Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: PATT travel claim for competitively awarded observation time

Claim back travel and subsistence costs when visiting an astronomy telescope. The visit must be for competitively awarded science observation time.

You must be a UK-based researcher at an eligible UK institution. You can only claim your own costs.

You must not already hold or have access to a travel grant from the Panel for the Allocation of Telescope Time (PATT).

To make a claim, your trip must be approved in advance. You cannot claim for historic trips that weren’t approved in advance.

We will cover 100% of the full economic cost.

Who can apply

To submit a claim, you must:

  • be based in the UK
  • be a permanent staff member or academic at an eligible UK institution
  • have been awarded observation time.

You must not already hold or have access to a travel grant from PATT.

What we're looking for

You must be travelling for competitively awarded science observation time. Your presence at the facility must be essential to the observing programme.

Your observing facility must be a telescope that’s either:

  • in direct receipt of STFC funds, for example, e-MERLIN, ING and Liverpool Telescope
  • approved by PATT.

Review the list of PATT approved telescopes (PDF, 142KB)

If your observing facility is not approved, please email us to request approval.

Costs covered

You can claim for travel and subsistence costs.

We consider costs related to data collection, collation or reduction in exceptional circumstances. If you wish to claim for these, please email us to request approval before you submit your claim.

We will cover 100% of the full economic cost.

We administer the funds as non-employee expenses.

If your group’s combined claims exceed £7,500 in a year, it should apply for a PATT travel grant. The closing date for PATT applications will be each October.

How to apply

Before the observing run

You must submit a request for travel funds. You do this at least four weeks before the observing run.

To submit a request, please email us with these attachments:

If we approve your request, we’ll send you a travel and subsistence claim form. You use this to claim your expenses after your observing run.

We recommend that you don’t make travel arrangements until we confirm approval.

If you change your plans, you must submit a new request for your new plans.

During the observing run

Keep receipts for any expenses you intend to claim. We will not reimburse expenses without a receipt.

After the observing run

Complete and return the travel and subsistence claim form. You must do this within two months of the observing run.

A member of the STFC team will process your claim. This usually happens on the day we receive it.

Contact details

Justyna Misior

Email: justyna.misior@stfc.ukri.org

Kim Burchell

Email: kim.burchell@stfc.ukri.org

Additional info

The Panel for the Allocation of Telescope Time (PATT)

PATT is an advisory body set up to consider the allocation of telescope travel and subsistence costs in support of those allocations for a range of astronomy facilities for the UK community.

Panel members are:

  • Professor Chris Watson, Queen’s University, Belfast (Chair)
  • Dr Carolin Villforth, University of Bath
  • Dr James Mullaney, The University of Sheffield

Other telescopes

If you want to apply for telescope time at the ING, Liverpool Telescope and e-MERLIN, you must apply directly to the observatories.

Find more information from each observatory:

Supporting documents

Travel and subsistence request form (ODT, 17KB)

PATT applicant guidelines

List of PATT approved telescopes (PDF, 142KB)

STFC guidance for applicants

Updates

  • 22 January 2024
    Updated applicant guidelines document in the 'Additional info' section.
  • 22 January 2024
    In the 'What we're looking for' section, updated the group’s combined claims from £5,000 to £7,500.
  • 8 December 2023
    List of PATT panel members added to the 'Additional info' section.
  • 3 August 2023
    Updated applicant guidelines document in the 'Additional info' section.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services.