FAQs

We have put together a list of FAQs to try and help answer any questions that our award holders and their support team may have with regard to the organisation of the Fellowships. If you still have any queries please get in touch with us via email at: IAS at warwick dot ac dot uk dot or call us on (0)24 761 50565.

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Who makes the travel arrangements for the IVF?

It is preferable if the hosting Department (Departmental Administrator / Secretary) books flights and transfers, as they are able to liaise more directly with the nominator and IVF and know of the requirements that will best suit the fellowship arrangements, using the University’s approved suppliers and in accordance with FinRegs. The cost will be coded to the internal order code notified by the IAS.

Please note that when booking travel the University's Financial Regulations must be adhered to. Therefore any travel bookings costing over £500 must be booked by the nominating department via the University's approved travel agent.

Does the IVF need a visa?

This will depend on the nationality of the IVF. The IVF is responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary authority and paperwork to visit the UK. Information about visa requirements is available on the Government website. In the award letter sent to the Fellow, we state that should they require a visa to visit the UK, a standard visitor visa should be sufficient, providing that they are here to carry out their own personal research with some informal academic collaboration. If the Fellow feels that this does not summarise their activities whilst at Warwick, we ask them to contact us immediately so that we can contact the Immigration Team and they can advise on the next steps.

Can 1st or business class be used?

Only in exceptional circumstances. The University’s financial regulations state that only economy class flights should be booked (see Financial Procedure 16.4.4).

For those who suffer from a medical condition which would be exacerbated by a long haul flight in economy class, an upgrade to an appropriate class may be agreed in advance by contacting the Financial Regulations team at: FinRegs at warwick dot ac dot uk. This would have to be supported by a certificate or letter from a Medical Practitioner. The request to FinRegs should include flight details, the reason why the request is being made and have the prior approval of your Head of Department. Please note that the new FinRegs rules state that all requests for approval should be sent via your FinRegs Department Champion,
This rule also applies to rail fares; the University will only reimburse the cost of an economy class ticket and not First Class.

How does the IVF travel from the airport to the University?

If the Fellow is arriving at Birmingham airport, the IAS can arrange for a car to collect them and take them to their accommodation on campus. We ask the Fellow to complete and return an arrival details form; in the form we ask for details of their flight time & number so that we can pass this information to the driver.
If the Fellow is arriving at another UK airport, we would request that the department assist them with their travel arrangements in getting to Warwick.
If travelling to Warwick via Coventry, the IAS can provide details of a local taxi company with which the IAS has an account. The department or the fellow can book the taxi journey from Coventry to Warwick using this account.

What payment does the IVF receive? What does this cover?

The Fellow will receive a per diem which is calculated at a rate of £45 per day (up to a maximum of £1260) (2019-20 rates). This is to be used to cover their living expenses whilst staying at the University, i.e. breakfast, lunch & dinner. The money can either be transferred to their bank account before their arrival or they can collect the cash from the Cash Office in University House when they arrive. Most prefer to collect the cash as the majority of overseas bank accounts will charge a currency conversion fee.

If, in the unusual circumstance that the Fellow is based in the UK, please note that a per diem is not payable. Instead, the Fellow should claim for expenses incurred during the visit using the University’s expense claim form (FP16a), in accordance with the University's Financial Regulations. The completed claim form should be submitted either to the IAS or to the hosting department, together with all original receipts, for processing against the code created for the award.

What should I do if the dates of the visit need to change?

Please notify the IAS as soon as you are aware of the change by emailing us at: IAS at warwick dot ac dot uk dot We will need to notify our Staff Accommodation Team as soon as possible to ensure that there is still availability at our residential accommodation. Please note that sometimes it may not be possible to accommodate the Fellow at the residential accommodation on the revised dates due to the restricted availability of accommodation available to the IAS (see below).

What accommodation is provided?

