• Travel tickets between the home country/city of the grantee and the country of study according to the agreed itinerary (if applicable).

• Stipend, or monthly living allowance, to cover accommodation, meals and incidental expenses when the training is outside the home country/city.

• A one-time allowance for educational support materials including scientific texts, computer software, and other related material.

• Acquisition of a computer.

• Tuition fees.

• Support for thesis expenses.

• Examination fees and thesis expenses.

• Limited excess baggage allowance on return from training.

• Health insurance.

• Living allowance for accompanying dependants.

• Cost of visas, passports, passport photographs.

• Travel and other costs in connection with visa applications.

• Baggage insurance.

• Expenses arising from delays in travel caused by grantee.

• Taxi or airport bus fares, or tips.

• Packing, baggage porters, customs duty, airport charges.

• Cost of vaccinations.

• Bank charges.

When there is a choice between travel by air, rail or road, the most economic and rapid means are used unless there are special reasons for using other means. Normally, at least six weeks’ notice of travel date should be given to TDR to allow for the necessary travel and financial arrangements to be made. Following notification, TDR will issue a travel order to a local travel agency or airline, and the grantee is then free to make travel reservations with this agency or airline. Travel tickets must not be purchased by the grantee unless specifically requested by TDR to do so. TDR does not reimburse grantees for unauthorised purchase of tickets.

For grants of up to twelve months, round-trip tickets will be issued. For grants exceeding twelve months, a one-way ticket will be issued to the place of study. Where a one-way ticket has been issued at the commencement of the grant period, the grantee should send a request to TDR for the homeward journey approximately six weeks before the travel date.

Grantees holding round-trip tickets should acquaint themselves with regulations about cancellations and expiry dates. TDR will arrange for the validity of tickets to be extended only in cases where TDR has approved the extension of a grant period beyond one year.

The tickets provided by TDR should be used for the purpose of travel as specified in the Letter of Award only. They must not be submitted to any agent or airline for modification without written permission from TDR.

6. Stipend

A stipend is not a salary or an honorarium; it is an allowance paid to grantees for room, board and incidental expenses incurred during the grant period. It is not intended to cover routine expenses at home for the grantees or for their family and should not, therefore, be considered as a substitute for any salary paid to them in their home country. Stipends are payable in the country of study, either by means of traveller’s cheques or through other available means of payment in the appropriate currency. Stipends are not normally subject to income tax in the country of study.

Stipends are based on the cost of living in the country of study and are, therefore, subject to revision and vary from place to place. They are set under the guidance of the common system of the United Nations and are subject to modification by TDR. The initial stipend payable is indicated in the Letter of Award.

The first month in a place of study is payable at a higher rate called the "travel" rate in order to cover initial expenses of travelling and settling in. Subsequent months are payable at the "resident" rate, which is the normal rate for the place of study and is lower than the travel rate.

Stipends are paid monthly, in advance, at the place of study.

A one-time allowance of US$ 500 for M.Sc. students and US$ 750 for Ph.D. students may be provided for educational support materials (scientific texts, computer software, and other related material). Grantees should consult their training supervisors before purchasing the materials required for their approved training.

On arrival at the host institution, TDR is willing to consider a request for purchase of computer. The request, with a pro-forma invoice, should be submitted to TDR. If the purchase is approved, a Letter of Agreement will be drawn up for the transfer of funds to the host institution, and requesting it to make the purchase on your behalf.

TDR will pay tuition fees for study courses. Invoices for such fees must be submitted to TDR for payment, by the administrative services of the training institution, clearly showing the grantee’s name and the grant reference.

Where study courses include laboratory work, bench fees will be considered in cases where the host laboratory routinely charges them. Bench fees must be negotiated in advance between TDR and the host institution. If approved, payment will be made against invoices, which should clearly show the grantee’s name and the grant reference.

TDR will provide a small grant to help meet the additional expenses of thesis research and data collection in the home country. However, it should be understood that your home institution is expected to bear some responsibility in facilitating your field work. The exact amount of the small grant will be determined on receipt of your proposed research plan and a fully justified, realistic budget, submitted to TDR well in advance of the thesis research. The maximum small grant available for the full project is US$15,000. The cost of one supervisor’s visit to the place of field work will be covered separately by the Special Programme. TDR’s agreement to pay such amounts is conditional on the submission and approval of the research plan and budget.

