Econ PhD HandbookUNSW School of Economics
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Funding and travel

Request conference funding

Last reviewed 17 September 2026

How to request funding

  1. Early in the year, discuss with your supervisor which conferences you should apply to. Funding is subject to your supervisor's approval, and in general the School of Economics (SOE) funds one conference a year.
  2. Each January–February, send the Postgraduate Research Coordinator (PGRC) one pre-approval email covering all the conferences you plan to apply to, using the template below.
  3. Once your paper is accepted, tell the PGRC and specify your funding request, with estimates of airfare, accommodation and conference fees.
  4. The PGRC confirms the amount the SOE will provide.
  5. Lodge a Pre-Trip Approval and book your travel as soon as possible, because UNSW's travel approval process takes time. See travel approval and booking.

To find conferences, see the EconBiz calendar of events and the American Economic Association's Meetings and Conferences page.

Pre-approval email template

Copy this into your email. Repeat the first block for each conference you plan to apply to, including any you are not requesting School funding for, and the other blocks for each past conference.

Subject: Conference Support Pre-Approval, [your name], [zID]

CONFERENCES I PLAN TO APPLY TO

Conference name:
Date:
Place:
Notification date for acceptance/rejection:
Discussed with my supervisor: yes / no
Why I chose this conference:
Expected costs: airfare $___, accommodation $___, registration fee $___
Other funding sources (e.g. DRTG, Scientia, supervisor grants), and how much I am willing to contribute personally:

PAST CONFERENCES I HAVE PRESENTED AT

Conference name:
Month/year:
Total support received from the School: $___
Total personal contribution: $___

PAST CONFERENCES I APPLIED TO BUT DID NOT GET INTO

Conference name:
Month/year:

Examples of reasons for choosing a conference:

  • "The paper I am working on is an applied public finance paper, and the conference is quite applied, with many policymakers attending."
  • "The workshop offers political science content that may be useful for my research, and many of the faculty involved are people I would like to meet and network with."