All RPg students, irrespective of the funding source, should be provided with Conference Grant during their studies at PolyU.

Utilization of Conference Grant

• Students are allowed to make use of the Conference Grant up to the date of oral examination. The use of Conference Grant is not allowed after an RPg student has attended his/her oral examination.
• There is no restriction on the number of times an RPg student can be supported by Conference Grant for conference attendance, as long as the total amount of Conference Grant allocated to him/her throughout his/her studies does not exceed HK$25,000 (for awardees of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, the prevailing amount of conference grant can be found here).
• A maximum amount of HK$20,000 can be granted for each application. The amount of Conference Grant to be allocated for each application is subject to approval of the Chief Supervisor and the budget owner of departmental account/departmental earnings account/project account.

Application Procedures

RPg students should use the Form GSB/4 to seek prior approval on using the Conference Grant for conference attendance. The application must:

• include evidence that the RPg student is going to present a paper at a renowned conference (which includes some of those held in Hong Kong) relevant to his/her RPg programme. Poster presentations are also acceptable.
• detail the cost breakdown, including the return transport fare (the cheapest economy class for air travel), registration fee, visa application fee and a subsistence allowance* of up to HK$800 per night.
• not include unallowable items, e.g., insurance expense (as the University has purchased the Group Travel Insurance Policy for all students travelling outside Hong Kong) and unlawful non-public transportation.

The application must be endorsed by the Chief Supervisor and approved by the budget owner of departmental account/departmental earnings account/project account.

RPg students should take leave for conference attendance. Please refer to here for details.

*Subsistence allowance is provided to cover legitimate expenses such as accommodation, meals and local travelling expenses within city. Other allowable expenses should be directly related to the conference attended, as approved by the Chief Supervisor on justifiable grounds. Any excess allowance can be used to top up the airfare, registration fee or visa application fee, as these items quoted in the application form are sometimes provisional.

Reimbursement of Approved Expenses

In any case, the RPg student will be reimbursed the actual cost incurred in attending the conference, or the maximum approved amount, whichever is the less.

Students can reimburse the approved expenses supported by Conference Grant according to FO’s Claim Procedures. All reimbursement should be made within 3 months of the activities.