The research plan and budget require the approval of your supervisor at the training institution, a responsible officer in your home institution, and finally by the Special Programme. If your research project involves human subjects you are required to submit institutional ethical clearance, or, when appropriate, national clearance obtained in the name of the Ministry of Health, together with the research protocol for ethical clearance by WHO. No funds can be disbursed until the ethical clearance is received by TDR and cleared by WHO.

Once the budget has been approved by the Special Programme, the funds will be transferred to your home institution which will take full responsibility for expenditure of the funds and maintaining adequate financial records. The funds may only be used for the purposes outlined in the research proposal and the approved budget. Your home institution will be required to submit a financial report at the end of the training phase in your home country. TDR and WHO retain the right to subject the financial report to audit by WHO’s auditors, including examination of supporting documentation and relevant accounting entries in your Institution’s books.

11. Reports

Reports should be submitted in accordance with the attached form. In addition, each year during the three years after completion of the grant period you should submit a follow-up report consisting of four parts.

• Information on the progress made in setting up facilities and pursuing the lines of research for which experience was acquired during the training period.

• An outline of the other activities since return from training including publications, special assignments, and other achievements.

• A short general statement on contacts continued with collaborators during the training period.

• A brief review of how good use has been made of the knowledge gained during training.

TDR will pay examination fees in connection with study courses, either against an invoice from the training institution or by reimbursement to the grantee against receipted invoices. Grantees studying for degrees may, where applicable, claim the cost of final typing, binding and related work in connection with the presentation of a thesis up to a maximum of US$ 750. An account or invoices countersigned by the thesis supervisor should be submitted with the claim.

TDR will pay a one-time excess baggage allowance of US$ 200 on completion of training and return to home country. Grantees are advised to use freight services as opposed to accompanied baggage as this will permit the transfer of larger amounts of material.

Grantees are required to take out health insurance regardless of whether or not they are obliged to do so by governmental or institutional regulations at the place of study.

TDR does not reimburse grantees’ medical or dental expenses arising from sickness, accident, or other causes. TDR will reimburse to the grantee the cost of a premium for adequate medical insurance coverage on receipt of appropriate documentation and of proof of payment of the premium (original invoices must be submitted). Where it is not possible for grantees to obtain adequate illness and accident insurance coverage, or in other exceptional circumstances, TDR may, at its discretion, make payment of any part of expenses incurred during the grant period as a result of illness or accident. Such payments are not normally made, however, in the following circumstances. 

• When the disability arises from a condition pre-existing the award of the grant.

• When grantees have not made use of the facilities available in the country of study for free medical or hospital care 

• When, except in an emergency, TDR has not been consulted before the expenses were incurred.

In all cases, any illness or accident which occurs during the grant period must be reported promptly to TDR.

Where Ph.D. training abroad covers an uninterrupted period exceeding two years, without a field work component, TDR will consider a one-time request for a return air ticket to the home country for a period not exceeding one month. TDR will provide an economy class or excursion air ticket for travel by the most direct and economic route between the place of study and the applicant’s hometown and the grantee will receive the normal monthly stipend during the leave period. TDR’s approval is subject to a number of provisions that will be applied on a case-by-case basis.

Grantees may not undertake other work, paid or unpaid, or accept grant support for living expenses from any other source during the tenure of a TDR Research Training Grant without the approval of TDR. They are expected, however, to receive all or an agreed part of their normal salary during the grant period and this should be agreed upon between the grantee and the home institution prior to commencement of training.

In no case does TDR undertake to accept claims for refund of payments made by applicants or grantees without TDR’s written authority. This includes the unauthorised purchase of air and other travel tickets.

RTGs are awarded on the condition that the grantee undertake to return to their home institute following completion of their training to work for a minimum of three years in their field of study. The home institute is required to provide employment for this same three-year period. In the case of a breach of the agreed terms of the grant as specified in the General Information for the Award of Research Training Grants and Letter of Award, grantees will be required to reimburse to TDR all funds paid directly to them, or on their account including travel costs, tuition and field research expenses.