Travel Support for CDSE Students

The CDSE provides funding for the following kinds of trips up to the given rates (subject to availability of funds):

• Presentations at EEA/ESEM annual meeting, ASSA annual meeting, Verein für Socialpolitik annual meeting, or other major academic (field) conferences: 100% (1500 EUR max outside Europe, 750 EUR max within Europe / inclusive carbon tax for business air travel).
• Short-term ENTER visits: 100% (750 EUR max / inclusive carbon tax for business air travel).
• Long-term ENTER visits: 50% (1500 EUR max / inclusive carbon tax for business air travel).
• Summer/ Winter Schools: 50% (500 EUR max / inclusive carbon tax for business air travel).
• Transportation cost for trips directly related to a research project if (a) the CDSE student is a lead researcher for the project; (b) the project is a main project of the student’s dissertation; (c) travel is necessary to conduct the research: 100% (1000 EUR max outside Europe, 500 EUR max within Europe / inclusive carbon tax for business air travel).
• Funding for all other kinds of trips is at the discretion of the CDSE’s academic director.

Your travel must be authorized in advance by the CDSE administration. Please fill in the CDSE Travel Application Form for CDSE Students (PDF, 241 kB) and send it to the CDSE Center Management. Please wait for verification if the planned travel is eligible for reimbursement before making travel arrangements.

For obtaining travel reimbursement, the following rules should be observed:

1. Your travel must be authorized in advance by the CDSE administration. Please wait for authorization before making travel arrangements.
2. The support of your supervisor is always required.
3. Only conferences where student presents will be covered (exceptions possible for discussants and other special circumstances).
4. Per student: not more than 2 conferences per year. Exceptions are possible under special circumstances (e.g. repeated trips to IAB data in Nürnberg).
5. The CDSE reimbursement policy is based on documentation of reasonable and actual expenses, supported by original receipts. Original receipts must be submitted for all travel expenses including airline and rail as well as hotels.
6. Transportation and accommodation costs must be reasonable and appropriate. Rebates and other reductions should be used if available.
7. Hotel costs in Germany must not exceed 95 EUR including breakfast and taxes. Hotel costs in other countries must not exceed specific limits that vary by location and are determined by federal regulation (see intranet).
8. Train tickets will be reimbursed for second class only. Bahncard and other reductions should be used.
9. Taxi costs cannot be reimbursed.
10. The CDSE does not pay a daily allowance.
11. Requests must be submitted at least four weeks prior to the departure date.
12. Any reimbursement claims presented to the administration later than 6 months after the travel took place will not be taken into account.
13. Advance payments can be obtained if the expected expenses exceed a minimum of 200 Euro. Proof of expenses that have already been incurred or will be incurred must be submitted with the business travel application. Note that doctoral students who are not employed by the university of Mannheim cannot obtain an advance payment.

1. Complete the CDSE Travel Support Application Form for CDSE Students (PDF, 241 kB) and collect all required documents. Required documents are:
   • For conferences, your supervisor (or mentor) should always either sign the above mentioned Travel Support Form or hand in a brief statement of support (email) stating that the planned trip is beneficial for the student´s research or academic training.
   • For conferences, hand in an official invitation or the program that indicates your name and the presentation you will be giving.
   • For research stays, hand in a statement of support from your supervisor (or dissertation advisor or mentor).
   • For research stays, hand in a letter/email from the lecturer/professor you will work with abroad.
   • To obtain an advance payment, include receipts for expenses that have already been incurred and a document that explains estimated additional costs.
2. In case you are ONLY financed by a scholarship: Please hand in the above mentioned CDSE Travel Support Application Form for CDSE Students (PDF, 241 kB) with the required documents four weeks ahead of your trip to the CDSE Management. Once you have returned from the conference/research stay, please fill out the GESS Travel Reimbursement Form (for scholarshipholders) (PDF, 217 kB).
3. In case you are employed at the University of Mannheim (including TA contracts): Submit your Business Travel Application (Dienstreiseantrag) via the Online Business Travel Management System. Include the above mentioned CDSE Travel Support Application Form for CDSE Students (PDF, 241 kB) and the required documents as attachments. Business travel applications are necessary for all business travels, also including trips which are not funded by the CDSE.
4. Once you have returned, fill out the Business Travel Expense Report (Dienstreiseabrechnung) (PDF, 245 kB) (paper version with original or scanned signature) in order to obtain reimbursement. Hand it in with all relevant documents (invoices/receipts, credit card statements if necessary). Important: Any reimbursement claims presented to the administration later than 6 months after the trip took place will not be taken into account. If you received an advance payment, you would have to pay it back in that case.

