Planning an external stay abroad requires resources. But there are obvious and valuable knowledge as well as inspiration to be gained from a research stay abroad:
International experience/career
Different environment - physical and mentally
Different environment - methods and approaches
Network
Languages
Collaboration
Publications
Planning a research stay abroad
Start early! Planning a stay abroad can take as long as 6 months to a year.
How to get started
Your supervisor will often know of research environments working with relevant topics.
Participation in EU projects can open for access to other research environments.
Conferences provide a good opportunity for making contacts.
Reading papers written in the field — pay attention to where the most interesting papers are coming from
The PhD student and the supervisor should consider carefully where the student should spend the stay abroad. Perhaps a less prestigious place is better than an over-committed researcher.
Visiting a researcher/research group with whom DTU already has established contact (formal or informal) is also a very good idea.
It may also be an idea for the PhD student to visit the place first and then evaluate the experience with the supervisor. Talk about whether the place lives up to expectations before making the final decision.
Make clear ahead of time what you expect from the research stay. For instance, you could make an agreement with the research place about the expected outcome, e.g., a co-authored paper. Try to make sure that the place of research is equally interested in your subject or you risk having a bad experience.
Expenses
Travel expenses
Living expenses
Double housekeeping
Transportation expenses
Renting a place to stay
Income
Find out if your department offers financial aid
Apply for scholarships/stipends (travel stipends)
Applications to foundations should only mention expenses that can be considered relevant to the stay abroad. Accordingly expenses for clothes, pet food and similar types of household expenses should under no circumstance be listed in the budget.
PhD students are considered stationed by the Danish state during external stays as part of the PhD programme. Accordingly they will usually remain tax liable in Denmark during the external research stay.
For further advice and guidance, we recommend that you contact the tax authorities directly (SKAT).
Some countries require that you apply for a visa when you wish to study in the country for a longer period of time. Remember to check if this is the case with the country you are visiting. Investigate well ahead of time before leaving as the wait can be considerable.
We recommend that you contact Europæiske ERV in connection with stays abroad of long duration. It may be necessary to take out additional insurance coverage, provide insurance documentation etc.
Please be aware that a temporary move abroad or stay outside Denmark may impact your work and residence permit. If you are a non-EU citizen working in Denmark, your work and residence permit is based on the conditions that were present at the time it was granted. This includes establishing residence and registering at valid address in Denmark.
Please contact IFS prior to making any changes for assistance on how to proceed and maintain your legal residence and benefits in Denmark.
Be aware of potential problems that may arise in relation to IPR. If you need help to sort it out, please contact DTU Legal & Tech Trans.
Be aware that some universities charge tuition for courses. Make sure that you receive a course diploma or transcript.
PhD fellows are not covered by the normal rules for per diem payments, so fellows should discuss with their department how much money is available for studying abroad.