Financial Assistance

• Users affiliated to universities and publicly funded laboratories of ESRF member countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, srael, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Hungary, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom),
   
• Users from non-publicly subsidised laboratories (i.e.private companies) of ESRF member countries participating in a peer-reviewed experiment.

IMPORTANT:  It is mandatory to have created a Travel Request before being able to send in your Reimbursement Claim.

Note:

• Users from a laboratory located in Grenoble are not eligible for the reimbursement of their travel and accommodation expenses.
   
• The ESRF provides financial assistance only for subsistence expenses incurred during the experiment (meals during the trip are not paid by ESRF)
   
• Users who do not receive financial assistance must still be registered on the A Form to be accommodated at the Guesthouse on site:
   
  • they will finance their travel expenses
  • they will pay directly their stay at the Guesthouse
  • they will have to charge their site entrance badge at the cash desk of the restaurant, for meals taken at the restaurant.

The ESRF will pay either for a user to travel to the ESRF or for a parcel of samples to be sent to and from the ESRF, up to the maximum number of users/parcels allowed for the experiment type considered:

• Up to 3 users/parcels for standard proposals
   
• Up to 3 users/parcels for MX BAG proposals
   
• Up to 3 users/parcels for SANS-SAXS proposals (ILL/ESRF Joint Proposals)
   
• Up to 2 users/parcels for CryoEM proposals (Rolling Proposal)
   
• Up to 4 users/parcels for the following categories of proposals: Long Term Project proposals, HUB proposals, non-MX BAG proposals and experiments rated as 'Red experiments' by the Safety Group, when the presence of more than three users is necessary to ensure the effective use of the beamline,
   
• For an offline experiment, the ESRF contribution is limited to one user/parcel.

Notes:

Reimbursement for users and parcels may be mixed, e.g. it is possible to request reimbursement for 2 user visits and 1 parcel of samples for an experiment session.

The request for reimbursement of either user visit or parcel shipment costs is made in the "Users" tab of the A-form for the session by the Main Proposer.

Additional users may be included in the experimental team, but these persons will not benefit from any reimbursement of expenses by the ESRF.

Download the file 'Reimbursement regulations' (PDF).

Eligible users will be subsidised for travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses for a period including the duration of both the SAXS and SANS experiments, plus an interval of up to 4 days between experiments, plus an additional allowance of 3 days (e.g. for setup).

Complete information on our information web page "Travel Rules" (Article 23 - Travel, in "ESRF User Policies and Rules").

Visitors invited for experiments will be accommodated in the Guesthouse (users affiliated to a laboratory located in Grenoble: see "Travel Rules").  The Guesthouse has 114 single bedrooms and 20 twin rooms. Where this is not possible, the ESRF Reception Office will book hotel rooms to be paid directly by the ESRF.

Users receiving financial support from the ESRF

The costs of the room and breakfast will be paid directly by the ESRF provided that the booking is made by the ESRF.

Users not receiving financial support from the ESRF

The request for accommodation arrangements must be made through the A Form, as for the reimbursed users. However they will have to pay their stay directly at the Guesthouse (in cash, by cheque on a French bank or by credit card).

The price per person per night is:

• 35.75 € for a single room
• 28.93 € for a twin room
• 2.63 € for breakfast

NB: the ESRF does not cover/reimburse accommodation (hotel) expenses that occured during the trip to/from the ESRF.

Detailed information in our information web page "Travel Rules" (Article 24 - Accommodation,  in "ESRF User Policies and Rules")

The site entrance badge is used for the payment of meals at the ILL/ESRF common restaurant.

• Breakfast is served in the Guesthouse (2.63 €).
   
• Other meals are served in the joint ILL/ESRF restaurant on site (EPN campus website restaurant information).
   
• The site entrance badge carries the canteen credit.
   
• The restaurant uses a points system: the cost in points of each dish is displayed in the canteen.

Users receiving a contribution towards expenses
 

• The badge is charged by the ESRF.
   
• Users are allocated a meal allowance corresponding to the number of meals covered by the ESRF during the period of the experiment, with a limit of 25 points per meal on average.
   
• If all pre-paid points are spent by the user before the end of the stay, the user can add extra points by crediting their card at the cash desk located in the entrance hall of the restaurant: any credit remaining on the badge at the end of the stay can be reimbursed by the restaurant.

Note: the ESRF will not cover/reimburse restaurant expenses occured during the trip to/from the ESRF

Users not receiving financial support from the ESRF
 

• The user credits their badge at the restaurant cash desk (entrance hall of the restaurant), before the first meal.
   
• Credit remaining on the badge at the end of the stay can be reimbursed by the restaurant (see below).

Reimbursement of credit remaining on the badge

If the user charged their badge, any credit remaining on the badge at the end of the stay can be reimbursed:

• from Monday to Friday by the restaurant cashier during opening hours (11:30am -13:30pm)
• during evening and week-end services, the cash desk in the entrance hall of the restaurant is closed: the refund of remaining credit is made at cash desk inside the restaurant.

Additional information in our information web page "Travel Rules" (Article 25 - Meals, in "ESRF User Policies and Rules")

It is mandatory for Users to submit their travel request and expenses claim via the e-travel application, SAP Concur.   All information on how to use SAP Concur, including how to make an expense report (reimbursement claim) can be found here.

Download the paper reimbursement claim form ONLY for the reimbursement of sample shipments for Non-Structural Biology samples (since no associated travel request exists).  All other reimbursements  must be done via SAP Concur. 

• The paper reimbursement claim has to be sent no later than 30 days after the visit, to the following address :
  ESRF
  User Office
  CS 40220
  71 avenue des Martyrs
  F - 38043 Grenoble Cedex 9
   
• The paper reimbursement claims will only be processed when all written proof of expenditure is attached (please paste your receipts on separate blank sheets of paper), and when the site badge has been returned to the security staff at the site entrance.

Note:

• Accommodation (hotel) and/or restaurant expenses during the trip to/from the ESRF are not reimbursed by the ESRF.

Expenses are paid by bank transfer provided that full bank details have been supplied in the User Account (tab 'Reimbursement Data'). The user will be responsible for any charges incurred on their bank account in relation to such transfers.

Note: Please make sure that students coming for experiments have their expenses covered at the time of their visit. For example, the person leading the experimental team could advance the total costs for the group, and then make one claim for reimbursement on behalf of all of the members. In this case, simply write on the reimbursement claim 'this claim represents the total costs for experiment xx-yyy' and enclose all receipts.

Last modified  22 June 2022

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