OPTICON

Optical Infrared Coordination Network for Astronomy

Horizon 2020

Travel Expenses and Observing Support

Travel Expenses

Travel for Networking or JRA meetings

Travel budgets for networks and JRA activities are managed individually by partners involved in the activity. Approval for travel should be sought from the relevant activity lead prior to booking. Claims and reimbursements should follow the usual accounting practice of each partner’s home institution.

OPTICON H2020 Travel Rules
Activity WP Leader / Contact Note
WP1 Jean-Luc Beuzit (CNRS)  
WP2 Philippe Feautrier (CNRS)  
WP3 Andy Shearer (NUIG)  
WP4 Michiel Rodenhuis (NOVA)  
WP5 Hermine Schnetler (STFC) UK ATC Rules apply
WP6 Roger Haynes (AIP)  
WP7 Andrea Bianco  
WP8 Jörg-Uwe Pott (MPIA)  
WP9 Gerry Gilmore (UCAM)  
WP10 A. O. Network  
WP11 Paulo Garcia (UPORTO)  
WP12 Heidi Korhonen (Copenhagen)  
WP13 Lukasz Wyrzykowski (UNIWARSAW)  
WP14 John Davies (STFC) UK ATC Rules apply
WP15 Gerry Gilmore (UCAM)  

Travel for Trans-National Access (Observing Support)

Travel grants for OPTICON sponsored observing (TNA Observing Support) are handled via the UK ATC using the rules detailed below.

Travel must be pre-approved. An estimate of the cost of the trips is required when requesting the travel. An e-mail request and e-mail confirmation is sufficient at this stage.

The options for refunding your travel costs are set out below. Please determine which option you will use prior to your trip and inform the Project Office.

1) If your organisation cannot process your travel claim and you pay all the bills yourself then, upon incurring the expense, you may claim from the Project Office and we will refund your actual expenses provided they are judged to be reasonable and economic. As a general rule, this excludes business class and fully flexible air tickets and very expensive hotels unless there is some special justification (e.g. no practical alternative, or the cheap option requires extra constraints such as inconvenient schedules or unnecessary overnight stays).

NB: Your costs must be set out clearly and be supported by receipts. We cannot pay per-diems under this scheme, just those costs set out on the receipts which you should send us with a completed 'Non-Employee Claim Form' which you can obtain from the Project Office by email. Also note there is a 3-month time limit for claiming and alcohol will not be reimbursed.

You MUST keep copy of all travel documents and they MUST be submitted with the related expenses claim form. Travel documents include: confirmation itinerary, invoice, boarding passes, train tickets etc.

2) If your own organisation can process your travel claim, then make a claim to them in your usual way. The 'Non-Employee Claim Form' cannot be used to refund third parties. An invoice would need to be raised. In the event the claims are not fully supported by receipts but we agree to pay a claim to your institute then the amount must be fully agreed up front and a Purchase Order number obtained prior to the institute issuing an invoice.

(* See our Rules for Invoicing page)

In the event of perceived difficulties with these options or if you have any questions, contact John Davies, Project Scientist, or Saskia Brierley, in the Project Office.