RTSG is the Research Training Support Grant, which is there to aid you in your research and can cover many expenses, such as research equipment, overseas travel with registration to conferences, and certain training courses. All purchases to be claimed on the RTSG must be pre-approved by your supervisor. Please note that equipment eligible for purchase from your RTSG allowance does not include standard specification laptops or computers as those will be provided by your research group when you start your PhD. All equipment purchased on the RTSG, including upgraded or specialised equipment, is required to be returned to the department at the end of your programme. The amount of your RTSG will depend on your scholarship. Please check your scholarship letter for details.
Department will provide RTSG to self-funded students for the duration of their PhD. Please contact your Senior Research Group Administrator if you are not sure about the amount of your allowance.
Please contact your Senior Research Group Administrator before making any purchases or bookings for travel/accommodation.
RTSG funds normally cannot be used to cover subscriptions to AI models or platforms (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude). These are considered general productivity tools and fall outside the scope of eligible RTSG expenditure. Students who require access to AI tools for research or writing support are encouraged to use the College’s free AI platform, Daisy, provided by ICT.
Expense claim forms and College Expenses Policy. You must submit your expense claims within 6 months.