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Estonian Doctoral School mobility grants for EBS doctoral students

Through the Estonian Doctoral School, Estonian Business School (EBS) doctoral students can apply for support for short-term mobility.  In particular, support is provided for participation in an international conference abroad with an oral presentation. In addition, it is also possible to apply for support for participating in the summer, autumn, winter or spring schools (sometimes named symposia or tutorial).

The doctoral student can apply for a short-term mobility grant from the doctoral school to cover the costs of one trip per calendar year. (Submitting an application does not guarantee that the grant will be awarded, and if an application is unsuccessful in one round, a new application may be submitted in the next round, but not for participation in the same event).

Short-term mobility lasts for up to 30 calendar days (including the travel time to and from the destination of the assignment), with a specific trip lasting one day before and one day after the event.

The deadlines for the call for applications in 2025 are:

1. 25 March – for mobilities taking place between 1 April and 30 June 2025.

2. 25 May – for mobilities taking place between 1 July and 31 September 2025.

3. 25 September – for mobilities taking place between 1 October 31 December 2025

Eligibility: The mobility grant is for EBS doctoral students not funded by a state scholarship (i.e. Junior Research Fellows), research grant or research project. In other words, it is intended to candidates who have no other funding opportunities.

For what: Eligible types of mobility:

  • Participation in an international conference abroad with an oral presentation;
  • Participation in an intensive course, summer, autumn, winter or spring school

abroad (sometimes named symposia or tutorial). Preference is given to the events taking place in Europe and organized by one of the European research networks.

You can apply for support for an event that has not yet taken place; you cannot apply retroactively for support for events that have already passed.

Which costs can be covered by the mobility allowance:

  • Transport costs – reimbursed on the basis of unit prices
  • Accommodation costs – reimbursed on the basis of unit prices
  • Daily subsistence allowance – €32 per day abroad
  • Participation fee – reimbursed on the basis of cost documents

If the doctoral student wishes to combine the doctoral school grant with another mobility grant, it is necessary to make sure in advance that the conditions of the latter allow this.

Amount of support:

EBS tries to support as many doctoral students as possible, so we give preference to applications with a maximum grant of up to €1,250 for international conferences and up to €2,000 for participation in an intensive course, summer, autumn-winter or spring school abroad (if the content of the course is related to the doctoral thesis and cannot be taken at EBS or a member university of the Estonian Doctoral School)
The costs of short-term international mobility for doctoral students are covered by the unit rates used in the national mobility grant scheme “Kristjan Jaak Programme” (please see the details at Estonian Doctoral School page).

Travel allowance: part of the travel costs is covered by a travel allowance, which includes all costs related to the outward and return journey, e.g. local transport, travel insurance, etc. travel expenses are covered by the travel allowance. The distance will be calculated using the European Commission’s online calculator.

Support per return journeyDistance from city to city  
1. EUR 180up to 99,9 km
2. EUR 180100-499 km
3. EUR 275500-1999 km
4. EUR 3602000-2999 km
5. EUR 5303000-3999 km
6. EUR 8204000-7999 km
7. EUR 15008000 km or more

Accommodation allowance: part of the accommodation costs is covered by an accommodation allowance, which is paid during the event abroad and, where justified, one night before and one night after the event.

Support per nightDuration of the mobility  
1. EUR 1201-14 days
2. EUR 8015-30 days

Per diem: The daily allowance is paid within the framework of the Estonian Doctoral School’s mobility grant, at the agreed rate of 32 euros per day of study abroad. The days will be counted according to the time of the official event, plus, in justified cases, one day before and one day after the event.

Participation fee: participation fee will be reimbursed on the basis of cost documents. The Doctoral School does not reimburse conference social events, lunches, dinners, membership fees and excursions (except for excursions related to a research topic), which are specifically mentioned in the attendance fee calculation. Bank transfer fees and Value Added Tax (VAT) are not eligible.

How to apply: through an application form (Application for mobility allowance ), submitted to the EBS doctoral studies coordinator sigrid.lainevee@ebs.ee ), accompanied by the following documents:

  • Confirmation of acceptance of the presentation if a paper is presented at the conference;
  • Supervisor’s confirmation of the doctoral candidate’s participation. If the supervisor or the doctoral candidate is in possession of grants, please forward information on the possibility of funding for the mobility of the doctoral candidate;
  • Confirmation from the host institution (e.g. registration confirmation, letter of invitation, etc.) if you are participating in a course, seminar or other activity;
  • Confirmation of the amount of the participation fee, if a refund of the participation fee is requested.
  • A detailed overview of the planned costs (including participation fee, travel expenses, insurance, accommodation, daily allowance).

Evaluation of applications:

Applications will be evaluated by a panel consisting of the EBS Head of Development and Innovation, the Vice-Rector for Research / Head of Doctoral Studies and the Research Development and Doctoral Studies Coordinator.

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:

  • The length of the applicant’s EBS doctoral studies and progression or success;
  • The applicant has not received a mobility grant from the university in the current calendar year;
  • The application is correctly prepared, the period of the trip and the budget are reasonable;
  • The purpose of the trip is well related to the substantive needs and completion of the doctoral thesis, the destination and the tasks are suitable;
  • The doctoral supervisor has (digitally) signed the application;
  • It is not possible for a doctoral student to finance mobility from other sources.

The decision will be notified no later than five working days after the call for applications closes.

Reimbursement of costs: please submit the following documents to the doctoral coordinator Sigrid Lainevee (sigrid.lainevee@ebs.ee)

  • Signed activity report on the Doctoral School’s template.
  • Expenditure documents (Doctoral candidates must prepare a statement of expenditure)

Cost documentation requirements:

  • accommodation and participation fees will be supported by an invoice or similar documents (acceptable under Estonian accounting regulation);
  • travel expenses are supported by invoices and boarding passes;
  • insurance costs are supported by invoice and policy;
  • visa costs are supported by a receipt and a copy of the visa;
  • expenses paid by the grant recipient must be supported by receipts.

The following must be attached to the statement of expenditure

  • The above-mentioned cost documents, together with the abovementioned supporting documents.
  • A presentation file that complies with the notification requirements (notification logo visible on the first slide).
  • Programme of the event, indicating the name of the participant and the title of the presentation.
  • An official letter of confirmation of participation from the organiser stating the name of the participant and the date and time of the event.
  • Mobility Activity Report signed in digital format

All documents must be submitted in file format, and the title of the file must indicate the doctoral candidate’s surname and the type of cost document.

Acknowledgment requirement: : The following sentence must be included in the travel order or cost statement: “The travel/study mobility is in accordance with the University of Tartu project “Cooperation between universities to promote doctoral studies” (2021–2027.4.04.24-0003) and its goals and action plan.”

If the doctoral candidate participates in an event with a presentation, they must also comply with the notification requirements. A logo must be placed on the opening page (or poster) of the presentation: Presentations or posters must also include the acknowledgment logo, adhering to the guidelines. See the instructions, and the logo files.

When using the logo, the following is important:

  • Use the logos for the period 2021-2027
  • Logo proportions may not be altered
  • The white security area of the logo must not be removed
  • The logo must be of a legible size and in a visible position.
  • The colour logo must not be printed in black and white.
  • Logo in Estonian for Estonian text, logo in English for foreign language text

In the case of non-compliance or failure to comply with the notification requirements, mobility costs from the Estonian Doctoral School are not eligible.