PHOTON SCIENCE

Only users employed at German universities are eligible to apply for the reimbursement of their travel costs. Employees of research institutes, i.e. BMWA-, EMBL-, FhG-, KIT-, HGF-, MPG- and WGL-Institutes, cannot be funded.

After beamtime has been allocated:

1. The PI of the respective proposal has to submit an electronic travel reimbursement application via DOOR (maximum 3 experimenters can be selected).

• Applications must be submitted for each individual beamtime, preferably not later than two weeks before commencing your journey
• Fellow travelers not compensated by DESY should not be listed on the application!

2. DESY Photon Science will review your application
3. The PI will be notified about the status of the application via email. If the application is accepted, our confirmation eMail to the PI will include further instructions to be forwarded to all applicants.

DESY reserves the right to refuse applications.

If accepted for travel reimbursement:

1. Please note that you are responsible for all your bookings and reservations, also for the DESY Hostel (cannot be made by DESY). Applicants are therefore liable for their own expenses (including DESY–Hostel!) before being reimbursed.
2. Applicants must keep all their original invoices, receipts and tickets for lodging and travel for later submission
3. After beamtime: Each traveller has to submit a fully completed and signed DESY travel reimbursement form stating the purpose “Messreise DESY Photon Science”, beamline and proposal number along with the original invoices, tickets and receipt (e.g. copies of online transfer) to:

DESY  Photon Science User Office
Bldg. 94/ Room O1.013
"travel cost reimbursement/Reisekostenerstattung"
22603 Hamburg
Germany

• Travel Reimbursement Forms can be downloaded here
• Reimbursement will be calculated for each traveller individually after receipt of her/his complete set of documents.
• For each participant and each stay, a separate form has to be submitted as each stay equals a different business trip.
• Please keep costs to a minimum so that we can support as many user groups as possible! Please try to travel by budget price („Sparpreis“, requires early booking) offered by Deutsche Bahn which is mandatory according to the German Travel Expenses Act.

In case you have further questions concerning the application procedure, please contact us via door@desy.de

General Note:

Before you start your journey, please remember to have a business trip request authorised by your home institute. Please also do not forget to consult with your institute regarding insurance coverage (personal injury and property damage) – for you and your co-passengers when using private cars, for example -  and possible safety aspects during the transport of chemicals, equipment or similar. The latter requires authorisation from your home institute as well.

The travel reimbursement documents have to be sent to the DESY Photon Science User Office:

DESY Photon Science User Office
Bldg. 94/ Room O1.013
Notkestrasse 85
22607 Hamburg

Please do not send the documents directly to the DESY travel centre/Reisestelle!

When calculating the amount of refund, the Bundesreisekostengesetz – BRKG (German Federal Act on Travel Expenses) is applied.

Period of stay

The period of the scheduled beamtime plus appropriate preparation and post-processing time (usually 1 day before and after beamtime) will be reimbursed. Prolonged periods of stay require prior approval (explanation should be added in the 'Optional Additional Message'-field of your DOOR-application)

Daily Allowance: A daily lump-sum per travel day of

-           28 € for an absence of 24 hours

-           14 € for an absence of 8 - 24 hours

-           14 € for each arrival + departure day in case of several day trips

No separate receipts for meals etc. are needed, however, make sure to fully state your trip details under 1.) of your form.

DESY Hostel:

Please get in touch with the DESY Hostel first for available accommodation on the DESY campus!

https://welcome-services.desy.de/hostel_in_hamburg

What we need:

• original invoice
• receipt of payment (e.g. bank statement)

Hotel:

Should the DESY Hostel be fully booked, please choose a cost-effective alternative from the list provided by the DESY Hostel Office and consult the DESY Photon Science User Office concerning cost absorption.

Hotel costs will be reimbursed only for the nights during which the DESY Hostel was overbooked.

Breakfast meals, which exceed € 4.80, will be reimbursed only if the invoice is issued to the reimbursing institute (DESY) and referenced to your name.

