Frequently asked questions – travel grants

We support European citizens working in Europe and overseas, and non-European citizens who perform their MD, PhD, or postdoctoral project in Europe, or will use the travel grant to work in Europe.

We define Europe geographically, which means the UK and the following states of the former Soviet Union (Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine) are included. Turkey and Israel are also treated as belonging to Europe.

Applicants with European citizenship must have at least pursued their secondary school or university education in Europe, in order to be considered as European by the BIF. The latter also applies to candidates with dual citizenship.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible to apply, please contact us.

Yes, there are no restrictions within Europe.

We define Europe geographically, which means the UK and the following states of the former Soviet Union (Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation and Ukraine) are included. Turkey and Israel are also treated as belonging to Europe. 

No, we only support courses with at least 50% practical work and laboratory visits.

You may be awarded more than one travel grant. However, within any 12-month period, only one travel grant will be awarded to the same researcher.

Applications for travel grants may be submitted at any time, but must reach the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) at the latest six weeks prior, but not earlier than six months before your proposed departure date.

Exceptions can be made in certain cases (e.g. children, prolonged illness, apprenticeship prior to first university studies) after consultation with the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds.

A travel grant can be extended provided that the total duration of the research stay does not exceed three months.

Please, send an email to secretariat(at)bifonds.de informing us why the trip has to be postponed, and giving the new departure date.

Yes, registration fees for courses are included.

Yes, you can apply for an additional 150 euros per month for living costs. Please use the field "Additional information" in the online portal to specify this and add these funds to the total amount you are applying for.

No, bench fees are not provided. They must be covered by your host institution.

Yes, we kindly ask you to use 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font-size.

Upon approval of the travel grant, the money is usually transferred to the applicant's bank account. Bank details can be sent via email or regular mail. We require the name and address of the bank, bank code number (BIC), and account number (IBAN). If the bank is outside Germany, we also require its complete SWIFT and IBAN numbers.

Yes, you can send us as an email with the signed (digital or as scan) final report as an attached PDF. You can also send us a paper copy to: Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, Schusterstraße 46-48, 55116 Mainz, Germany.