Conference Attendance Grants for PhD Members

Purpose of Scheme
The purpose of this scheme is to support PhD members of the Network to attend conferences and other important academic events relating to human rights. This facilitates the Network’s objectives of supporting the training and development of its PhD members and building their networks within and outside the Netherlands.

Application Rounds
In the pilot year of 2025, there will be three rounds of applications. The deadline for applications for the first round will be 31 January, the deadline for the second round will be 30 April, and the deadline for the third round will be 30 September. For each round, four grants of maximum €1,000 will be awarded.

Eligibility
To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be a member of NNHRR
  • Be currently affiliated with a NNHRR member university as a PhD candidate
  • Have not yet defended their PhD at the time of the proposed conference attendance
  • Demonstrate that the event that they wish to attend has a strong connection to their human rights research
  • The event should take place within six months of the closing of the application round

The following criteria are not required, but will be prioritised in the selection of applicants:

  • The applicant is an external PhD without funding from their institution
  • The applicant is presenting their own research at the event

What Will Be Reimbursed (up to €1,000)

  • Costs of travel to and from the event
    • Where possible, sustainable transport should be chosen, such as opting for the train over flying for destinations that can be reached by train within eight hours
  • Accommodation for duration of event, including the night before and night after
  • Conference fee (if applicable)

Reimbursements will be made after the costs have been incurred, upon provision of evidence such as receipts and invoices. For queries on what will and will not be reimbursed, including for reasons of accessibility and accommodation of disability, please email nnhrr@asser.nl.

Application Procedure
To apply, applicants should submit the following documents via email to nnhrr@asser.nl with the title ‘Application for Conference Attendance Grant’:

The outcome of the application will be communicated to all applicants within two weeks of the deadline for applications.

The applications will be selected by the NNHRR Academic Coordinator and Chair of the Steering Committee using the criteria below.

Criteria to Be Taken Into Consideration for Selecting Applications

  • Availability of other funding to attend events, such as Erasmus+ or internal funding through projects or department funds
  • Whether the applicant is presenting at the conference
  • Connection of the event to the applicant’s human rights research
  • Whether the applicant has had previous opportunities to attend academic conferences

Conflict of Interest Procedure
In a situation where there are more applicants than available grants, should an applicant be a direct colleague or friend of the Academic Coordinator or the Chair, the Academic Coordinator or the Chair may ask another member of the Steering Committee to assess that application using the criteria above.

Procedure for Sending Funds
Once the applicants have been selected, they can apply for reimbursement of the costs of attending the event up to €1,000 through the following steps:

  • Book travel and accommodation
  • Submit reimbursement form to nnhrr@asser.nl with evidence of costs incurred attached in one PDF file and with the subject ‘Conference grants reimbursement’
  • Submitted documents will be sent immediately to the Asser Institute finance department for processing, which can take up to a few weeks (processing time may be extended during holiday periods)

Reporting Procedure
Grant recipients are expected to acknowledge the support of NNHRR in any presentation given at the event attended.

After the event, grant recipients are required to submit a blog post to Human Rights Here based on the subject matter of the event of up to 1,000 words (the blog should be substantive rather than just a report of the event, though the event should also be briefly described). Blog posts will then be promoted as news items on the NNHRR website. See the instructions for authors here.