Post Award Guidelines for Faculty and Graduate Students Receiving Funding

Allowable and Non-Allowable Expenses

Allowable Expenses (upon approval of travel)

  • Ground and air transportation to and from research site, lodging.  (Note: Airfare must be booked using Concur or Anthony Travel to be eligible for reimbursement.)
  • On-campus and on-site research assistance (work study, translator, etc.).
  • Copy and other duplication costs.
  • Books and subscriptions, if justifiably necessary for the research project.
  • Ground and air transportation to and from the conference or workshop site.
  • Visa expenses.
  • Lodging and meal expenses.
  • Duplication of papers for use at the conference or workshop.
  • Registration fee for conference or workshop.
  • Payment to foreign national firms for services provided outside the United States

Non-allowable Expenses

  • Travel expenses for individuals other than the applicant or a University of Pittsburgh student serving as a research assistant
  • Payment to foreign national individuals for services provided outside the United States
  • Equipment
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Any conference travel expenses if applicant does not present a paper at conference or workshop
  • Membership fees
  • Any expenses unrelated to the proposed activities

Regulations Regarding Travel (Registering Your Travel)

All awards from the European Studies Center are contingent on the US State Department Travel Advisory Level for your destination (country/region/city).  The State Department issues a Travel Advisory for each country of the world. Travel Advisories apply up to four levels of advice, describe the risks, and provide clear actions travellers should take to help ensure their safety. For information on this process, please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/about-our-new-products.html.

Awardees are advised to check the State Department for updates on travel advisories at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel.html.

Please be aware that for areas classified as Levels 3 & 4, funding eligibility is likely to be impacted.  Per internal UCIS policy, the ESC will normally not fund faculty travel to any Level 4 destination (country/region/city). To ensure eligibility for funding, the ESC recommends selecting alternative countries/regions/cities to do your research that do not fall into Level 4. 

Please note, that these restrictions apply to the designation level at the time of travel. As situations around the world can change rapidly, please be sure to stay informed. In addition, should the university issue additional travel restrictions in advance of or during your ESC-funded trip, you will be expected to complete with the new restrictions.  Should you have to cancel a trip for which you have already incurred out-of-pocket expenses due to a University-imposed travel restriction, please contact Paweł Lewicki (pawel.lewicki@pitt.edu) to determine if the expenses can still be reimbursed. If you choose to undertake travel to a Level 4 country or that violates University restrictions, your grant will be revoked and no expenses will be reimbursed.

To help you stay on top of any changes, the University of Pittsburgh currently requires all faculty and students to register all trips abroad that are undertaken for University business (including research) through the International SOS MyTrips portal. UCIS and the ESC are strong proponents of this practice. To receive this funding you will be required to show proof that you trip has been registered.  For information on how to register, visit the Global Operations Support website.  Once you have completed the travel registration, you can either forward the confirmation email you receive, or send a screenshot of the final screen showing you have completed all of the steps.  This should be emailed to Ingrid Gomez-O'Toole (ing7@pitt.edubefore your departure.  Failure to complete this step will jeopardize your funding.

IRB Approval

  • All research involving interventions or interactions with individuals or the collection of identifiable private information concerning living individuals requires prospective Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval.
  • Even if the research may qualify as an exempt category, the researcher must obtain an exemption approval from the IRB.
  • Grantees are responsible for obtaining IRB approval when required and must provide documentation of IRB approval before the funds can be disbursed. For further information, check the IRB web site at www.irb.pitt.edu.

Required Reporting

With the exception of Small Grants, the ESC requires all faculty grant recipients to submit a report outlining the results of grant-funded activities.  The report should be no more than two pages and is to be submitted within a month of completion of the funded activities.  In lieu of this, you may choose instead to prepare and article based on your research or book project for the ESC monthly newsletter in the subsequent academic year.  Your report or your willingness to contribute a Newsletter article should be communicated to Paweł Lewicki (pawel.lewicki@pitt.edu).

Procedures for Processing Reimbursements

Grant recipients should be in contact with ESC Administrative Assistant, Rebecca Westhoff (rebecca.westhoff@pitt.edu) before departing to determine what will be needed to ensure a smooth processing of any reimbursements.  Failure to produce proper documentation (receipts, original boarding passes) may result in a reduction in funding.