International travels: Please check on the Intranet if an A1-certificate for postings to EU contries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland or a posting certificate for postings to non-European countries is necessary for your trip (business trips only).
 

Compensation payments for business-related air travel: 

As of January 2025, there are two different carbon emissions taxes:

1. According to the law on the further development of climate protection in the Land of Baden-Württemberg, all higher education institutions are obliged to pay a compensation payment (carbon tax) for business air travel, which will be used elsewhere to benefit climate protection. The compensation payment for business-related air travel is calculated in the University of Mannheim's online business travel management system (replacing the climate excel sheet).
2. Starting January 1, 2025, theuniversity has an internal carbon emissions tax for intercontinental flights. Costs will be charged to the corresponding budget of the employee's institution of employment (i.e. the chair you are working at). That's also the case if your travel costs are solely reimbursed by the CDSE. The cost can amount up to several hundred euros per travel (12/2025: 13,725€ per 1000 km), so please inform your chair about the amount and see with them if the travel is necessary.
   
   Please find further information here.
    

•  How to fill in the tab “reimbursement of travel expenses”?
  • tick “reimbursement of costs requested” if your travel costs are to be reimbursed. Tick “reimbursement of expenses is not requested, only insurance coverage” if your travel costs will not be reimbursed.
  • Application for an advance is usually possible from 200€ onwards (80% of the total sum).
  • “Reimbursement of eligible expenses is requested according to..." --> choose “LRKG”
    LRKG = Landesreisekostengesetz, which is the legal framework for the reimbursement of CDSE travel funds.
  • “The follwoing costs are not to be reimbursed”: tick “daily allowance” if your travel is funded by CDSE only or if both funding soures are not paying any daily allowance. GESS is never paying daily allowance.
• I need to fill in a PSP and Fonds number. Which numbers should I put?
  • PSP and Fonds are depending on the source of funding. Please ask the CDSE Center Manager which PSP/Fonds to fill in.
• Is there an upper limit up to which hotel costs can be reimbursed?
  • Yes. LRKG (legal framework for reimbursement of CDSE funds) specifies a max. rate per night for each region/country. Please find the list on the intranet: https://intranet.uni-mannheim.de/arbeitsplatz/personalangelegenheiten/dienstreisen/hotel-uebernachtungskosten/#c399465
    Exceptions are only possible in some cases.
• How should I forward my business travel application?
  • Please forward your application to your direct superior for factual approval (“sachliche Freigabe”) and ask them to afterwards forward the application to the CDSE Center Manager for financial approval.
    Factual approval = Your superior agrees that you're allowed to go on a business travel.
  • If you're not sure if you filled out the form correctly, you can first forward it to the administration to pre-check (Vorprüfung).
• I still have some questions. Whom can I ask?
  • Team Dienstreisen at Division V is offering open office hours (2x/week) via MS Teams: https://intranet.uni-mannheim.de/arbeitsplatz/personalangelegenheiten/dienstreisen/kontakt-bei-fragen/
  • Contact your Center Manager or the GESS Team Assistant.
     

Travel warnings by the Federal Foreign Office can be found at https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/ReiseUndSicherheit/10.2.8Reisewarnungen Make sure that there are no (partial) travel warnings for your travel destination(s), that safety and security guidelines are being observed, and that you will regularly check the travel destination’s security situation before and during the trip. 

In case there already is a (partial) travel warning or in case the security situation changes shortly before or during your trip, please contact the department of safety and security without delay. Please also do so if the warning does not concern your area directly, in order for the University of Mannheim to be able to exercise its duty of care. Contact the head of the department of safety and security at markus.behlaumail-uni-mannheim.de

The department of safety and security at the University of Mannheim (Stabstelle ABK) advises on compliance with legal requirements in occupational safety and fire protection. Regarding business trips, this applies specifically to travel warnings, vaccinations, and accident insurance. Please go to the website of the department of safety and security for further information.

You are obligated to check for yourself whether any vaccinations are required or recommended for your travel destination on the following website: https://www.tropmed-hamburg.de/reisende-patienten/laenderinformation-a-z/. Please contact the department for safety and security at the University of Mannheim in case a vaccination is recommended for your destination.

Further information for employees (business travels): https://intranet.uni-mannheim.de/en/workplace/human-resources/business-trips/travel-abroad/#c399324