Please note that for legal reasons, we can only accept hotel invoices that disclose lodging and breakfast separately.

What we need:

• Your original invoice
• the corresponding payment receipt
• written rejection by the DESY Hostel

Private accommodation:

A nightly fee of 20 € can be paid for private accommodation or if no proof for your overnight stays is provided.

By train:

Train fares equivalent to the least expensive train ticket (usually 2. Class, please book as early as possible and select “Sparpreis” whenever possible) will be reimbursed. Please let us know on page 4 of your travel reimbursement form if you travelled with mobile ticket.

What we need:

• original ticket or print out with stamp

By car:

Reimbursement for using private or rental cars to and from DESY can be granted only in exceptional cases for substantial business reasons and after authorisation by DESY Photon Science. Before your beamtime, a detailed statement with a complete list of equipment to be transported must be submitted along with the travel reimbursement request (via DOOR - “Optional Additional Message”–Field).

A flat fee of € 0.30 per kilometer is paid to the driver after written authorisation by DESY Photon Science and in case of substantial business interest.

The driver will be compensated with a flat fee of € 0.20 per kilometer when there is no substantial business interest or when no authorisation by DESY was obtained. In this case reimbursement is limited to a maximum of €150!

By rental car:

Expenses for rental cars (including gasoline costs) can each be reimbursed for the outward and return journey as long as your prior request has been confirmed by DESY Photon Science. The use of vehicles during your stay on-site will not be reimbursed.

What we need:

• Detailed statement with a complete list of equipment to be transported submitted (via DOOR - “Optional Additional Message”–Field) prior beamtime
• Rental invoice in original format
• Possible gas station receipts

Public transport:

Only tickets to and from the airport/train station on the day of arrival and departure will be reimbursed. Travel costs that incurred during your stay at DESY will not be covered by DESY. Please check whether public transport is included in your train ticket.

What we need:

• tickets in original format
• group tickets: number of people and their names

By plane:

DESY decided to avoid travel by short-haul flights in order to reduce CO₂ emission.

https://v2.desy.de/travel___information_amp_forms/climate_neutral_business_trips/index_eng.html

Accordingly, also for users plane tickets are only reimbursed in exceptional cases and only after prior approval by us, and if the equivalent travel by train takes longer than 6 hours.

In any case, the reimbursement of short-haul air tickets must be requested together with the reimbursement application in DOOR. Tickets must be booked well in advance to save costs. The cost of an economy class air ticket will be reimbursed, but only up to a maximum of 500 € for the whole journey (including transfer to and from airport).

What we need:

• Comparative offer (train ticket vs flight, and at least two flight options)
• (Electronic) booking confirmation or itinerary receipt
• Boarding cards (also for e-tickets and mobile tickets!)

Please be aware that your individual travel expense form along with all documents has to be submitted not later than 6 months after the end of your business trip. The observance of the deadline is mandatory, an extension of the time limit is not possible!

When submitting your documents, please arrange them in a clear, legible and orderly manner to avoid unnecessary queries and to accelerate the processing time. 

Before submitting your document, please feel free to see the checklist below to make sure your documents are complete.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the DESY Photon Science User Office (by phone: 040 8998-2304/-2368 or e-mail door@desy.de)

Check List for your travel reimbursement application at PETRA III or FLASH

• Was my beamtime not later than 6 months ago?
• Has an online application been submitted (by proposal PI) and approved for me via DOOR?
• Have I paid all tickets and invoices related to my stay?
• Did I fill in my complete trip details?
• Have I included all relevant tickets in original format as well as all corresponding receipts of payment? (see above for details) e.g:
  • Hostel:            Original invoice + payment receipt
  • Hotel:              Original invoice + payment receipt + written rejection by Hostel
  • Train:              Original ticket
  • Flight:              Print out of electronic booking confirmation, original or electronic boarding cards (print out)
  • Original tickets for public transport
  • Rental Car: Original invoice, gas station receipt

• Did I state my IBAN and other bank details?
• Did I make sure to sign the form?