship for a foreign stay (one-off payment)

At the end of the period abroad, PhD students with scholarships who have not received an advance must submit a request for the payment of the scholarship increase using the appropriate scholarship increase request form (in Italian) [.pdf 220 KB] together with the return letter, drawn up according to the instructions above. The application must be submitted within 6 months of the end of the stay, otherwise the financial benefit will be forfeited.

Please note: the calculation of the scholarship increase will be calculated based on the number of days authorised and actually spent abroad, as indicated in the return letter. The payment of the increase, taking into account the timing of monthly payments to PhD students (scheduled for the 26th of each month), will take place within 60 days after sending the documentation to the office.

Compatibility

Compatibility of the scholarship increase with the 'Marco Polo' contribution

The increase in the PhD student scholarship may be combined with the 'Marco Polo' incentive. However, the sum of the scholarship increase and the 'Marco Polo' incentive may not exceed the maximum value of the 'Marco Polo' incentive. Overall, only a reduced amount of the 'Marco Polo' can be received in addition to the scholarship increase.

If you are a PNRR or PON grant assignee and if the period abroad is included in your project, you will necessarily have to apply for the grant increment for the planned period abroad for the purpose of reporting on the ministerial platform for your specific project. Always check with your supervisor regarding the periods abroad authorised by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. You may also apply for the 'Marco Polo' scholarship, provided that the sum of the scholarship increase plus the 'Marco Polo' contribution does not exceed the maximum amount of the 'Marco Polo' scholarship.

PhD scholarships co-funded by PNRR 

​​​​​​​​​​​​For more detailed information on reporting and carrying out periods in a company and abroad for PNRR scholarship assignees of 38th,39th and40thcycles, please see the page PhD scholarships co-funded by the PNRR on the University Intranet (reserved access with @unibo.it credentials).