a) International research stays for clinicians and researchers including pre-graduate and PhD students

Application deadlines 2025 (expected)

Wednesday 19 February Wednesday 12 March Wednesday 9 April Wednesday 7 May Wednesday 11 June Wednesday 13 August Wednesday 10 September Wednesday 8 October Wednesday 12 November Wednesday 10 December

Objective

In addition to the overall objective of the OUH Internationalisation Fund (see the introduction of the call), the aim of category a) International research stays for clinicians and researchers including pre-graduate and PhD students is to supply financial support for researchers and clinicians who want to go on

• an international research stay.
• an international stay for learning new clinical methods within diagnostics and treatment including, for example, prevention, assessment, diagnosis, care, follow-up, rehabilitation, and palliation aiming to develop international research networks and/or developing diagnostic methods and methods for treatment.

The international research stay or stay for learning new clinical methods must be of benefit to OUH.

Examples:

• Establishing new research relations.
• Learning new clinical methods.
• Study trip to international hospitals.
• Tour to relevant hospitals where junior and senior researcher(s) will present a research project as a part of building up research collaboration.

Requirements for applicants

The following requirements must be met in order to obtain funding from The Internationalisation Fund:

• PhD students must at the time of applying be enrolled as a PhD student at The University of Southern Denmark (SDU), and the main part of the PhD project must be carried out at OUH.
• Pre-graduate students must at the time of applying have a supervisor at OUH and be enrolled as a pre-graduate student at SDU.
• Researchers (postdocs, assistant professors, associate professors and professors) must be affiliated to OUH. In addition to researchers employed in a position divided between OUH and SDU, the affiliation may also be defined as researchers referring to a head of research at a clinical department at OUH.
• Clinicians must be tenured.
• All applications must be approved by the head of department and head of research of the OUH department which the applicant is affiliated to.
• During the stay abroad the applicant must maintain an affiliation to OUH as either continued employment or taking a leave of absence.
• If financial support for more than one OUH affiliated researcher or clinician is being applied for, the role of each person must be accounted for in the application.

Eligible costs

The OUH Internationalisation Fund may finance a stay abroad for a maximum of 6 months.

• Buy out of the clinical part of the employment: Please note that:
  • Buy out can only be applied for, if the department employs a substitute or covers overtime in accordance with collective agreements for already employed staff to serve as a substitute for the traveller(s) while away. That is; buy out will be granted to the department and not to the traveller(s) as he, she or they will receive their usual salary while travelling or is on a leave of absence.
  • Buy out cannot be granted to the traveller(s) for salary abroad if he, she or they are taking an unpaid leave of absence during the stay abroad as the department does not have additional expenditures for salary in this case.
• Subsistence expenses. Hotel/apartment for up to 6 months and daily allowances for the first 28 days of the research stay according to the current circular for business travels.
• Travel expenses (economy class).
• Mandatory health insurance costs which the OUH general travel insurance does not cover, e.g. in the USA.

For each applicant, the following maximum rates apply for the total amount available from the OUH Internationalisation Fund:

• PhD and pre-graduate students:
  • A maximum of DKK 120.000 for research stays up to 6 months at a foreign research institution.
• Researchers (postdocs, assistant professors, associate professors, and professors) employed in a divided position between OUH and SDU and employees in non-limited positions at OUH may apply for:
  • 6 months: A maximum of DKK 500,000
  • 3 months. A maximum of DKK 250,000
  • 1 month: A maximum of DKK 80,000

Please note that:

• Funding does not necessarily cover all expenses.
• Travel and accommodation must be made via The OUH Travel Service (ouh.rejseservice@rsyd.dk ) cf. the OUH Travel Policy.
• Under certain circumstances OUH, as an employer, is obligated to inform SKAT (tax authorities) if accommodation is paid by OUH as part of a grant. For further information, please refer to OUH Research Support reg.forskerservice@rsyd.dk. 

Non eligible costs

The OUH Internationalisation Fund cannot cover the following expenses (the list is not exhaustive):

• Expenses already defrayed, i.e. the application must concern future expenses.
• Expenses related to accompanying family.
• Participation in international seminars, conferences, courses, etc.

The OUH Research Support offers instructions on how to draw up a budget. If you request assistance, please contact reg.forskerservice@rsyd.dk.

How to submit an application

You must submit your application via the application system efond. Please make sure that you choose the correct application form in efond when you want to apply for category a): “OUH Internationalisation Fund a) International research stays for clinicians and researchers including pre-graduate and PhD students”. 

If in doubt which category to choose, please contact ouh.intpuljen@rsyd.dk before submitting.

Language

Your application must be in English or Danish.

Content of application

As a part of answering a number of questions in efond, the following must be drawn up:

• Description of the research stay including i.a. (step 2 in efond):
  • Purpose, including why the activity must be conducted abroad and why the institution in question is chosen.
  • How OUH is expected to benefit from the research stay, including possible publications with international partners and how it is planned to share the acquired knowledge at OUH from the research stay abroad, e.g. by a short report, a presentation, training of colleagues, or other.
  • If the application concerns more than one traveller, it must be specified which role and task each one has during the stay abroad.
• Timetable for the stay abroad. The time table must be detailed listing planned activities on a daily or weekly basis depending on the duration of the stay abroad, e.g.:
  • Day 1/Week 1: XX activities with XX person.
  • Day 2/Week 2: XX activities with XX person.
  • Etc.
• Budget (step 3 in efond) specified into:
  • Travel expenses.
  • Subsistence expenses (accommodation and daily allowances).
  • Buy out of clinical part of employment.
  • Mandatory health insurance costs which the OUH general travel insurance does not cover, e.g. in the USA.
  • Which year(s) and number of months a possible grant from the OUH Internationalisation Fund is to be used:
    • Year 1 = 2025
    • Year 2 = 2026
    • Year 3 = 2027
    • Year 4 = 2028
    • Year 5 = 2029
  • All budget items must be specified in "Details on funding are obligatory" (Step 3A in efond),

Appendices

• CV and publication list (max. 2 pages in total) for the applicant(s) going on a research stay abroad or a stay for learning new clinical methods.
• Approvals of the research stay abroad from both the head of department and head of research from the OUH department which the applicant is affiliated to. The applicant must generate approvals in efond Step 2 via separate e-mails to both the OUH Head of Department and the Head of Research of the OUH department with a request to provide confirmation by following the link in the e-mail – please ensure that both OUH Head of Department and Head of Research have approved before the application deadline. See efond for further details.
• Confirmation from the foreign institution where the research stay is taking place.
• For pre-graduate students:
  • Documentation for being enrolled as a pre-graduate student at the University of Southern Denmark.
• For PhD students:
  • Documentation of approved PhD project from the University of Southern Denmark.
  • Documentation from the OUH head of department and head of research of the OUH department stating that the main part of the PhD project is being carried out at OUH.

You will receive a receipt of your application by email if it is submitted correctly.

Applications which fail to comply with the above formalities, will not be considered.

Assessment criteria and procedure

Applications are being assessed according to the above-mentioned objectives and requirements.

The submitted applications will be reviewed by the assessment committee for The OUH Internationalisation Fund.

All applicants will receive notice of the outcome of the application approximately three weeks after the application deadline.

Questions and contact information

Please forward questions to ouh.intpuljen@rsyd.dk.