The IAS has 2 residential facilities: Cryfield Grange, comprising 3 double ensuite rooms; and Cryfield Cottage 1, a self-contained cottage with 2 double bedrooms, each with private bathroom facilities. Cryfield Grange is a 15/20 minute walk to central campus. Cryfield Cottage is on campus, close to the Arts Centre. Neither of these accommodation facilities is staffed and arrangements are made so that a member of the Staff Accommodation team can meet the Fellow at the Grange /Cottage to handover keys and a welcome pack. At certain times of the year, the rooms become fully booked well in advance. In light of this, we ask that applicants (nominators) provide three possible visit dates so that we may be able to accommodate the Fellow(s) on at least one of these.

The actual accommodation location for the fellow(s) will be confirmed nearer the time of the visit.

Are there any restrictions on arrival times/dates?

As Cryfield Grange/Cryfield Cottage are not staffed, we would ask that, where possible, Fellows arrive at Warwick on weekdays during normal day-time hours (9am - 6pm) so that a member of the Staff Accommodation Team can meet the Fellow and handover keys and welcome pack. If arriving at the weekend or on a bank holiday, it would be preferable for the Fellow to arrive before 12 noon for the same reason. If this is not possible, we would arrange for the Fellow to be accommodated at one of the Conference Centres (subject to availability) for the first night and then transfer to Cryfield Grange/Cottage the following morning.

Who is responsible for booking the accommodation?

The IAS will liaise with the Staff Accommodation Team to confirm all bookings at the accommodation. Therefore, as soon as you have confirmation of the dates please let us know so that we can update the team accordingly.

Can the IVF be accompanied by a partner/spouse?

Yes – the Fellow can be joined by their spouse. We would need to be made aware of this prior to their arrival. This information is also requested on the Arrival Details form that we ask the Fellow to complete and return to us prior to their visit.

Can the IVF be accompanied by their children?

The residential accommodations cannot accommodate any children under the age of 18. If the Fellow wishes to bring along their family then we would ask the department to look for alternative accommodation and for them to cover the cost of this.

Does the IVF have access to the Sports Centre?

Yes - the IVF can pay to use the Sports Centre during their visit to Warwick. The facilities can be accessed on a pay-as-you go basis. For further information on the Sports Centre and the price list please click here.

What are the arrangements for catering and booking venues for events organised as part of a visiting fellowship?

It is preferable for the hosting department to assist the PI with all catering and venue bookings. The IAS can provide the cost code for the charges to be made to and we would request a copy of all bookings where the cost code is used so that we can keep a track of spend against the award.

If available, the IAS Meeting room or IAS Seminar room can be booked for events hosting up to 16 or 50 people respectively. To check for availability and/or to make an on-line booking please click here.

How does the IVF get around when wanting to go off campus?

The IAS has an account with a local taxi company in Coventry.
The IAS will pay for local trips of less than 8 miles that are made for IAS-related business, which covers meetings with the Warwick nominator and other Warwick staff about the Fellowship/research, but does not include social events, for example theatre trips. IAS will not normally pay for trips of more than 8 miles one-way without prior arrangement; please contact the IAS Programme Co-ordinators via email at: IAS at warwick dot ac dot uk dot or on (0)24 761 50565.

Details of the taxi company are contained in the Welcome Information Pack given to Fellows on arrival at their accommodation.

Who handles the publicity for events ?

The hosting department (normally the PI) is responsible for the production of posters/fliers and other promotional literature as well as the overall promotion of the fellow’s events. The IAS logo should be displayed on all event material which you can access from here.

This link is also contained in the Award letter to the PI and a poster template is also available for use. The IAS would ask that it is sent copies of events and activities for posting and it will display events and activities on the IAS Events Calendar and also on social media/digital screens within the IAS.

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Final Report & Feedback

An end of award report from the Warwick nominator is due within 6 weeks of the end of the Fellowship. Principal Investigators with outstanding end of award reports will be ineligible to make future IAS applications.

The IAS would also appreciate feedback from the International Fellow following his/her departure.

The online end of award form can be accessed here and the feedback form here.